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Behind the swinging bookshelf of the speakeasy, tonights performer plays an acoustic set.
This is a quieter, more refined experience.
This bar isnt what Ive come to expect of Mississippi, my home state.
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Id describe the town the same way.
At first glance, Ocean Springs is the epitome of atraditional Mississippi town.
Upon closer inspection, its clear this isnt the Mississippi I grew up in.
Kayla Michelle Smith/Travel + Leisure
There are several boutique hotels includingThe RoostwhereThe Wilbur Baris located full of modern decor.
More than once, Im given an environmentally friendly straw.
Tonights audience, however, could only exist in Mississippi.
Kayla Michelle Smith/Travel + Leisure
Whatever happened to Elvis?
one woman asks her group of friends.
Well, he died a man replies.
Kayla Michelle Smith/Travel + Leisure
They gasp with laughter at themselves.
The singer appeases us with an oddly beautiful version of Johnny Cashs Folsom Prison Blues.
Kayla Michelle Smith/Travel + Leisure
Ive come to Ocean Springs for the weekend from my home in New Orleans.
The train will stop in Bay St. Louis and downtown Biloxi, a quick Uber ride from Ocean Springs.
The towns are ready to embrace new visitors.
My home in Ocean Springs for the weekend isFront Beach Cottages.
Two of the cottages are dog-friendly.
The New Orleans theme is common here, which makes sense as the region shares its French history.
I walk the two blocks from the cottages to watch the sunset on the beach.
I pass dog walkers and a group of teenagers huddled around a fire pit celebrating a birthday.
The next day, I head to the main attraction in town theWalter Anderson Museum of Art.
I assumed the optional introductory video would be a 10-minute overview.
Instead, the film lasted nearly an hour, and I was riveted the entire time.
Anderson was born in New Orleans in 1903 and moved to Ocean Springs in 1929.
He was captivated by the nature ofcoastal Mississippiand spent the rest of his life trying to capture it.
His biggest muse was Horn Island.
He wanted to experience nature at its most extreme.
Unfortunately, another storm would later destroy much of his lifes work.
The Mississippi coast is a place that demonstrates resilience again and again, and Shearwater has since rebuilt.
In the museum, I explore the Mississippi coast through the eyes and imagination of Walter Anderson.
This is where Anderson was commissioned to paint a mural spanning all 3,000 feet of the space.
Like Anderson, Albrycht moved to the Mississippi coast in his twenties and never left.
Theyd waded through his flooded yard to reach his house, seeking shelter from the storm.
He and his wife fed them a meal, and they rode out the rest of the storm together.
The water came within inches of flooding his house.
Today, the historic downtown is thriving.
Visitors flock to town for its numerous festivals and events the calendar is full of them year-round.
And of course, the food draws people in.The Lady Mayhas the best crab cakes Ive ever consumed.
At701 Craft, you might have lunch or craft cocktails overlooking the bayou.
A few miles from downtown, I visitDavis Bayou, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Here, you might catch a glimpse of alligators, turtles, and more than 280 species of birds.
Unlike Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina.
The nearly 30-foot storm surge that crashed into town wiped most buildings from their slabs.
Almost nothing was left standing.
Bay St. Louis today is unrecognizable from that 18-year-old memory.
I arrive atMockingbird Cafeand grab lunch just before they close.
Born from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, the cafe has been a local favorite since 2006.
It strives to be environmentally friendly, using only biodegradable materials.
Dolly Parton decor smiles at me while I eat my hash browns.
Across the street lies the Bay St. Louis train depot.
Its under construction right now, preparing for Amtrak to announce the launch date of its coastal route.
