Best Tent Camping near Gautier, MS

This is a small but very nice campground. It has One bathroom and shower building. We have tent camped here twice. Both times was awesome. My parents have stayed in a camper twice. Cruising the coast is a great time to stay. It books early for that time of the year.

We camped a week in the tent sites. Very clean. Great bathrooms. Great staff. 24 hour access to the beach, which is just a short stroll away. Good hiking trails. I would highly recommend and we will go again!

I’m not sure where they got the name from, but if El Colon was still living, he would really dig how this RV parking lot is using the name of his beloved Santa Maria! Located due south of Farragut Lake, right off Rt. 10 and just west of the Pascagoula River, you’ll come across Santa Maria RV Resort Marina. 

This spot offers up just about everything you would expect – full RV hook ups including water, sewer and electricity (30 / 50 amp), level gravel beds where you can just connect, level up and be done with it in under 5 minutes. Unlike most RV parking lots, this place has a ton of space and there’s somewhat good distance between your spot and those on either side of you. And if you’re hauling or driving anything bigger than the standard RV or camper, no worries, this place is spacious enough to accommodate just about any size (and even large group sizes). The campground was both kid and pet friendly. Also, I found the on-site campground management team to be incredibly over-friendly (nice Southern hospitality!) and accommodating. 

From an amenities standpoint, this place is completely full-service (in fact, they’ll escort you right to your campsite!). They’ve got a small, but clean swimming pool, laundr-O-mat, spartan restroom facilities and a propane pump on-site. WiFi is available for free and cable is offered for a small price if you need that. Overall, I found the place to be very well-organized, incredibly clean and exceptionally safe with round-the-clock security. 

With nature in mind, this place is in close proximity to quite a bit – from Gautier, MS who’s moniker is ‘Nature’s Playground,’ there’s tons of wildlife to see, decent outdoor recreation and hiking to be found and bayous all over the place to drop your kayak or canoe into. 

Insider’s tip? Some of the best kayaking was had in and around Mississippi - Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. Closer to the campground though, you’ll find a splendid little Southern town in the City of Gautier, which has some quiet boutique-type shops, Southern restauarnts (I strongly recommend Belle’s on the Bayou or Country Gentleman), farmers market on the weekends, nice municipal parks and even some art exhibits from time to time. All in all, I strongly recommend Santa Maria RV Resort Marina if you’re looking for a decent stop along your travels. 

Happy Camping!

This is an RV Park and Living community. No tent camping. A sign out front says its under new management and ownership. I found the folks to be helpful and friendly. We have two issues which may not bother everyone but it did us. Dog poop everywhere! So watch where you walk. As well, a couple of folks that live there let their pets out without a leash. We were greeted by a pit bull without a leash while walking our little dogs.

I camped here for one night in the improved tent campsites at bartram campground. The site had trees to hang my hammock, a fire ring, water, and a picnic table. You walk maybe 50ft from your parking spot to the site in the woods. The bathroom was clean, had a light, very soft toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Would definitely stay here again!

My girlfriend and I were super excited to camp here because of the name; National Seashore. We expected kind of beach camping and couldn't find too many pictures of the park that would indicate otherwise. When we got there we quickly realized that we were mistaken and it was more of a swampy marshland, which we should have expected given it is Mississippi. So it took some time to find a place to pitch our small tent where we felt safe. The hardest part was how miserably hot and humid it was. All in all though the camp ground was nice and well kept, the bathrooms and showers were great, the staff and fellow campers were nice, and I had an overall good experience. Also, the park had a nice welcome center and map that made it easy to find our way around. But I would not recommend tent camping in the summer months because of the heat.

This is a nice campground. It has RV hookup, tent sites, and site with just electric and water hookup for campers or tents. We stayed in site 11. We had two large tents. Each site has picnic table and fire ring and small open type grill. Several bathhouses. Playgrounds ball fields and also a roped off swimming area. The swimming area has sidewalk almost to the beach area but the ground all the way to the sand is hard so wheelchair's, strollers, ice chest, and anything with wheels is perfect. Nice covered patios with tables near swimming area. Nice boat launch and plenty of fishing

The campground was nice. Plenty to do to keep us busy. Between the nature walk, fishing and time on the beach our days were packed. I do not recommend the “premium” tent sites. They are nothing more than a stop of grass next to a parking lot backed up to trees. The gnats were terrible, made worse by the wind screen provided by the tow of trees. Plan ahead as it seems this park stays full. Very good location for a day trip into New Orleans too!!

Flint creek has TONS of sites with full hook ups in 30 and/or 50 amp and even a primitive (water only) tent sites. Different sections allow folks to feel like they are away from the crowds.  Price is absolutely reasonable and there is night security by staff and local law enforcement.

The water park has a ton of slides and will keep kids young and old entertained sliding down the hill into the lake.

Several swimming holes and boat ramps lets you enjoy the lake however you want.

I have done tent camping at this park a couple times. All of the sites are close together and the ants are ridiculous. I had read reviews about the ants prior so I came prepared. Each site has a picnic table & fire ring. There is a boat launch, which is popular, a pier and also 2 cabins that you can rent. This is a popular park for RV's. And of course there is a shower house & covered picnic tables.

I chose a specific site with water view which was enjoyable. The street lights throughout the park are very bright, so if you're light sensitive when you sleep, use a darker tent. All the sites have power & water hookups.

Blakely State Park is a very large State Park, with different choices for camping. There are larger primitive tent sites, smaller tent sites with power/water hookups, RV sites, two primitive cabins and 2 newer cabins which are very nice. There's TONS of hiking, a battleground for history buffs, a playground, a boatdock, lots of hiking, horseback riding etc.

I stayed in one of the two Squirrels Nest, which are primitive cabins. Basically open air cabins. 2 walls, a roof and 2 walls of screens. There are two wooden platforms for beds. A twin and a queen, and barstools to sit inside and look out into the woods, over the hill in which they are nestled. There's a sink (but no water) and a cabinet, and outside a large deck with bench seating. Below is a fire pit and picnic table. There is a shared porta potty outside of the two cabins. These cabins are a bit of a drive out in the woods, so make sure your vehicle is up to it. It's very peaceful out there. My cabin was inhabited by mice at night, so I kept my food in airtight plastic paint bucket containers & my belongings covered by garbage bags on one of the platforms and had my air mattress inside a pop-up mosquito tent, so the mice did not bother me. I was after all in their house. I sprinkled peppermint oil around my gear & my bed platform to keep the mice away. Next time I will have my food in a large cooler so that the wildlife is not attracted.

There are hiking trails by these sites, as well as, steps down the hill, leading off into another trail.

i would stay there again. Great place to get away.

We stayed at the Historic Blakeley State Park campground in the Apalachee Campground. This is a super cool campground and state park with tons of stuff to do. The RV campsites are very spread out providing ample privacy from your neighbors and other park visitors while still providing water, power and sewer hookup ups. This campground loop was named in honor of the Apalachee Indians who once occupied park grounds. We would recommend staying at this campground or even the tent sites as there is TONS of stuff to do with lots of history!

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There are a choice of sites, I believe they all have power & water hookups The dedicated tent sites are of course smaller, but you can also choose sites closer to the showers that are very spacious and can accommodate tents or campers for only $5 more. There are RV sites as well. There is hiking, a sports complex, a playground, a small beach area with roped off swimming and covered picnic tables, a boat dock and canoe/kayak rental.

I chose one of the sites closer to the showers because of the spaciousness. These sites all have a picnic table, fire pit and hibachi. The site I was on could easily have fit 4 very decent sized tents (6-10 person tents easily). There are hiking trails leading off from the site.

The ants were not a problem & definitely not as bad as compared to other local sites I've camped at. The only negative I have is that the sound from the nearby highway is definitely noticed.

Enjoyed spending 3 nights in this large, family oriented state park campground. Camped in a camper van, but most sites appear to be big rig friendly. About a half-dozen freight trains pass close by the campground; noisy, especially where we camped in the Treaure Cove loop. There is also some vehicle noise on a nearby road as well. Didn't bother us, though. Stayed in site 106. Nicely wooded with some, but not much, privacy. Probably not a good spot if charging with solar panels. Restroom/shower houses appear to be we maintained. Sites have water, electric & sewer hookups. Sites are also suitable for tent camping. Can't say anything about the staff since I did not interact with them much. Long walk to the edge of the gulf; not much of a beach near the campground entrance, but nice beaches, with places to park, a short drive east & west of the park. Good AT&T & T-mobile data service. No Wifi.

This park is giant! There are probably over 200 sites for camping in this park with beachfront sites and even primitive drive up sites for tent camping back in the woods. The park has 2 shower areas and 4 bathrooms on site as well as multiple playgrounds for the kiddos and even a water park! It is located directly across the street from the Gulf of Mexico and has its own private beach. I stayed in the primitive camping sites for 2 nights because all other sites were reserved for the weekend and it was great. No electric hookup or water but the sites are privately tucked away in the woods and only cost 15$ per night. If you want, you can stay beachfront for 48$ and I believe the regular sites with hookups and water are around $30 per night. The park itself is very well maintained and has ice and drinks for sale in the front office. The employees are extremely nice and helpful and will even tell you about fun things to do in town while you’re there. Definitely the biggest and one of the nicest campgrounds/state parks I’ve stayed in. Worth the trip!