What to do and see in Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast: The Best Museums

Hillyer House is a nationally recognized award-winning gallery featured in Southern Living and Southern Breeze magazines. Established in 1970 by the Hillyer-Reed family, Paige Riley collects brilliant works of art from over 300 local and national artists.

The Museum exhibits hundreds of one-of-a-kind artifacts and an unrivaled collection of vintage photos, which tells the story from the time of the first Indian settlement through generations of immigrants whose journey contributed to the melting-pot culture of the Gulf Coast. The Grand Hall features the "Nydia" a 30' gaff rigged cabin sloop built in Biloxi in 1898 at the Johnson Shipyard. Featured exhibits include shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, marine blacksmithing, net-making, boat building, hurricanes, featuring Camille and Katrina, all the while telling the tale of over 300 years of history, culture and heritage. The Museum is available for special events, meetings, weddings, etc.

The Walter Anderson Museum of Art (WAMA), founded in 1991, is located in historic Ocean Springs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. WAMA is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of artist-philosopher Walter Anderson (1903-1965) and his family. Walter Anderson’s paintings, drawings, murals, block prints, sculpture, carvings, and writings of coastal plants, animals, landscapes, and people have placed him among the most compelling and singular artists of the 20th century.

Located in a 1915 schoolhouse, under the large live oaks, just blocks from the beach in Gulfport, MS, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center is a special place for children and their grown-ups. Inside, 15,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits encourage fun, learning and creativity. Discover different cultures at Celebrate the World We Share, board the train at Dolan Avenue Depot, and create a mini masterpiece at our art studio, Art Knows Anything Goes. Outside, oak-covered acres provide more space to let the imagination run wild. Play house in the trees, tap a tune in the outdoor musical garden, and explore the tiny town of Kids Street. Lynn Meadows Discovery Center is honored to be a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services, which recognizes exceptional contributions to the community.

The beautiful Bay St. Louis train depot, built in 1928, houses the visitors center, where visitors can get information about businesses and attractions in the Bay St. Louis area, the Mardi Gras Museum, featuring beautiful Mardi Gras costumes and the Alice Moseley Folk Art and Antique Museum. The depot itself is set in a park like setting featuring many Live Oak trees, picnic tables, benches, and a walking path. Duck food can be purchased in the visitor center and many ducks and geese are waiting to be fed at the duck pond on the depot grounds. There is a lot to do and enjoy at the depot and to learn the history of this building and of the difficulties experienced in earlier times maintaining a railroad across the nearby Honey Island Swamp. The Alice Moseley Museum is an entertainment venue as much as it is a Museum and visitors to see Miss Alice usually leave the Museum with a smile on their face and a love of Alice Moseley in their hearts.

Alice Moseley loved this depot and loved all the beautiful Live Oak trees that surround it and she would have been delighted that her beautiful folk art and her son's antiques have such a wonderful home. The Museum contains over 50 of Alice Moseley's original paintings and Tim Moseley's lifetime collection of art pottery, majolica, glass and primitive furniture. Playing at all times in the Museum is Alice Moseley on her DVD telling her stories and displaying for our visitors the unique and funny and talented person that she was. The Alice Moseley Museum is a Museum, but it is also an entertainment venue. Come to the Alice Moseley Museum and you will leave with a smile on your face and a love of an old lady whose favorite saying was, "Your reach should always exceed your grasp." She is still reaching out to you. Come see her Museum while you are in Bay St. Louis. Admission free. The museum is closed on Sundays and major holidays.