Explore · Bay St. Louis · Activities
Things to do in Bay St. Louis, without the tourist-brochure version.
The Bay punches above its size on art and music. There’s more here than a small beach town has any right to — a real gallery scene, a historic blues hall, free museums, and a beach a block from all of it. This guide covers the in-town activities; the Exploration guide handles the beach, the bike trail, and day trips.
Start here
The six things I’d make sure a first-time visitor hit.
Second Saturday Art Walk
The Bay’s signature night. On the second Saturday of every month, Old Town shops and galleries from downtown to Depot Row stay open with live music, deals, and a festive crawl. There’s daytime activity, but the streets really come alive between 4 and 7 pm. If you can time your visit to one weekend, make it this one.
The galleries & shops of Old Town
A walkable cluster of art galleries, antique shops, and independent boutiques in colorful historic buildings — many on the National Register. You can browse for an afternoon without anyone pressuring you. This is the unpretentious, art-town side of the Coast.
100 Men Hall
A genuinely historic juke joint — a Chitlin’ Circuit stop in its day, with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker out front. Now a nonprofit music and community venue running a packed calendar of blues, roots, and beyond. Check the schedule and catch a show if the dates line up.
Alice Moseley Folk Art Museum
A small, free museum dedicated to the late folk artist Alice Moseley, whose plainspoken paintings are pure Gulf South. It moved into Old Town in early 2026. Quick, charming, and worth the stop — confirm hours before you go, as it’s a small operation.
Walk the bridge
The bridge to Pass Christian has a dedicated 12-foot path on the Gulf side, dotted with public art, with parking near the Bay end. Walk or bike out for the breeze and the view across the bay — it’s a free, easy, very local thing to do.
The Depot District
The restored historic train depot anchors a small district of shops and eateries, and it’s the Amtrak stop now that Gulf Coast passenger service is back. A nice complement to Old Town if you want to wander a little farther from the beach.
The vibe
Bay St. Louis is creative and laid-back in a way the rest of the Coast isn’t quite. It rewards a slow weekend more than a packed itinerary — wander Old Town, duck into a gallery, sit on the beach, catch some music. Pick two or three of the above, leave time to just walk Main and Second Streets, and you’ve got it right. Hungry? The food guide is next door.
Looking for what’s on this week?
Events, live music, gallery openings, and festivals across Jackson, Harrison, and Hancock counties go out twice a week in The Seawall, my Coast newsletter.
Rob Recio lives in Ocean Springs and is in real-estate-licensure training in Mississippi. This is informational visitor content, not real-estate advice or a solicitation.