Museums
Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum
115 1st St
Photo: Woodlot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
A block off the beach in downtown Biloxi, the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum tells the story of the boats and people who built this town long before the casinos arrived. Exhibits cover the shrimping and oystering trades that once employed thousands here, and the museum's Schooner Pier Complex, a mile away, keeps two full-scale replica oyster schooners docked and ready to sail. It's a quiet counterpoint to the beachfront glitz.
Getting There
The museum sits at 115 1st Street, a block back from Beach Boulevard on the west side of downtown Biloxi, an easy walk or short drive from the Biloxi Lighthouse and the harbor casinos. Free parking is in the museum's own lot on the south side of the building; pull in off the service road that runs past Salt Grass Steak House rather than hunting for street parking on 1st. To see the actual schooners instead of exhibits about them, head to the separate Schooner Pier Complex, about a mile east at 367 Beach Boulevard, near Beau Rivage and Harrah's.
What to Expect
Inside, the exhibits trace how shrimping, oystering, and recreational fishing shaped Biloxi from the 1800s on: nets, tongs, canning-line equipment, and photographs of the seafood factories that once lined the beach and employed thousands, including the Bohemian and Vietnamese families whose descendants still work the water today. A touch tank and small aquarium give kids something to do between the history panels. The real draw sits a mile down Beach Boulevard at the Schooner Pier Complex: the Glenn L. Swetman and the Mike Sekul, two 65-foot double-masted replicas of the oyster schooners that once worked the harbor. Walk-on sails go out several afternoons a month, weather and charters permitting — call ahead, since there's no online booking.
Good to Know
The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, military, and AAA members, and $6 for students ages 5 to 15. Plan on an hour inside, longer with a schooner sail: walk-on tickets run $30 for adults and $20 for kids 3 to 12, sold only at the pier, with a six-passenger minimum. Each June and July the museum runs its Sea-n-Sail Adventure Camp, a week of model-boat building, cast-netting, and sailing trips for kids 6 to 12; sessions fill early, so register at maritimemuseum.org well before summer.
Our Take
Pick this one if your idea of a good Biloxi afternoon includes actual boats, not just exhibits about boats. The permanent collection is small enough to see properly in under an hour, so pair it with a walk-on schooner sail if the weather cooperates — that's the part most guidebooks skip past, and it's one of the better things to do here with kids. Call before driving out to the pier; the sailing schedule moves around more than the website lets on.
Details last verified August 2026. Always confirm current hours and prices directly with the attraction.