Known As “The Hospitality City”, The Small Town Of Waveland, Mississippi Is Surrounded By Natural Beauty

Mississippi's Gulf Coast is peppered with scenic beach towns that are full of history, but few can compare to Waveland, Mississippi. This tiny but mighty town often gets overshadowed by its neighboring city of Bay St. Louis, but if you're looking for a quiet, coastal town to spend the day exploring, this is just the spot.

Waveland is a charming and quiet town on the Gulf of Mexico that's home to about 7,000 folks.

It's the perfect beach town to check out if you want to avoid the crowds.

Your first stop should be Buccaneer State Park.

This beautiful state park gives you the best of both worlds. The 1.8-mile nature trail takes you through the wetlands with a chance to check out the local wildlife and more.

And since the state park is also located along the Gulf, you have a beautiful beach to enjoy, too!

The waterpark is a popular attraction here, and it's easy to see why.

There's also an 18-hole disc golf course here too, in case you want to challenge your loved ones to a game or two!

As you stroll around the town, be sure to carve out some time to visit Waveland’s Ground Zero Hurricane Museum.

While people tend to think of Hurricane Katrina with New Orleans, keep in mind that the entire Gulf Coast was affected, especially Mississippi. The hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 between Bay St. Louis and Waveland, and continued its path of destruction up the entire state. All 82 counties in Mississippi were declared disaster areas. The museum is actually the only building that still stands on Main Street after the hurricane.

All of that exploring is bound to work up an appetite, and locals love Dat Kitchen Too.

This is one of those insider restaurants where you won't find a website or much online...these folks get by through word of mouth.

For home cooked Southern fare, this place takes home the gold.

Mississippi is known to have some of the best fried catfish in the country, and this place might just have some of the best in the state!

As your day winds down, head back to the beach to enjoy a sunset stroll with your toes in the sand.

Bonus points if you've got your favorite beverage in hand. Sunsets on the beach are just different--if you know you know!

Have you ever been to Waveland? Let us know in the comments below.