Biloxi Beaches

Biloxi's beach runs nearly the length of the city — twenty-six miles of white sand along U.S. Highway 90, engineered in the early 1950s and topped up with fresh sand ever since. It sits on the Mississippi Sound rather than the open Gulf, so the water stays calm and shallow, protected by a string of barrier islands a few miles offshore. That makes it a better spot for wading, building sandcastles, and watching the sun go down than for serious swimming, but it's still the reason most people plan a Biloxi trip in the first place.

The Main Stretch, Beach Boulevard

Most visitors never leave this part. The sand runs directly across the road from the casino strip — Harrah's, the Golden Nugget, the IP, Beau Rivage, and Hard Rock all sit within a short walk of the water — so it's easy to split a day between the slots and the shoreline. Umbrellas and lounge chairs show up at a handful of rental stands most mornings, and you'll usually find a jet ski or paddleboard operator setting up nearby too. Parking along Beach Boulevard itself is free; only the private lots closer to the casino entrances tend to charge, usually $10 to $17 for the day.

Biloxi Lighthouse and Point Cadet

The Biloxi Lighthouse has stood in the median of Highway 90 since 1848, and it's the one photo almost everyone stops for before leaving town. It's survived the Civil War, direct hurricane hits, and Katrina's storm surge, and it's an easy walk from the beach if you want a closer look at the ironwork gallery near the top. East of downtown, Point Cadet is worth the drive on its own — the rebuilt fishing pier there stretches nearly a mile out over the water, and the marina next to it is the jumping-off point for boat trips to Deer Island.

Deer Island and Ship Island

Deer Island sits about 200 yards off Point Cadet — close enough to paddle over by kayak in fifteen minutes, or you can book a short ride with one of the boat tour operators at the marina. It's uninhabited and undeveloped, which is the whole appeal: a quiet stretch of Gulf sand with none of the beach-town noise. For a longer day trip, Ship Island is a passenger ferry ride from Gulfport, not Biloxi, running roughly mid-March through October — book ahead through Ship Island Excursions. The island is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore and has its own swim beach, a snack bar, and Fort Massachusetts, a Civil War-era brick fort you can walk straight through.

What to Know Before You Go

Biloxi's public beaches don't have lifeguards, so swim at your own risk — the water is calm most days, but treat it like any open water. Watch for roped-off sections marked with sea oats and warning signs each spring and summer: this stretch of coast hosts more nesting Least Terns than almost anywhere else in the country, and the nesting areas are federally protected. The Army Corps of Engineers is also partway through a multi-year renourishment project meant to widen the beach back toward its original size, so don't be surprised if a section is fenced off for construction — the work is expected to wrap up around 2027.

If you're picking dates, aim for April, May, September, or October. Summer is when the beach is busiest and the humidity is at its worst; the shoulder seasons get you the same sand with a fraction of the crowd.

Most of the Biloxi hotels worth booking are a five-minute walk from the sand, and pairing a beach afternoon with dinner at one of the restaurants along Beach Boulevard is about as easy as a Gulf Coast trip gets.