Ocean Springs has one of the most vibrant arts communities of any small town in America. The town's creative identity is rooted in the legacy of Walter Anderson — the visionary artist who spent decades painting the natural world of the Mississippi Gulf Coast with an intensity and originality that placed him among the great American artists of the 20th century. But the arts community that has grown up around Anderson's legacy has taken on a life of its own, making Ocean Springs a genuine destination for anyone who cares about art, craft, and creative culture.

The Walter Anderson Museum of Art is the cultural heart of Ocean Springs and one of the most remarkable small museums in America. The museum's collection documents the full range of Anderson's extraordinary output — paintings, drawings, watercolors, ceramics, and the murals that are his most ambitious works.

Walter Inglis Anderson (1903–1965) was born into an artistic family in New Orleans and spent most of his adult life in Ocean Springs. He was a complex, troubled figure — he suffered from mental illness and spent periods of his life in institutions — but his art was extraordinary: a sustained, passionate engagement with the natural world of the Gulf Coast that produced thousands of paintings, drawings, and ceramics.

Anderson's most famous works are his paintings of Horn Island — the barrier island off the Mississippi coast where he spent weeks at a time, alone, painting the birds, fish, plants, and landscapes with an intensity that bordered on obsession. The Horn Island paintings are among the great works of American art: vivid, precise, and charged with a sense of wonder at the natural world.

The museum's most extraordinary exhibit is the "Little Room" — a small room in Anderson's cottage that he secretly covered floor-to-ceiling with murals depicting the natural world of Horn Island. The murals were discovered after his death and are now considered one of the great works of American art. The room has been preserved exactly as Anderson left it, and seeing it for the first time is a genuinely overwhelming experience.

Anderson also created a series of large-scale murals for the Ocean Springs Community Center, depicting the history and natural world of the Gulf Coast. These murals — painted in a bold, flat style that draws on folk art, Japanese woodblock prints, and medieval tapestries — are among his most accessible and joyful works.

Museum Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 9:30am–5pm, Sunday 12:30–5pm
Admission: $10 adults, $5 children
Website: walterandersonmuseum.org

Shearwater Pottery was founded in 1928 by Walter Anderson's father, Peter Anderson Sr., and has been operated by the Anderson family ever since. The pottery is one of the oldest continuously operating art potteries in America, and its distinctive hand-painted ceramics — featuring the birds, fish, and plants of the Gulf Coast — have been collected by museums and private collectors around the world.

The Shearwater complex includes the pottery studio, a gallery, and the historic Anderson family home. Visitors can watch potters at work, browse the gallery, and purchase pieces directly from the studio.

What to Buy: The hand-painted plates, bowls, and vases featuring Gulf Coast wildlife are the most distinctive Shearwater pieces. Prices range from $30 for small pieces to several hundred dollars for large, elaborately decorated works.

Location: 102 Shearwater Dr, Ocean Springs
Hours: Monday–Saturday 9am–5:30pm

Ocean Springs has more than 50 galleries, studios, and art spaces — an extraordinary concentration for a town of 18,000 people. The galleries range from established institutions to working artist studios, and the quality is consistently high.

The Ocean Springs Art Association — one of the oldest art organizations in Mississippi — maintains a gallery on Washington Avenue that showcases the work of local and regional artists. The gallery hosts regular exhibitions and is a good introduction to the breadth of the Ocean Springs art scene.

Just across the bay in Biloxi, the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art celebrates the work of George Ohr — the "Mad Potter of Biloxi" — whose eccentric, technically brilliant ceramics were far ahead of their time. The museum building, designed by Frank Gehry, is itself a work of art.

First Saturday Gallery Walk — on the first Saturday of each month, Ocean Springs galleries stay open late and host receptions for new exhibitions. The gallery walk is a beloved community event and the best way to experience the breadth of the Ocean Springs art scene.

Ocean Springs has a lively music scene, centered on the downtown bars and restaurants that host live music on weekends.

The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint — the Shed hosts live blues, country, and rock music on weekend evenings, in keeping with its identity as a music venue as well as a restaurant.

The Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center — a performing arts center in nearby Pascagoula that hosts concerts, theater performances, and cultural events throughout the year.

The Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival — held on the first weekend of November — is one of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the Southeast. Named for Walter Anderson's brother Peter (founder of Shearwater Pottery), the festival draws more than 100,000 visitors to Ocean Springs for a weekend of art, music, food, and community.

The festival features more than 400 juried artists and craftspeople from across the country, with work in every medium from painting and sculpture to ceramics, jewelry, and fiber arts. The quality is exceptional — this is a serious art festival, not a craft fair.

When: First weekend of November
Where: Downtown Ocean Springs
Admission: Free

Ocean Springs has a strong literary tradition, rooted in the same sense of place and connection to the natural world that produced Walter Anderson's art.

The Ocean Springs Library — a beautiful building in the heart of downtown, with an excellent collection and regular programming.

Turnrow Book Co. (Greenwood, MS) — while not in Ocean Springs, this is one of the finest independent bookstores in Mississippi, worth a detour for serious book lovers.

Best Time: The Peter Anderson Festival in November is the peak of the arts calendar. The First Saturday Gallery Walk happens year-round and is always worth attending.

Combining Art and Food: Ocean Springs' arts and culinary scenes are deeply intertwined — many of the best restaurants are decorated with local art, and many artists are also passionate food people. A weekend that combines gallery visits with meals at Vestige and the Shed is the quintessential Ocean Springs experience.

For the complete Ocean Springs experience, see our Ocean Springs Weekend Guide, Best Restaurants in Ocean Springs, and Ocean Springs Outdoor Activities. Also explore our Best Small Towns in the South hub.