“Going home,” is how celebrated Southern artist and spiritual explorer Walter Anderson referred to Ocean Springs and Horn Island, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, where he’d spend days rough camping, painting, sketching and paying homage to nature. Devotees of his artwork, likely to be folks who favor fairytales, mysticism, arcane expressionist forms and colorful realism, will feel they’ve “come home” too when they visit the region. Ocean Springs, a charming, historic Mississippi Gulf Coast town, marked by breeze-bent live oaks, picturesque residences with wraparound porches, persimmon trees, golf carts galore and the sounds of the sea, is an unpretentious artist colony with hamlet vibes. Rife with galleries, studios and art-centric events (such as the renowned Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival), it also boasts the captivating Walter Anderson Museum. A trove of the artist’s work in various mediums, the museum also offers tours, classes and workshops, each driving home Anderson’s belief in the transformative power of nature.
Rather than sleep beneath an upturned boat on the sand on Horn Island as Anderson did for inspiration, you’ll want to check into the decidedly modern and cosseting Springs Hotel, a boutique bolthole. With 15 distinctive rooms, smartly adorned with unique fixtures, lush fabrics, kitchenettes and pops of color, the hotel lies just steps from the museum. Its in-house florist shop is a work of art in itself.
While in town, lollygag on Front Beach with a picnic organized by Coastal Picnic & Company or simply cast a line from the classic fishing pier. Later, peruse the walkable downtown, where some 200 extraordinary shops and galleries beckon. The Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center, Shearwater Pottery, Pink Rooster, Realizations (run by Anderson’s family) and Hillyer House should be on your list. Restaurants abound with options from all-you-can-eat catfish to bbq to “scratch made” Southern treats. For epicureans, Michelin-recommended and James Beard-nominated Vestige embraces the town’s aesthetics with a seasonal five-course tasting menu worth the two hour drive from New Orleans. springshotelos.com
