Next we returned to familiar territory. I’ve mentioned the Mississippi Gulf Coast many times on Twelve Mile Circle because I go there fairly regularly and I have a lot of family there. However, my last trip was way back in 2019 and only for a long weekend. Somehow I never figured on a global pandemic and everything that went along with that, nor that it would be four more years until I could see much of my family again. So this stop was more about covering familiar ground, and that’s why this will probably be the shortest article in the series.
Coastal Preserve
A lot of the activity actually involved a lack of activity; just catching up with family and sitting around admiring the view. This lovely scene gazes upon the Jourdan River Coastal Preserve (map). Look closely on the far horizon and notice the town of Bay St. Louis along a body of water of the same name. That white rectangular structure far in the background is a casino. They keep popping up along Mississippi’s gulf coast as the years go by and as opinions on gambling change.
Notice that I took the photograph from an elevated position. I don’t own a drone so what’s going on here? It’s actually from the deck of a waterside restaurant. Here, Hurricane Katrina wiped everything away in 2005 in a 30-foot storm surge. I went through the area not long afterwards and nothing remained but the concrete pads beneath missing buildings. I thought that perhaps it might persuade people to rebuild further inland, but no! They simply settled on the exact same spot but with higher stilts. This place, for instance, even included an elevator for those who didn’t want to climb a two-story staircase. It made a nice observation perch while enjoying dinner though.
Ocean Adventures Marine Park
I did get to experience a couple of new things this time around. Previously I described the quest to visit zoos and aquariums, and this trend continued here. Ocean Adventures Marine Park in Gulfport (map) came first on that list. It’s part of the larger Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. This is a pretty small place noted more for its opportunities to swim with the animals than its walk amongst exhibits so we cruised through here fairly quickly.
Mississippi Aquarium
I’d also never been to the Mississippi Aquarium, also in Gulfport (map). It’s fairly new and that probably explains it. I don’t think it existed last time.
An enormous multi-story tank occupies the largest building, and it was both massive and impressive. Additionally, visitors could walk amongst several outdoor exhibits and tanks. Unfortunately, southern Mississippi in July is blistering hot. I’m sure this arrangement makes perfect sense for much of the year but next time I’d probably find something more temperate to do during the summer months.
One could easily visit both attractions in a single day. And that’s exactly what we did. Neither of them took more than an hour or two and they’re less than ten miles apart. We went to one, ate lunch, and then went to the other, and we still had plenty of time for family visits in the afternoon.
INFINITY Science Center
Then we returned to an old favorite the next day, the INFINITY Science Center outside of NASA’s Stennis Space Center (map). I won’t bother to rehash my description because I’ve already written more than enough about it on previous pages.
Usually something changes between visits but I’m not sure it differed perceptibly from my 2019 visit. It felt like someone set my watch back a few years. I guess the displays went into suspended animation and only now it’s beginning to reawaken from its pandemic slumber. I think they’ve also completely given up on bus tours to the rocket engine testing facilities on the NASA base. Bummer. I always loved that part of the visit.
But we did find one silver lining. We toured through the outdoor section where they display large items like the first stage of a Saturn V rocket. There we found an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper hanging out in the brush. They’re super big and super creepy. The older kid had been hunting this particular species for the entire trip without any success and here we saw one in a completely unexpected place. Sometimes things just work out that way.
Articles in the Southern Heat Series
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr
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