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Ocean Springs. This small community just east of Biloxi escaped the worst damage from Katrina, thanks to its location on a bluff. Don't miss the Walter Inglis Anderson Museum of Art, which honors one of the South's most intriguing painters. The highlight of the museum is a complete room from his cottage that he had kept locked throughout his life. Upon his death in 1962, Anderson's wife broke the lock and discovered that he had painted the entire room into a mural depicting the landscape from sunrise to sunset. Ocean Springs also is the headquarters for the Mississippi section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which stretches 150 mi/240 km from Gulfport to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The old part of town and the beachfront are particularly charming and easily walkable, with quaint shops to explore and cafes to discover. Many visitors enjoy strolling through the harbor area where they can buy fresh shrimp during the season. http://www.oceansprings-ms.com.
To NASA Stennis Space Center. Fans of space travel and all things astronomical will enjoy the space center, located in Hancock County north of Bay St. Louis. Among other things, visitors see what it's like to board an international space station. To reach Stennis, take the shuttle bus at the Mississippi Welcome Center on Interstate 10 in Hancock County. The center is about an hour's drive from Biloxi, and admission is free. The visitor center, StennisSphere, is open Wednesday-Saturday, 10 am-3 pm. Field trips and charter tours are available. Phone 228-688-2370, or toll-free 800-237-1821. http://www.ssc.nasa.gov/public/visitors.
