Camp Out

Southerners usually find that it’s easier to get more active in the fall. It’s just too darn hot in the summer to spend any significant amount of time outside, but when the leaves start to change color and the air loses some of that thickness, you can find us where we love to be, the great outdoors.

Nowhere is that more evident than the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where the summer months bring sweltering humidity and heat so we find things to do indoors, but the autumn months are just right for camping. And the coast has plenty of places to set up for a night under the multicolored trees and twinkling stars.

De Soto National Forest, with more than 370,000 acres of pine forest, boasts a plethora of camp sites and outdoor activities to help you get back in touch with your wild side, like fishing, paddling, and hiking.

But seeing as how you’d be near the coast, why not try camping near the white sands of the beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore? Gulf Islands’ Davis Bayou Campground is in Ocean Springs and has 51 sites. There are plenty of things to do here. Go fishing or boating, or hike across the 400 acres of the bayou area.

Casinos have even gotten in on the camping game. Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis features 100 campsites, with amenities like shower facilities, cable TV, and swimming pool access.

But it’s not just all about camping here. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has much more to do outside, and you can do it year round, thanks to the sub-tropical climate. It may be a bit warm and muggy in the summer months (that usually doesn’t stop some people), but in the fall, everything is just right.