The Scenic City On Mississippi's Gulf Coast Best Known As 'Nature's Playground' Offers Waterfront Beauty

A quiet community on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that's often called "Nature's Playground" is a wildlife lover's paradise and an underrated destination for birders and inshore anglers seeking some peace and quiet among the higher-profile casino districts and beach towns along America's southern shoreline. Gautier (pronounced "GO-shay"), Mississippi is nestled among some of the South's most pristine coastal marshlands and is home to a rare migratory bird sanctuary and protected from the Gulf of Mexico surf by a handful of offshore barrier islands. Not unlike another nearby casual city with immaculate seafood, dreamy sunsets, and cozy lodging, Gautier is a great place for a chill Gulf Coast retreat.

Just north of the small coastal community is the renowned Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, which offers a home for critically endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes, as well as a host of other local and migratory birds, reptiles, and amphibians. To the northeast of Gautier is the Pascagoula River State Wildlife Management Area, a great place for birders to see lots of migratory waterfowl that overwinter in the area and an excellent place for visitors to see one of the South's most charismatic critters, the American alligator. And, because Gautier is protected by barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico, the protected bays and bayous around the community offer excellent inshore gear and fly fishing for everything from redfish and black drum to speckled trout and flounder.

Visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the extremely rare Mississippi sandhill crane that lives on the nearby refuge should plan a visit in the fall, through the winter, and into spring. Even though this unique subspecies of sandhill crane does not migrate, it's most active during the cooler months, and the birds will pair up starting in December for eventual nesting. Located just over an hour and a half by car from New Orleans, Gautier and the crane refuge is a manageable drive for visitors to the Big Easy looking for a quiet getaway from Louisiana's most famed street and a vibrant adult playground with unique entertainment. And, in Gautier, everything slows down. With a population of less than 20,000 people and easy access to some gorgeous and wild public lands, it might be the perfect place to unwind amid nature's beauty.

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge is fairly small as federal refuges go, at just 1,749 acres. But its purpose is important. When it was first established in 1975, there were only about 35 Mississippi sandhill cranes in the area. Thanks to the refuge and the safety and security it provides these big-personality birds, the refuge is now home to about 200 cranes. For birders, it's one of the best places to see this unique subspecies of non-migratory sandhill crane. From late fall into spring — and spring is when the baby cranes (called colts) are maturing — the refuge can seem like it's taken over by the majestic birds. And, with generally mild winters in southern Mississippi with high temperatures ranging from the low 60s to the high 70s, it's a pleasant time for birders to be out and about.

While its protected wildlife areas and refuges offer unparalleled opportunities for birders throughout the cooler months, Gautier is an angler's paradise all year long. Inshore, where a hydrological system of creeks and bayous connect with the Pascagoula River before it meets the Gulf, anglers can do very well going after redfish, black drum, speckled trout, flounder, and other fish that inhabit this transition zone. Farther out in the Gulf, beyond the barrier islands and out of the shallows, fishing charter captains take more ambitious anglers into deeper waters, where they can tangle with larger fishing targets, like marlin, grouper, and red snapper.

Back on land, though, visitors shouldn't ignore the charming little community of Gautier, which offers plenty of short-term rentals available for visiting birders, wildlife enthusiasts, and anglers. The community's city center is home to several cafes and restaurants, and, on most nights, live music can be heard coming from the waterfront bars. For travelers looking for something a bit more lively after a day spent watching the cranes dance or pulling in redfish from the bay, they're not very far from Biloxi, which is often called the "Vegas of the South" and is famed for its seafood. Gautier is a great stop on a Gulf Coast visit. It offers an authentic, relaxed vibe, but it's also close to other entertainment options. It might be the ideal spot for travelers looking for a little bit of everything.