Gulfport, Mississippi is only about an hour and a half from New Orleans but feels like a different planet. I left New Orleans just as the Coronavirus was getting very bad there; Gulfport looked like a good place to do some self quarantining. I knew all the businesses would be closed or at least severely limited so I wouldn’t get the full experience of the place, but their gorgeous beaches looked like a place I could enjoy socially distancing myself. If I had to endure weeks of solitude I might as well do it in a place with abundant natural beauty.
Gulfport Beach
I knew that the Gulf Coast had beaches, but I had never considered what they were actually like until I found myself staying there. They are beautiful, with white sugary sand, warm calm water, perfect weather and beautiful sunsets. Conveniently for me, they were also practically abandoned; I had a couple of weekends of sunshine with my solitude – that is until the state of Mississippi shut down all the public beaches. I understand why they made the decision they did, but it was disappointing for me. At least I got to enjoy it while it lasted!
Bayou House
The first place I stayed in Gulfport was an Airbnb right on Bayou Bernard, about 10 minutes from the beach. It had gorgeous bayou views, interesting wildlife, and hammock swings I could spend all day swinging in. It also had Billy, who I also called Bayou Cat, the resident cat who is so friendly he will not hesitate to jump into your lap without warning.
The Blue Cottage
After a week at the bayou house, I had to move to a larger place with a full kitchen: enter the Blue Cottage. This place was further from the beach, but considering the beach closed after my second weekend here, it didn’t really matter anymore. It had a pretty pond in the back with a couple of resident geese.
Alyson Gagne 