9 Best Attractions To Visit On The Gulf Coast

If you live along the Gulf Coast, the beach is the easy answer. Miles of open sand, warm water, salt hanging in the air. But there's more here than shoreline. Fort Pickens and Fort Morgan still stand at the old harbor entrances. The USS Alabama is moored at Mobile Bay with nine battle stars to its name. In between are lighthouses, national seashores, and landmarks you won't find anywhere else. Here are nine of the best attractions along the Gulf Coast.

Siesta Key Beach, Florida

Lots of beaches say they're unique. Siesta Key Beach really is, as its sands are made of 99 percent pure quartz. Millions of years ago, grains of quartz originating all the way in the Appalachian Mountains were brought south by old river systems to this very spot. Now, Siesta Key Beach is often considered one of the top beaches in the entire country. One of the best ways to enjoy the beach is simply by walking along the long shoreline and getting to feel the fine quartz sand stay cool on your feet, even on scorching hot days.

If you want to do more than lounge around, you can use the volleyball courts or join one of the busy drum circles which pop up most Sundays. South of the main beach, Point of Rocks has an expansive reef system you can snorkel through, home to all sorts of tropical fish. Afterward, head further south to find Turtle Beach, which, as you can guess from the name, is home to sea turtles that nest in the area during the summertime.

Biloxi Lighthouse, Mississippi

The Biloxi Lighthouse is more than just a landmark. It is also a sign of the resilient nature of the people who call the coast home here in Biloxi. Originally built in 1848, the 64-foot structure was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. When Hurricane Katrina landed, the storm surge rode up a third of the lighthouse. Bricks were torn off, and windows were broken, but today it still stands strong.

Guided tours are available early in the morning and take you up all 57 steps of the spiralling staircase inside, followed by a short ladder. It sounds tough, but once you get up to the top it'll feel like the stairs were worth it, as you'll get great views of the Mississippi Sound. Across the street, the Biloxi Visitor Centre has multimedia exhibits, and on the second floor there is a 67-seat theatre to watch a looping 10-minute movie about the town. Since the lighthouse is right along the coast, it's a quick walk to Biloxi Beach. On the way between the two, you will pass the Fred Haise statue, a tribute to the Apollo 13 astronaut.

Fort Morgan State Historic Site, Alabama

Fort Morgan, the star-shaped fort at the heart of Mobile Bay, is both an impressive engineering marvel and an important heritage location. The amount of brick that built the fort is staggering. Altogether, the fort has over 46 million cubic yards of bricks that were laid down as part of its construction. It's also important to remember the other side of history, as those bricks were largely placed by enslaved people. Despite this part of its history, Fort Morgan is an important piece of American history and was home to the Civil War's Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. As a cultural and historical landmark, it is a must-see.

You can walk around the fort's grounds, passing by casemates and old brick walls that once housed dozens of cannons. On the fort grounds, a small museum holds Civil War artifacts to give you a more fleshed-out understanding of the important battle that took place here. Every August, the site hosts the Civil War Living History event, where historians portray life at the fort during the Civil War era. Nearby, there is a ferry that connects to Dauphin Island, so you can pair the fort visit with a short boat ride across the bay.

HarborWalk Village, Destin, Florida

HarborWalk Village is one of those one-stop shop kind of attractions, and it's hard to believe it has only been around in Destin, Florida since 2008. Destin used to be known as a quiet fishing town, but don't think that history is gone. It's still home to the Destin Fishing Fleet, one of the biggest charter fleets not just along the Gulf, but in the entire country. For people who live here, if there is something you're looking to do, HarborWalk Village has it. That means everything from shopping to dining, and it even has a zip line at HarborWalk Adventures, which sends you zooming across the harbor.

Some of its flagship restaurants include stops like Harry T's Lighthouse and The Edge Seafood Restaurant & Skybar. A popular spot for kids and families is over at the Critter Gorge Shooting Gallery, styled like an old carnival shooting gallery where you can take aim at animatronic critters. There is also Emerald Coast Cruises, which transports you down to Crab Island, a sandbar north of Destin's Marler Bridge. If you're lucky, you might see some dolphins on the trip there!

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida/Mississippi

In 1971, Congress came together to protect a delicate balance of a chain of barrier islands stretching through both Florida and Mississippi. Because of that decisive action, today we have the Gulf Islands National Seashore, with its wide white-sand beaches and vital ecosystems to see and explore. It's one of the most popular spots to explore in the area, with estimates putting the annual visitor total over 7 million.

Inside the park's borders, there is a huge array of old coastal forts, spanning from Spanish colonial rule to more modern eras like World War 2 bases. One of those is Fort Barrancas, a Spanish-era fort that sits on Pensacola Bay, with self-guided tours you can take to get a full picture of the grounds. Since the park spreads out over about 160 miles of coast, there are lots of hiking options. Over on the Mississippi side, the Davis Bayou has both camping and trails, with a boardwalk over salt marsh, with herons and ospreys flying nearby. If you want to head to the beach, Santa Rosa Island on the Florida side of the park has long, white-colored beaches with some of the best snorkelling you can get along the Gulf.

Fort Pickens, Florida

Built over the course of 5 years in the middle of the 19th century, Fort Pickens was once the largest brick structure along the Gulf of Mexico. Over 21 million bricks were used to build the pentagonal fort. It was once part of a guard system of four forts that were built to protect the entrance to Pensacola Bay, but only Pickens now remains. It is also another fort built on the backs of enslaved labor, but over time, it became a stop along the Underground Railroad. Over the years, it has been part of important historic events and was one of the only a few Southern forts that stayed under Union control during the Civil War.

At the fort, you can take self-guided tours that take you through brick tunnels to see old locations like the cell area that once held Apache leader Geronimo. The fort has a collection of old-style batteries scattered over the park grounds, like Battery Worth and Battery Pensacola, two of the four concrete batteries built at the end of the 19th century. If you want to explore after walking through the fort, the Northern Terminus of the Florida Trail isn't far off, with miles of pathways to try.

Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas

When Moody Gardens started, it was far from being a tourist stop. Opened back in 1986, it was originally created for hippotherapy, a rehab program that uses horseback riding to help people recover from head injuries. The Moody Foundation grew and grew in Galveston, and by 1999 three glass pyramids were built, now the iconic feature of the gardens. First, there is the Rainforest Pyramid, with birds flying overhead and animals like sloths crawling in the foliage inside. Next, you have the Discovery Pyramid, with a focus on science, with exhibitions and demonstrations on everything from space to robotics.

Last, there is the Aquarium Pyramid, which has a 1.5-million-gallon aquarium, one of the biggest in the entire country. Inside the pyramid, you'll see also see animals including penguins and seals, and the photo-worthy Jellyfish Gallery. On a nice sunny day, families head to Palm Beach, also found at Moody Gardens. It has everything from soft, white sand and a 650-foot lazy river to float down. If you want something more action-filled, Palm Beach also has a wave pool and water slides to try.

Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, Texas

Formally established in 1962, Padre Island National Seashore is now the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the entire world. In total, that includes around 70 miles along the Texas coast, with 130,000 acres of beaches and dunes. The area separates the Gulf from Laguna Madre, a hypersaline lagoon, one of only a few worldwide. One of the things Padre Island is known for is its sea turtles, and it is one of the country's top nesting grounds for the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. The park has scheduled hatchling releases at 6:45 a.m., June through August.

Inside the developed parts of the seashore, the Malaquite Visitor Centre is a good entry point to the ocean. There is a beach nearby and boardwalks that cross over the dunes. On a sunny day, the Grasslands Nature Trail is a good option to try out, and it loops through coastal prairies where ground squirrels and coyotes make their home. On quieter parts of the beach, in areas with fewer people, you're likely to see four-wheel drive vehicles roaring over empty stretches of sand, with the ocean acting as the backdrop.

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Alabama

Not many battleships have the fleshed-out backstory and history like the USS Alabama. It was originally commissioned in August 1942, not long after the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor. It fought in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres of war and earned nine battle stars over the course of the war. When it was time to scrap the battle-worn ship in the 1960s, the people of Alabama came to save it, including schoolchildren who raised $100,000 in change. Instead of being torn down, it was towed over 1,000 miles to its new home in Mobile Bay, and by 1965, the ship was converted into a museum.

Inside the modern memorial park, you can walk alongside the ship's decks and climb near the old gun turrets, with its 16-inch/45 caliber guns firing over 1,250 rounds during World War 2. Afterward, you can stop at the USS Drum, the oldest American submarine currently shown to the public, which sank 15 enemy ships during the war. The memorial park is also home to the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion, which has a collection of historic vehicles and planes. Also, walk through the park, and you'll also see all sorts of tanks and artillery scattered around, as the area is dedicated to all branches of the Armed Forces.

In Conclusion

No matter what state you live in along the Gulf Coast, there are sorts of attractions that form the makeup and backbone of the region. From World War 2 memorials to a quiet morning on the beach watching sea turtles swimming off into the ocean, there are all kinds of things to experience. So, if you have some free time, instead of staying home, head out and see one of these iconic Gulf Coast landmarks.