This Mississippi Coast city is ranked one of the most friendly small towns in the US

For the second year in a row, Ocean Springs been recognized for its Southern hospitality.

Travel Awaits, a website that focuses on travelers over 50, ranked Ocean Springs as the 10th friendliest small town in the country.

The website enlisted readers to nominate their favorite U.S. small towns last March and limited the list to those with a population of 20,000 or less. Ocean Springs has a population of just over 18,000. Voting for the finalists ended in May.

Because the website is dedicated to travel, the ranking incorporates things to do and places to visit while in Ocean Springs. The 2021 list featured the Roost Boutique Hotel, Davis Bayou Campground, Walter Anderson Museum, Mosaic restaurant for tapas and Vestige for a special dinner.

This year, the Ocean Springs highlights included spicy jerk fried shrimp po-boys at the Government Street Grocery and the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival, the largest annual fine arts fest in the state.

Friendliest small town is one of more than a dozen categories featured in Travel Awaits’ annual Best of Travel Awards. This list includes favorite small towns, favorite outdoor activities and most pet-friendly cities.

This story was originally published August 10, 2022 at 2:36 PM.

Mona Moore

Sun Herald

Mona Moore was a Service Journalism Desk Editor for the Sun Herald in Mississippi; Mahoning Matters in Ohio; and the Ledger-Enquirer and Telegraph in Georgia. Originally from West Covina, California, she holds a bachelor’s and master’s in corporate and public communication from the University of South Alabama. Mona’s writing and photography have been recognized by press associations in Mississippi, North Carolina and Florida.