Northshore Guide

Twenty Fun Day Trips You Can Take From the Northshore

Twenty places you can actually reach between breakfast and bedtime.

By Northshore Parent · Updated September 2026

You have reached the point in the weekend where staying inside your house is no longer an option. You need a change of scenery, but you don't want to pack a suitcase or spend four hours on the interstate.

We pulled together the best day trips from the Northshore that you can actually accomplish between breakfast and bedtime. Whether you need somewhere air-conditioned, somewhere to let them run wild, or somewhere that will impress your visiting in-laws, here is your short list. Please note that we are not sending you to New Orleans, but there is plenty of fun to be had there too.

Prehistoric Park

Prehistoric Park

$$

1135 North Barn Road, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517

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If you have a kid currently in their "dinosaur phase," this is where you take them. Prehistoric Park is a 12-acre walking trail packed with massive steel and fiberglass dinosaur models—some of which actually move. It’s basically a low-stakes Jurassic Park.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $15 adults, $12 kids (under 3 free)
  • Drive: About a 2 hour drive from the Northshore
  • The Catch: It is entirely outdoors and involves a lot of walking. Do not attempt this in August at 2 p.m. Go in the morning or wait for the weather to drop below 80 degrees.

USS Kidd

$$

305 South River Road Baton Rouge, LA 70802

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Exploring a restored World War II destroyer is objectively cool, even if your kids don't care about history yet. They offer self-guided tours so you can travel around the ship and explore. There is also an attached military history museum. They also offer the opportunity for overnight camping aboard the ship if that's your thing.
**The USS Kidd is currently away for overhaul, but the museum is open.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $14 adults, $10 kids
  • Drive: 1 hour from Mandeville
  • The Catch: It is a real naval ship. That means steep, narrow stairs and tight quarters. Not stroller friendly.

Avery Island

$$

Hwy. 329 Avery Island, LA 70513

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You don't have to love hot sauce to justify a trip to Avery Island. The Tabasco factory tour is surprisingly engaging for older kids, but the real draw is the 170-acre Jungle Gardens. It is essentially a massive, drivable botanical garden built on a salt dome where you will see hundreds of alligators and snowy egrets.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $12.50 adults, $9.50 kids (Jungle Gardens is an additional ticket)
  • Drive: About 2.5 hours from the Northshore
  • Tip: Eat at the on-site restaurant (Restaurant 1868!)
bogue chitto state park Franklinton Louisiana

Bogue Chitto State Park

$

17049 State Park Blvd. Franklinton, LA 70438

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Bogue Chitto is the easiest answer when your kids need to run wild and you don't want to drive more than 45 minutes. You can hike the trails, play in the river shallows, or hit the playground. It’s outdoors, it’s cheap, and it guarantees they will sleep on the car ride home.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $3 per person (kids under 3 and seniors over 65 are free)
  • Drive: 40 minutes from Covington
  • The Catch: We don't recommend tubing the river with young toddlers - stick to splashing the sandbars instead!

Vermilionville Historic Village

$

300 Fisher Rd. Lafayette, LA 70508

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Vermilionville is a 23-acre living history museum that recreates Acadian, Native American, and Creole life from the 1700s and 1800s. Unlike standard museums where kids get yelled at for touching things, this village is interactive. They can watch actual artisans spinning cotton, carving wood, and building boats. The historic village is one of the most-visited attractions in the Lafayette area.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $10 adults, $6 kids (Under 4 free)
  • Drive: About 2 hours from the Northshore
  • The Catch: It is heavily outdoors with a lot of walking. Bring water bottles and avoid going during the peak of heat.

Whitney Plantation

5099 Louisiana Hwy 18, Wallace, LA 70049

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This is the only plantation in Louisiana that focuses entirely on the experience of the enslaved people who lived and worked there. It is a heavy, necessary, and incredibly well-done educational experience. If you have older kids learning about American history, this is worth the drive.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $25 adults, $11 kids
  • Drive: 1 hour from Covington
  • The Catch: This is serious history, not a playground. It is best suited for middle and high schoolers who can grasp the gravity of the site.

Buccaneer State Park - Buccaneer Bay Water Park

$$$

1150 South Beach Boulevard Waveland , MS 39576

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If your kids are begging for a water park but you don't have the energy (or budget) for a massive, crowded theme park, Buccaneer State Park is your compromise. It has a fun water park that's about one hour away from us. Only open in the summer, it has a wave pool, some large slides and a splash pad. They've also got a great playground and some trails to hike as well.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $21 adults, $15 kids
  • Seasonal: Open May 23 - September 7, 2026
  • The Catch: The water park is strictly seasonal and shuts down quickly for afternoon thunderstorms, so check the radar before you cross the state line.

The Baton Rouge Zoo

$

3000 Zoo Circle Baton Rouge, LA 70807

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If you want a zoo experience but don't want to deal with New Orleans traffic and parking, Baton Rouge is your alternative. It is highly walkable, has a solid variety of animals, and features a train ride that is a mandatory tax if you bring a toddler. It is a lower-key, highly manageable morning outing.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $10 adults, $7 kids (Under 2 free)
  • Drive: About 1 hour
  • Heads Up: They recently moved the entrance. You must enter through Greenwood Community Park—if your GPS takes you to the old Thomas Road entrance, you will be turning around.

Dunn's Falls Water Park

$

6890 Dunns Falls Rd A, Enterprise, MS 39330

This is not a water park like you're probably thinking. Located about two and half hours away in southern Lauderdale County, Dunn's Falls Water Park features a working water wheel and a 65-foot water fall. They have nature trails, swimming and canoeing are allowed in the river, and there's a historical area as well. Picnics are allowed so be sure to pack one for your trip!

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $3.25 per person
  • The Catch: To get to the river, you have to hike down a massive set of wooden stairs. That means you also have to hike up those stairs at the end of the day when everyone is exhausted.

Gulf Islands Water Park

17200 16th St, Gulfport, MS 39503

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Gulf Islands is the closest major waterpark option that delivers the giant tube slides, wave pool, and lazy river your kids are looking for. It is big, loud, and entirely designed to completely exhaust your children by 3 p.m. If you have older kids who want thrill slides and independence, this is where you take them.

Know Before You Go

  • The Catch: The concrete gets blistering hot in the midday sun, so water shoes for the kids are highly recommended. Also, they are strict about outside food and drinks. Prepare to buy overpriced chicken tenders inside.

Red Bluff

Free

Highway 587, Foxworth, MS 39483

Known locally as "Mississippi’s Little Grand Canyon," Red Bluff is a massive, colorful canyon created by natural erosion. It is a stunning geological oddity sitting right off the side of the highway. Kids can hike down to the bottom, wade in the shallow creek, and climb around on the striking red clay hills. It feels like you drove out West, but it’s just a quick trip across the state line.

Know Before You Go

  • The Catch: This is an unofficial, unmaintained natural area. There are no visitor centers, no guardrails, and absolutely no bathrooms. Most importantly, the red clay will permanently stain your kids' clothes and shoes. Do not let them wear anything you care about.

Clark Creek Natural Area

366 Fort Adams Pond Rd, Woodville, MS 39669

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You don't have to drive all the way to the Smoky Mountains to find waterfalls. Clark Creek features roughly 50 waterfalls scattered through a completely un-Louisiana-like hardwood forest. However, you are going to have to work to see them. This is a legitimate, rugged hiking trail with serious elevation changes. It is a fantastic outdoor adventure for older kids who have outgrown standard playground trips and need to be physically challenged.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $5 per vehicle
  • Drive: About 2 hours
  • The Catch: Do not bring a stroller, and do not let your kids wear flip-flops. The hike back up from the waterfalls is steep, unpaved, and exhausting. Cell service is practically non-existent, so download your maps before you lose a signal, and bring exact cash for the entrance fee.

Kroc Center

575 Division St, Biloxi, MS 39530

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If your kids want a water park but it is raining, lightning, or 105 degrees outside, the Kroc Center is the ultimate hack. It is a massive indoor aquatics center featuring a lazy river, a splash pad area for the little ones, a zero-depth entry pool, and a two-story water slide.

Know Before You Go

  • The Catch: This requires militant planning. Swim passes are sold in strict two-hour increments and open exactly 96 hours in advance online. They will sell out, especially during the summer. Also, if your child is not fully potty-trained, they are required to wear a swim diaper plus a plastic waterproof cover over it.

Mississippi Petrified Forest

$

Mississippi

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A petrified forest in the middle of Mississippi sounds like a tourist trap, but it is actually a fascinating, heavily shaded nature trail through 36-million-year-old fossilized trees. The walking trail is paved and relatively short, and the kids can pan for gems at the end. It’s an easy, low-stress stop that feels completely different from our local swamp trails. Located near Jackson, they also have a campsite if you feel like spending more than a day.

Mississippi Civil Right Museum

$$

222 North Street Jackson, Mississippi

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This is one of the most powerful, well-executed museums in the South. It offers an unflinching, immersive look at the Civil Rights Movement, with interactive and audiovisual exhibits that will actually hold a teenager's attention. Like the Whitney Plantation, this is a heavy, educational trip that goes far beyond what they read in a textbook.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $15 adults, $8 kids (Free on Sundays)
  • The Catch: The subject matter is intense and emotionally heavy. It is highly recommended for middle and high schoolers, but you should leave the toddlers and younger kids at home for this one.

Lynn Meadows Discovery Center

$$

246 Dolan Ave, Gulfport, MS 39507

When you need to get the kids out of the house but the weather is completely uncooperative, Lynn Meadows is the perfect bailout plan. It is a 15,000-square-foot children’s museum built inside a converted 1915 schoolhouse. The inside is packed with air-conditioned, hands-on exhibits (including the mandatory fake grocery store), and the outside features a massive treehouse village shaded by huge live oaks.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $12 per person (Under 1 free)
  • The Catch: This museum is heavily geared toward younger children. It is a paradise for a 4-year-old, but if you drag your 12-year-old here, they are going to be bored out of their minds in about fifteen minutes.

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park

$$

Mobile, Alabama

Explore this huge battleship permanently docked in Mobile, Alabama. In addition to the ship there are a variety of other World War II items to explore including the USS Drum, a World War II era submarine and some aircraft. There's an adjacent park that is perfect for a picnic.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $18 adults, $6 kids (Under 5 free) plus $5 parking
  • Drive: About 2 hours
  • The Catch: This is an actual military battleship and submarine. Expect steep ladders, tight doorways, and absolutely zero stroller access once you leave the main pavilion.

Ocean Adventures Marine Park

10801 Dolphin Lane, Gulfport, MS 39503

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Located in Gulfport, Mississippi, Ocean Adventures Marine Park provides families with the opportunity to see and interact with marine life close up. They host regular tours but they also offer opportunities to have encounters with dolphins and sting rays.

Vicksburg National Military Park

3201 Clay Street, Vicksburg, MS 39183

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Vicksburg National Military Park is a massive, 1,800-acre historic battlefield. The beauty of this trip is the 16-mile driving tour—you can absorb a ton of American history, see thousands of monuments, and walk through the salvaged USS Cairo gunboat, all while keeping the air conditioning blasting in your car between stops. It’s an ideal setup for older kids learning about the Civil War.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $20 per vehicle
  • The Catch: The visitor center and the USS Cairo are great walking stops, but the majority of the park is seen from your car. If your kids get carsick easily or hate road trips, this might not be the winner.

Exploreum Science Center

65 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602

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If you are willing to make the drive to Mobile, the Exploreum is one of the best indoor escape plans on the Gulf Coast. It is completely hands-on, meaning your kids can launch things, build things, and touch everything without anyone hovering over them telling them to be careful. It is highly interactive STEM learning disguised as a massive indoor playground, and it easily buys you a few hours of air-conditioned peace.

Know Before You Go

  • Cost: $14-$18 per person
  • Drive: About 2.5 hours
  • Parking: It is located right in the middle of downtown Mobile, which means you have to deal with city parking. Prepare to hunt for street parking or pay for a nearby garage, and expect a short walk to the entrance.

Colonial Ft. Conde

150 S Royal St, Mobile, AL 36602

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Kids love forts. It is a universal truth. Fort Condé is a reconstructed 1720s French fort sitting right in the middle of downtown Mobile. It has high brick walls to walk on, guard rooms to explore, and cannons to look at. It is a great, highly visual historical stop that lets them run around pretending to be soldiers or pirates instead of just staring at artifacts in glass cases.

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