Our Fun and Convenient Family Vacation to Gulfport, MS

Do you love to travel with your kids? So do we! We have oodles of family travel tips on New Orleans Mom. Whether your family is desperate for a short weekend getaway within Louisiana, a great place to camp with kids near New Orleans or a full-fledged road trip from New Orleans … we have you covered!

Family Road Trip From New Orleans :: Gulfport, Mississippi

As much as we would all love to get away for a full week, sometimes you just don’t have that much vacation time. In looking for a short beach trip from New Orleans, I happened to come across a resort that features an awesome pool area a quick 1.5 hour drive away in Gulfport, Mississippi … SOLD!

The Oasis Resort in Gulfport, MS

The Oasis Resort in Gulfport is relatively new. There are two giant water slides, a water playground, lazy river, swim up bar and a restaurant right there on the property. Another big draw to the hotel is the “Kid’s Suite,” which is basically an oversized hotel room with a walled off kids room that contains bunk beds, a tv, and storage.

Family Friendly Activities in Gulfport, MS

For our New Orleans family, Gulfport is appealing for many reasons: the distance, price point and lots of family friendly activities. Lynn Meadows Discovery Center is 5 minutes from The Oasis and my kids LOVED it. My boys have told all of their friends, my mom, and anyone else who will listen about how much fun the “far away children’s museum” is. Even if you just drive over for a day, I highly recommend Lynn Meadows with kids. We also spent some time in Gulfport on retail therapy. There are lots of surf-themed souvenir shops up and down Beach Boulevard to pick up vacation essentials or souvenirs. We chose Sharkheads because my kids think the giant shark on the building is cool. Not too far away in Biloxi – if you feel like venturing out – is a really neat indoor waterpark called the Kroc Center.

While our hotel had a restaurant, we did venture out to some of the many restaurants on the same highway. Even though we stayed at Oasis, we drove up the coast a little further to Margaritaville, another family-friendly resort in Mississippi, and let the kids play in the arcade there. The beach was across the highway from us, but we did not go to the beach on this specific trip. Also, while we had it on our list, we did not get a chance to eat at Sugar Factory in the Hard Rock. Hopefully we will on our next trip because I think my boys would enjoy the fun milkshakes and this mama wants to try a smoking cocktail.

traveling to Gulfport, Mississippi with kidsOur 3 night get away to Gulfport was not just convenient from New Orleans; it was easy and oh so much fun for all of us! Our family will definitely being going back to Gulfport for overnight and day trips in the future. In fact, we are (hopefully) planning an end of summer excursion to Gulf Islands Waterpark.

If you are interested in heading to Gulfport from New Orleans for just the day, we have tips on how to make the most of a day in Gulfport here

Amanda Blaum
Amanda is her name and sequins are her game. She can never be too extra with fashion or fun. Boymomming keeps her busy. In between playdates and ballpark games, she enjoys dates with her husband of 8 years and girls nights with her mom squad.

2 COMMENTS

  1. We have frequented Gulf Island Waterpark for many, many years. It has always been super family friendly. As a parent of children 6yrs apart, it was comforting to be able to see both my children in whatever part of the park they chose to be in, at the same time. Plenty of multi level attractions for all the ages (even mom and dad!) plus food options on site. Great place!!

  2. I second the Oasis! But definitely upgrade to a bigger room because the standard rooms are laughably tiny. It was uncomfortable for 1 night as a family of 3.

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