Enjoy What’s New on the Gulf Coast

 

August saw great fanfare

with the launch of the restored Gulf Coast Amtrak railway line — now dubbed the Mardi Gras Service.

Louisiana residents can now hop on a train in New Orleans, kick up their feet and visit stops between the city and Mobile, Alabama. The new line has goten so popular, it became one of the most successful service launches in Amtrak’s history and exceeded rider expectations.

“Ridership has been building every month,” said Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission that has partnered with Amtrak to bring the service to fruition. “The first three months we were past 40,000 passengers. It’s been very successful — more than double the projections.”

The first month alone saw 18,000 passengers with a 96% customer satisfaction rate, according to the Southern Rail Commission — the highest customer satisfaction rate of any of Amtrak’s routes across the nation. That may well be due to the laissez faire attitude of its passengers and crew.

“The crews on the train have sort of taken the service on their own,” Ross said. “There are lots of bloody marys being served. It’s a different vibe. There’s so much you can do on this train. It’s what do you want to do?”

So far, ridership has been mostly day trippers and some business travel, Ross explained, with some passengers claiming that the ride is so peaceful, they have given up traversing Interstate 10.

“The ride is serene, especially between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis because you’re in the marshes,” he said. “You get to see a lot of the country that you wouldn’t see along the interstate.”

Extra cars have been added for special events such as Saints games and Ross expects to continue that trend due to its popularity.

“We are well on track to double the original estimate,” said Amtrak Board Chairman Anthony “Tony” Coscia in a press release surveying the first year. “Demand is very high across our network.”

For those wishing to visit the Gulf Coast on the Mardi Gras Service, which involves four stops in Mississippi and Mobile, you can leave the driving to others. Of course, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach — now being promoted as “Alabama’s Beaches” — still require a car since the emerald waters remain a good hour’s drive from I-10.

For now, Amtrak offers connector bus services in many cities across the country and although a bus transport from Mobile to Alabama’s Beaches is not presently in the works, it’s a grand idea.

“Having a connector to Gulf Shores would be awesome,”
Ross said.

Until then, we’ve broken down the options of visiting by train, car and air.

By Train

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service operates twice daily between New Orleans and Mobile, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula before concluding in Alabama. The route offers onboard Wi-Fi, locally sourced menu items, no middle seats and occasional views of wetlands and Gulf Coast waters. Passengers wishing for a quick visit to the five Gulf Coast cities may return to New Orleans that evening, so day tripping is an option.

“You don’t need a car,” Ross said, adding that the train drops visitors off at the downtowns of each city. “It’s nice, and it’s not expensive.”

Visitors depart Old Town Bay St. Louis with antique shops, restaurants and museums steps away. Gulfport’s station places passengers near Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Ocean Adventures Marine Park, Gulf Islands Waterpark and the Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum, among other downtown attractions. The train pauses in downtown Biloxi within walking distance of the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum, casinos and Howard Avenue restaurants and boutiques. Mississippi’s final depot lies in the heart of Pascagoula, with its shopping and dining options.

Ocean Springs is not a stop on the Amtrak service but it’s a quick Uber or Lyft ride from Biloxi, Ross added.

The service pauses in downtown Mobile close to the Mobile Cruise Terminal, the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center, several attractions, 50-plus restaurants and bars, many of which are locally owned, including The Noble South, which earned a Michelin nod on the 2025 Bib Gourmand list, said Ashley Rains, senior public relations and communications manager for Visit Mobile.

New to the city is the Hall of Fame Walk on Mobile’s downtown waterfront honoring six Hall of Fame athletes who were born and raised in Mobile. The honorees include National Baseball Hall of Fame members Henry “Hank” Aaron, Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Ozzie Smith and Willie McCovey, as well as Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and former Houston Oiler Robert Brazile Jr. Coming soon to downtown is a new state-of-the-art arena that will include a professional hockey team.

---

Places to Stay

Hotels close to Mississippi depots run the gamut. A few of note include the Pearl in Bay St. Louis, Hotel Whiskey in Pass Christian and Pascagoula and Beau Rivage in Biloxi. Ocean Springs has numerous accommodations from boutique hotels to chains.

---

Carnival’s Spirit cruise ship returns this month and continues sailings through October. The cruise line will return to year-round cruising in 2027 and bring in its larger Valor ship for trips from the Port of Mobile to the Caribbean. American Cruise Lines’ Symphony has added Mobile as a port of call as well. 

If walking’s not an option, bikes and golf cart vendors are a call or text away from the Mobile depot and “happy to take you anywhere you want to go,” said Rains.

“Our downtown is so convenient,” she said. “You’re right where you want to be.”

By Car

Alabama’s Beaches require transportation from Mobile if traveling by train but most will prefer a car to explore the 32 miles of white quartz sand beaches, the award-winning Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail at Gulf State Park and the wildlife of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The cities of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan offer numerous accommodations, attractions and dining options.

One of the most exciting new attractions to Gulf Shores is the Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism & Sustainability, which opened in April adjacent to Gulf State Park. The facility and its 12 acres were born from a $13 million RESTORE Act grant distributed from funds from the 2010 BP oil spill. The nonprofit Gulf Coast Eco Center was built through a partnership with the City of Gulf Shores in 2018.

---

Places to Stay

In Mobile, downtown luxury hotels include the historic Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa, the newly renovated Admiral Hotel and boutique properties such as the Malaga Inn and the historic Fort Condé Inn bed-and-breakfast.

The Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism & Sustainability isn’t located inside Gulf State Park but just adjacent. The park does provide accommodations, including its Eagle Cottages, Lakeside Cabins and The Lodge at Gulf State Park on the beach, itself achieving LEED Gold, SITES Platinum, and FORTIFIED Commercial certifications.

---

“The nonprofit was formed to bring new environmental programs and a facility to the Gulf Coast, primarily to focus on camps, school programs and environmental education,” said Executive Director Travis Langen.

The center’s campus includes a day-use facility that’s close to receiving LEED Gold certification for its sustainability design features. Visitors will discover organic gardens, rainwater collection systems, habitat restoration demonstrations and the building’s energy-efficient design — all open to the public for examination. In addition to teaching environmental education to area school children, the Eco Center offers a variety of classes that range from storm resilience and recycling to craft classes utilizing natural elements, such as the wreath-making class over the holidays.

In the summer, the Eco Center hosts Gulf Camp day camps for both residents and visitors. Children ages 7-13 may enjoy kayaking, biking, beach days, surfing, outdoor cooking and a high ropes course, among other adventures.

“It’s a good way to get kids out to enjoy our balmy summers on the Gulf Coast,” Langen said, adding that he hopes to expand the program this year to accommodate more students.

In addition, the Eco Center works with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment, an environmental education and eco-based tourism program that inspires youth to take stewardship of the planet. Langen worked for 19 years in the program on Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles before coming to Alabama.

“Nature provides the basics of a sustainable life,” he said. “Kids learn how nature works, how every critter has a role and then we turn it toward the human world. We learn from experience that in nature everything is recycled. Nature inspires us to learn how to be more sustainable.”

Anyone can learn that lesson, Langen insisted, by visiting the center. The sustainable landscaped campus contains examples of habitat restoration, how to recycle and compost, what trees to plant and a milkweed garden that attracts pollinators. Visitors may wander the trails or enjoy a picnic here.

“We’re like a botanical garden,” he said.

For the more adventurous, the aerial ropes Lookout Adventure Course is available for groups but plans for the future include more open hours for visitors. Bikes may be rented for use throughout the center’s acreage or the many trails of nearby Gulf State Park.

The facility is also available to rent for events such as wedding and baby showers, sports team events and family reunions.

“It’s such a pretty natural setting,” Langen said. “It’s a magical space.”

Langen also hopes visitors will be inspired to give something back. They rely on volunteers to operate the facility, and so they welcome visitors to lend a hand.

“We’re really going to lean into voluntourism this year,” he said.

By Plane

Depending on where you live in Louisiana, the Gulf Coast may be a short drive or train ride, or it may be quicker to take a plane. The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is serviced by five major airlines with nonstop flights to Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. Gulf Shores International Airport, three miles from the beach, offers nonstop commercial flights to 13 cities.

Next year, the new Mobile International Airport opens, to be located near the Interstates 10 and 65 interchange. The larger international airport will be a five-minute drive to the Amtrak terminal, said Ashley Rains, senior public relations and communications manager for Visit Mobile.