Snowbird / Winter Destination

First and foremost, we don’t shovel snow! We do not have temps in the 80’s during the winter months, but it is very temperate compared to what you would expect from the north.

On average, we see temperature ranges of lows in the mid 40’s to highs in the mid 60’s with occasional highs, higher and lows, lower. In the off chance we have a day that we get below 32*, it is generally a brief period in the very early hours of the morning; it is nothing to worry about. See the graphs below for the averages.

Every year is different, we have winters that are wet, dry and some in between. Keep in mind that you are sitting right next to the Gulf, and we are in a sub-tropical location. The rain might come and go quickly, but it can be a heavier rain, for a shorter amount of than you are accustomed to in other parts of the country.

On average we get about 4″ to 5” of rain spread out over 7 to 9 days per month. See graph for average inches of rain per month.

We do have planned activities. Some of the activities are at the park and others are outside of the park. Examples include, crafts, bingo, line dancing, men’s breakfast, ladies luncheons, potlucks, happy hour around a fire, game nights, Mexican train dominoes, and we meet to eat at local restaurants. We also have special events that happen throughout the season and we are open to other events that individuals might want to do. For instance, we had a yoga instructor stay with us one season who offered yoga classes twice a week. We had someone lead up a bible study once a week. We are happy to facilitate new activities as long as we have the interest and participation. See our gallery of photos for activities in action.

We are a quick ten-minute drive to the beach. When you pull out of the park, turn left and it is four miles to the beach, with only one stop sign between us and the beach.  You can then drive 62 miles of MS coast beachline. The beauty of not being right on the beach is that we are protected from the winds. If you have spent any time near beaches, you know that sometimes it can be quite windy. Our park is surrounded by trees, so you are able to go enjoy the beach, but when you come back to the park you leave the wind behind.

We are a ten-minute drive, four miles to the closest Walmart. There is a Dollar General just one mile from the park and we also have a convenience store on site with many staples, including gourmet ice cream. Along highway 90, near Walmart, is Claiborne Hills (local grocery store), Walgreens, Lowes, Harbor Freight and other stores. We also have many local shops, antique stores and boutiques in Old Town Bay St. Louis a short fifteen minute drive from the park.

If you are looking for larger big box stores you can head west twenty minutes to Slidell. It boasts a Sam’s Club, Aldi, Kohl’s and many other department stores. East of us thirty minutes is Gulfport Outlet Mall and other department stores you’d find in a larger city.

The closest casino is four miles away at the beach. It is the Silver Slipper Casino which also offers a senior discount for 50+ on their lunch buffet every Tuesday and Friday. Half off brings the price to $7.50 per person! You will find a lot of snowbirds lunching together on half price day. We also have the Hollywood Casino here in Bay St. Louis which is about seven miles from the park.

There are several more casinos in Gulfport and Biloxi which is a nice forty-minute drive along the beach road.

You can get to restaurants in ten minutes. The area has many restaurants and most of them are independently owned. We do have some of the typical fast-food chains as well, but you will definitely want to try out the local places. We have fantastic chefs with many specializing in local seafood dishes with a Cajun flair. You might be pleasantly surprised that some of the best meals happen right in the  park. You won’t want to miss a Taylor Made event!

• Salt or freshwater fishing

• 62 miles of beaches

• Sailing and fishing charters

• Casinos

• Golf

• Historic homes

• Breweries

• Museums

• Swamp tours

• Forty minutes to New Orleans

• Forty-five minutes to Biloxi

• Ninety minutes to Mobile Alabama

As of June of 2024, we are told that the Amtrak is scheduled to return the beginning of 2025 and will run from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama with stops right here in Bay St. Louis! This is a long-awaited service lost during Hurricane Katrina.

This is a big deal for us and you! You will be able to board the train in the morning and return in the evening, or even spend a few days in another city without having to worry about driving.

There will be four stops that include Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula. The shared schedule are trains departing Mobile at 6:30am and 4:30pm and departing New Orleans at 11:18am and 9:14pm with stops along the way in each direction. The entire route will be a three hour and eighteen minute trip.