Oasis Resort :: The Perfect Vacation with Kids only 1.5 Hours from New Orleans
The Oasis Resort and Water Playground in Gulfport is open until October! From the hotel room to the water slides to the lazy river, we loved every second of this vacation! This water park is perfect for littles. There are about 11 small water slides and 2 larger water slides for the children to enjoy. My 6-year-old and 2-year-old had a blast! We cannot wait to go back!
To be honest, the first day I was too nervous to sit down, because water and small children makes me uneasy. However, by the second day, I was more comfortable with the lay of the land and the depths of the waters. My almost 3 year old was able to splash in the ankle deep water and go down the mini water slides mostly by himself. My 6 year old could reach the bottom everywhere except the zero entry pool on the other side of the park. I got to sit down and relax a little bit while watching them play.
This place has been on my bucket list for a while and I’m so glad we went! If it’s on your bucket list, then you’re in luck because I’ve got lots of details to make planning easier for you! See below!
Hours of Operation
- Water Playground 9am to 9pm
- Check In 4pm: However, they let us get our wristbands and go to the water park at 1pm on the day of check in.
- Check Out 11am: On check out day, you just leave your room for 11am and you can stay at the water park until 3pm. You won’t have showers but there is a bathroom where you can change before you head home.
What building to stay in?
Building 8 is closest to the pool. Building 6 has the Oasis Grill and arcade. I think these two are the best options. We did not request a building but we were happy to be placed in building 8 with a huge corner room on the top floor with an excellent view! I’m not sure if all the rooms look like this but I was impressed with our room.
Extra Wristbands
The Water Playground is for Oasis Resort and Grand Centennial Hotel guests only. Hotel rooms come with 2 passes per queen or king bed. Children 5 and under do not require a pass to the water playground. Up to two additional passes may be purchased valid for your stay for $48.15 each. Lost passes will not be replaced and must be purchased at $48.15.
What should you bring?
- Snacks for the room (there is a mini fridge but no microwave). There is a Walmart about 15 minutes away. We stopped there on the way in.
- Water bottles: technically you cannot bring outside food and drink into the water park area. However, my husband and I were able to bring our insulated cups with water in our bag. It may depend on who is working the gate.
- Towels (there are towels at the pool but the towels cannot leave the pool area).
- Goggles and rings for the kids to play (Both of our kids spent a lot of time playing with these things!) Note: they did have some spare goggles hanging on the fence that you could borrow if you forgot yours.
- Life jacket for littles: We brought life jackets for both kids. My 6 year old didn’t use one but my 2 year old used it in the lazy river.
- Note: there are small life jackets you can sign out and return after use.
- No Cash needed: Besides when you check in, you don’t need cash or card because you can charge everything to your room.
How deep is the water?
The little water slides are ankle/calf deep on an adult which is good for the toddlers. The larger slides landed in 3.5 feet deep water. The lazy river was 3 feet deep. The zero entry pool with the swim up bar did get too deep for my 6 year old. I believe it was 5 feet.
What amenities do they have?
- Two on site restaurants
- An arcade
- Water Park (water slides, zero entry pool, lazy river)
- Fountain Light Show
Where to eat off site?
There are plenty of options but I will name a few here.
- Qboba: This place was very tasty and reminded me of Chipotle. We used Uber Eats to deliver to the resort.
- Rock N Roll Sushi: My husband picked it up. The kids enjoyed the chicken hibachi. About 7 minutes away.
- Murky Waters Blues & BBQ: I’ve heard great things about this restaurant but haven’t been yet! About 7 minutes away.
- Shaggy’s: about 5 minutes away
- Waffle house: about 3 minutes away
- Fast food options about 7 minutes away include: McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Popeyes, and
The Beach!
The beach is right across the street. You can literally walk there. It’s not the clearest water, but if your kids love the sand, it’s worth the walk!
To add to the restaurant list, we love Tony’s Brick Oven pizza and Half Shell Oyster House. Both are the same distance as Murky Waters, right around the corner.
Thank you for the recommendation!
I think this is the Centennial Plaza Hotel in Gulfport? I’ve never heard it called the oasis? And of mention, you do have to book a room or be an event guest (such as children’s birthday party) to access the pool.
Good morning. I believe Oasis Resort is within the Centennial Plaza. See more here: https://centennialplazams.com/stay/oasis-resort. To my understanding, you must have a room or be an event guest to utilize the water playground. This is from the website: “Centennial Plaza’s Water Playground is an amenity for Oasis Resort and Grand Centennial Hotel guests only. Hotel rooms come with 2 passes per queen or king bed. Children 5 and under do not require a pass to the water playground. Up to two additional passes may be purchased valid for your stay for $48.15 each. Lost passes will not be replaced and must be purchased at $48.15.”