BILOXI BEACH
Along with casinos and golfing, the beaches in Biloxi are one of the city's biggest draws -- and with good reason! The soft, white sands on Mississippi Sound have been extensively repaired since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and they are extremely well maintained. The barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico keep the water at the beach calm and perfect for swimming; and the weather in Biloxi is perfect for beachgoers in the summer and also for much of the year. There are 26 miles of gorgeous white sand beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but we'll focus here on the beaches in Biloxi, those that are just steps away from the casinos and attractions on Beach Blvd. If you still have questions after this little virtual tour, be sure to check out our frequently asked questions about Biloxi Beach at the end of this page.
Biloxi Beach weather
| Month of the year | Water temp in °F |
|---|---|
| January | 57 |
| February | 60 |
| March | 64 |
| April | 71 |
| May | 76 |
| June | 82 |
| July | 84 |
| August | 85 |
| September | 82 |
| October | 74 |
| November | 66 |
| December | 60 |
As noted above, Biloxi's climate is a big part of what makes Biloxi Beach so appealing.The average high temperature in the city is consistently in the 80s or 90s for most of May through September -- in other words, amazing beach weather. Highs in the 80s also occur frequently in April and October, and occasionally in every month -- even December and January!
When the city heats up, the water temperatures becomes superbly swimmable. As the table at right illustrates, the average water temperature at the beach in Biloxi is in the 80s through the heat of summer and above 70 degrees fahrenheit for much of April and into October. To put these temperatures in perspective, swimming pools are kept at 77-82 degrees for competitive swimming (i.e. the Olympics); many of the springs in Florida (which are frequented by swimmers year-round) are a constant 69 degrees, and, well, most kids will swim in water that is just above freezing if you let them, and they'll tell you it's really warm and you should come in.
The beach is easily accessible off Beach Blvd. (U.S. Hwy 90) almost anywhere along the MS coast, so what part of the beach you visit will depend largely on what you're looking for and how far you want to travel. We've prepared this handy tour; the numbers in the text correspond to the numbers in the map below.
① If you are in downtown Biloxi and want convenience, there is a beach between Harrah's Gulf Coast and Hard Rock. It's nice enough for a little stroll, but it's small. People do get in the water here, but we can't recommend it. The Biloxi Small Craft Harbor is between the beach and the Hard Rock. The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art is across Beach Blvd. at the east end of this stretch.
If you're staying at the Beau Rivage or Hard Rock Biloxi you can just stay parked at the casino and walk to the beach on a boardwalk that juts out into the water to loop around the I-110 ramp. The entrance to the boardwalk is located immediately west of the Beau Rivage parking garage. It's about a half-mile walk from the Beau Rivage to the beach at Lighthouse Pier, though you can be on the sand in less than that. A visit to historic Biloxi Lighthouse is a must when you are done wading or working on your tan. After about a year of closure, Lighthouse Pier reopened in September, 2013, and it's well worth a walk out on the pier. It's a great place to fish, and even if you don't have your rod and reel handy, it's a nice little stroll out over the waters of Mississippi Sound.
③ Further west, away from the downtown casinos, there are a number of stretches of beach and pull-offs for parking along eastbound Beach Blvd. About three miles west of the Beau Rivage and Hard Rock, just east of Rodenburg Ave., is a large parking area next to Snappers Seafood Restaurant and Sharkheads Souvenir City. Snappers is a casual beach restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with outdoor deck seating overlooking the sand. There is a beach volleyball court set up just outside. Sharkheads is an immense -- nay, gargantuan -- souvenir shop, where visitors can pose for a photo op in the mouth of a gigantic shark head replica that is the main entrance. Walking along the beach a little farther west we come across South Beach Biloxi , one of only two truly beachfront hotels in Biloxi, and then the requisite Waffle House and Shaggy's , another beach restaurant and bar with outdoor seating overlooking the water. This is a very big stretch of beach, so there is plenty of room for privacy even on the busiest beach days.
④ Treasure Bay Casino is about a mile further west down Beach Blvd (Highway 90) from the parking area near Snappers, and it is across the highway and steps away from another small, but beautiful, stretch of sand. Also across the street from this beach is the Ocean Club Biloxi complex. Visitors to Treasure Bay can cross the highway to access either this beach or the aforementioned stretch using a well-marked crosswalk at the traffic light in front of the casino. Umbrella, chair, wave runner and aquacycle rentals are available here during the summer.
⑤ About a mile further west of Treasure Bay is located perhaps the best beach in Biloxi, a long stretch across the highway from Beauvoir , the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library, and the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center. Directly across from the Coliseum is a large and well-maintained comfort station on the beach with public restrooms, showers and vending machines. There is also plenty of beach parking here, as well as jet ski, aquacycle and chair and umbrella rentals (April-September). This beach continues nearly uninterrupted for miles to Gulfport.
We get a lot of questions by e-mail and on the forums about Biloxi Beach -- almost as many questions as we get about casinos! -- and we realized there's no site that offers all this information in one place. Well, your friends at Best Bets Biloxi value your time and friendship, so we're going to make it easy for you to plan your beach day, right here on this very page.
That said, like any beach located in an area where people live, work and play -- most beaches, really -- there are occasional pollution or water quality issues. It's recommended not to enter the water during a heavy rain or within 24 hours of a heavy rain. People go in anyway (well, not during a heavy rain), but that's the recommendation, and it's a recommendation our family abides by, and not just in Biloxi, even though the heavy rains typically hit right smack dab in the middle of beach season. The MS Dept of Environmental Quality does monitor the onshore waters very carefully, and while other water quality problems or beach closures are rare, it doesn't hurt to check out their water quality advisory page before heading to the beach.
Nope, the water is not clear and blue, but that's always been the case. It's just the natural dynamics of Mississippi Sound and the barrier islands at work, the same dynamics that make surf almost non-existent at Biloxi's beaches, which is great for families with small children. If you're looking for clear, blue water and the sound of the waves on the shore, head out to Ship Island. Just a short boat ride from Biloxi, the island is one of the most beautiful beaches in the country.
No, dogs are not permitted on beaches in Harrison County, including Biloxi and Gulfport. This is strange in a city that has plenty of pet-friendly hotel options and frustrating for those of us who want to bring along our best friends, but with all the casinos here presumably the County wants to encourage the dogs to play poker, as dogs are of course famous for doing. Hancock and Jackson Counties beaches do allow leashed dogs, so you can take a short drive east to Ocean Springs or west to Waveland and enjoy the beach with your canine companion.
Yes. Please pick up your butts, though, as the considerate majority of smokers do.
No, cars are not permitted on the beach in Biloxi. There is ample and extremely convenient parking right at the beach, though, at numerous locations along Beach Blvd / Hwy. 90.
Yes, rentals are available during beach season at several spots on the beach in Biloxi. You can also rent aquacycles, wave runners, etc. See the tour of Biloxi Beach above for locations.
Well, to be honest, the best beach in Biloxi isn't actually in Biloxi. Ship Island is one of the nicest beaches in the U.S., but you can only get there by boat. As for the best beach within the city of Biloxi, it really depends on what you're looking for. Is proximity to your casino the most important factor? Solitude? Rentals and activities? Check out our tour of Biloxi's beaches to find the right stretch of sand for you.
Why yes, you can. Coast Transit Authority's Beachcomber bus runs from the Biloxi Transit Center downtown right along the beach all the way to Gulfport.