About a Week
6 days · ~480 miles · from New Orleans
New Orleans to the Big Bend at porch speed — the whole northern Gulf without one mile of I-10.
This trip chains: US 90: The Creole Coast · The Forgotten Coast
Out the Chef Menteur past Fort Pike, 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis, the median lighthouse and Mad Potter in Biloxi — overnight in Ocean Springs' art-town calm; Walter Anderson museum before it closes.
Pascagoula's singing-river UFO marker, Africatown's Heritage House (allow real time), Mardi Gras museum downtown, Dew Drop dog — then around the bay to Fairhope's pier sunset.
Eastern Shore morning, Bamahenge and the dinosaurs in the Elberta pines, a Bushwacker at the Flora-Bama straddling the line — Pensacola by evening; Blue Angels practice if it's a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Naval Aviation Museum first (it's free and enormous), then the slow beach road: dune lakes, Grayton's Red Bar, Seaside's film-set streets. Overnight on 30A.
Mexico Beach's rebuilt main drag, Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas toes-in-sand hour — Apalachicola for the Gibson Inn porch and the day's oysters.
St. George Island light, the world's smallest police station, Sopchoppy worm country, Wakulla's monster-movie spring — finish at the St. Marks lighthouse, monarchs willing.