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Life, Travel

Mississippi Day 3: Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts

updated on 3 Comments on Mississippi Day 3: Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts

This was the day everyone was looking forward to! The kids have never seen the ocean before and it has been since high school for me. We couldn’t wait to experience all of the “firsts”! After being able to sleep in for the first time in days, we were all feeling energized and so ready for all of the fun that was awaiting us.

The Boat

We were staying in Gulfport and made our drive down to the harbor. These homes were FILLED with character and so beautiful – although I don’t think I could handle the stress of hurricane season right on the ocean.

It was a cold and very windy morning and I don’t think I ever made a worse clothing decision. I was thinking “beach” and so I just had a swimsuit and beach dress with sandals. Truly everyone else on board was in long pants, scarves, and jackets. I felt pretty silly. Luckily the kids were all in shorts and hoodies and were fine. Oh well.

The boys were a little unsure about the boat experience. Most people on the boat stayed in the cabin away from the elements, but Sarah wanted to ride on top. So her and I went up top and it was a lot of fun. And we saw DOLPHINS! It was magical.

The ride was very chopping because of the wind. But we were just grateful the ship was going that day (we learned from some other passengers that it cancelled the day before because of weather) because we would not have been able to reschedule.

Ship Island

Ship Island is a barrier island about twelve miles away from the coast and it was beautiful. They have a boardwalk that you walk on from the boat all the way down to the seashore. The island has marshes and felt really “untouched” and that was neat to see.

The kids LOVED the beach. The wind calmed down shortly after we got there and ended up being such a beautiful day. Even Lydie seemed to enjoy the sand and the waves and it was fun to watch her experience that. The kids loved jumping the waves, playing in the sand, and looking for seashells.

Fort Massachusetts

Another interesting part of the island is that it is home to Fort Massachusetts. Both Federal and Confederate troops used Ship Island during the Civil War, even though the fort was not completed until 1866. Confederate troops captured the island in January of 1861 and immediately began work to defend it. As the war progressed though, the Confederacy abandoned the fort and the Union took control of it in September of that same year. It was intended to use it to launch raids on Gulf Coast cities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

We loved the grasses growing on top and all around it and how everything was arched. It was an interesting piece of history.

Return Boat

We could have definitely spent a few more hours here but we were very grateful for the time that we had. As we were walking back to the boat, we spotted some sting rays. It was so much fun to see marine life in the wild!

All we could think about was Finding Nemo…

The weather was so much better on the return trip back, so most people ended up riding on top – including Mark and the bigs. Lydie and I made our way into the cabin and she took a little snooze and made all of the crew fall in love with her (she has a gift). She came away with a pretty snazzy shark tooth and some pristine shells from the crew. Then Mark came down and got Lydie and carried her upstairs. They had seen a lot more dolphins and she seemed to enjoy the ride up top for the last little bit.

Shaggy’s

We made our way back to our AirBNB and showered and then went back into town. We ate dinner at Shaggy’s and it was such a fun environment right on the water. I am not much of a seafood gal but somehow Mark convinced me to share the “Captain’s Platter” with him. It had flounder, jumbo shrimp, crab cakes, she-crab soup, and hush puppies. It was not my favorite but it felt fitting with our day and I was impressed that the kids tried everything with us!

It was such a memorable day and definitely the highlight for everyone from our entire trip. We loved the gulf!

Mississippi Family Vacation 2024 Itinerary:

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