Mississippi Coastal Towns Near Buccaneer State Park
When: Thursday, February 18 to Saturday, February 27, 2021 (nine nights)
Where: Buccaneer State Park (near Waveland MS)
Cost: $28/night for full hook-ups + tax (site 021 for seven nights and 020 for two nights; Jean Laffitte loop)
Bucket Lists: Post-Katrina Tree Carvings along Highway 90
Beer: Lazy Magnolia (Kiln MS)
Biking: Bridge Across Bay St. Louis
While we were staying in the eastern Mobile Bay area during record winter temperatures, we decided to extend our southern adventures yet again. A Missouri couple we befriended while in Florida had mentioned Buccaneer State Park in Waveland Mississippi adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico. We booked a week, like “real” RV-ers.
Buccaneer State Park
Buccaneer State Park features 206 “premium” campsites with full hookups (water, electric and sewer) about a half mile or so from the coast. There are also an additional 70 sites (with water and electric; no sewer) that are available on a limited (first-come, first-serve) basis right next to the Gulf of Mexico, and an additional 25 primitive (first-come, first-serve) sites located in the back of Royal Cay camp area. I’m not sure why, but there were only a handful of RVs at the sites right next to the water.
Our loop (sites 1-25) was named after Jean Lafitte, a French pirate who operated in the area in early 1800s. Other loops have a pirate themes: Barataria Bay (26-27), Long John Silver (48-68), Pirates Cove (69-93), and Blackbeard (94-104).
The campground includes lots of amenities: a 4.5 acre water park, the Pirate’s Alley Nature Trail, a kids playground, an 18-hole disc golf course, an activity building, a camp store, and the Castaway Cove pool. While the aquatic features were filled with water, they were not open when we were there. Of all the amenities, we only used the trails and laundry facility. Oddly, I’ve found that I like to get up early and do laundry at campgrounds. The laundry facility does not have any change machines so I had to travel into town for quarters. I’ve now added “rolls of quarters” to our RV checklist for trips.
Breweries
Lazy Magnolia (Kiln, MS) pre-dates the craft beer craze. The brewery opened in 2003 and claims to be the Mississippi’s oldest packaging brewery. At the time of our stay, the brewery had expanded and was distributing in 18 states. Despite a multi-state operation and being located in an industrial building, the interior of the brewery itself still exudes southern charm. “The Porch,” as the taproom/restaurant is named, features a wide variety of beers, all served in Mason jars. The brick-oven fired pizza is a must, and we bravely added “gator sausage” to ours. It tastes like chicken, if you are wondering. Our server/bartender was a fabulous hostess, and patiently waited through our “flight” deliberations and tourist pictures.
The twelve mile (20 minute) drive from the campground to the brewery is worth the time. In fact, we did it twice during our week-long stay. I took home a six-pack of the Sun Fox IPA, and wished I would have purchased more. The good news is that Missouri is one of the distribution states!
While in the area, we also visited Chandeleur Brewing (Gulfport, MS) and Puff Belly's (D'Iberville, MS) on a day trip we made to Biloxi, Mississippi. Chandeleur seems to be a pretty big operation and is well known. We found their beers all over Mississippi, and my pick was definitely the H90 Surfside pineapple wheat. You don’t find a lot of pineapple beers; the only other one I remember finding is from Kansas Territory.
Puff Belly’s Pizza and Brewery is located in a strip mall in a northern suburb of Biloxi, and the beer is marketed under the “Macon Brewing Company” brand, which is a little confusing. In researching whether to go there or not, we had a hard time figuring out if it was a real brewery because it’s hard to find their taps online. However, don’t let that fool you. The place features a wide variety of microbrews, as well as guest taps. They also serve some delicious pizza. The place has a “diner” feel (like where orders are written down on a notepad), and we luckily just beat the lunch crowd.
Bay St. Louis – Tree Carvings
While we did not find much to do in Waveland (other than explore the campground and go to Wal-Mart), Bay St. Louis is a small coastal tourist destination. We had an outdoor lunch next to a warm campfire at The Blind Tiger (a/k/a TBT) where we had some $13 mahi tacos and $7 beers from Chandeleur Brewing (Gulfport, MS).
Just outside restaurant row is a carved oak tree that was made after Hurricane Katrina. The dedication plaque reads:
The Angel Tree — Bay St. Louis
In the early 1990’s, Ovenia de Montluzin looked out her kitchen window and saw workers starting to take down this oak, a sapling at the time, to clear a way for the de Montluzin Avenue to be constructed. She asked them – successfully—to stop, because the young tree was an oak and would be beautiful one day.
At that time, this tree stood 225 feet west, down Montluzin Avenue.
On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina bore down on the de Monluzin family home, a turn-of-the-century villa which had become the Bay Town Inn. Of the seven people in the Inn that morning, four made it through the water and were rescued in the afternoon.
Kevan Guillory, Doug Niolet, and Nikki Nicholson Moon, along with her Scottish Terrier Maddy, managed to get to this tree once the tidal surge washed away the historic home. They held on for several hours as the waves washed over them, the eye passed, and they were able to jump down and find shelter for the night.
Years, later, the tree was carved and moved to this location.
I was incredibly moved by this angel tree. We soon learned that there were dozens of carved trees in the area. While the vast majority are located along Highway 90, my favorite was located in a Bay St. Louis cemetery. These tree sculptures were created by Dayton Scoggins of Mississippi, Marlin Miller of Florida, and Dayle Lewis of Indiana. I was very moved by the artists inspired to create such works, and finding those trees became one of my main goals of the trip. In the video, there’s a montage devoted to the tree sculptures. We also located a google map of the tree locations.
Another thing to be sure and check out is the Alice Moseley Folk Art & Antique Museum. Miss Moseley began painting at age 65, and her paintings certainly capture the spirit of the South. The museum collection is eclectic, ranging from elaborate Mardi Gras costumes to a wall featuring famous black blues musicians – David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Chester Arthur Burnett (Howling Wolf), Riley “BB” King, Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James, Mississippi John Hurt, Muddy Waters, and others. We also found a few more tree carvings there. The best part is that the museum is free.
South Beach Boulevard — near Bay St. Louis
Biking near Buccaneer State Park
Starting about a quarter mile from Buccaneer State Park, a multi-use paved path runs along South Beach Boulevard. On one day, we rode the bikes about 10 miles from our campsite to Henderson Point, located on the other side of a 2.1-mile bridge over Bay St. Louis that also includes a dedicated biking/walking lane. I was a little nervous at first to use the bridge, but felt very comfortable given the wide path and concrete barriers/railings between the bike path and traffic. Along the bridge, we stopped several times to enjoy the views of the water and surrounding towns. The bridge contains bronze plaques of various aquatic/beach animals every 0.1 miles, and I photographed each one along the ride, which are included in the video. Yep, that’s 21 photos….
Before this trip, I never thought of Mississippi as a winter get-away. Yet, this part of the country is an excellent destination for snowbirds. I have a feeling we will be traveling there again some winter.
