Hit the beach on the cheap at Ship Island

If you’re up for a quick day trip to the beach, consider heading out to Ship Island.

If you’ve never made it out there, Ship Island is about an hour by ferry from Gulfport, Miss., and offers a fast and cheap getaway for those looking for a day at the beach.

Unlike the murky waters back near the mainland in Biloxi, Ship Island often features crytal clear and baby blue waters on par with those in the Florida panhandle.

The island is about 11 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico and is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. There’s a 400-foot pier, a gift shop and concession stand, restrooms and chair and umbrella rentals.

The real activity here is simply lounging around and you’ll find beautiful beaches on the other side of the island (about a half-mile walk) or you can hand out on the bay side which has calmer waters and is popular with those who bring their own boat. There’s often a lot of fish and wildlife around.

Ship Island is also home to Fort Massachussetts, a fort built following the War of 1812 that remained in use until 1903. There are daily guided tours of the fort.

Unless you’ve got your own boat, the only way out to Ship Island is aboard Ship Island Excursions ferry. The ride alone is almost worth it. You’ll see plenty of dolphin along the way and the boat is big enough that you can sprawl out on the top deck with beer in hand and enjoy the trip.

During the summer season (through 9/06/10), the boats depart Gulfport daily at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. and depart Ship Island at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Round trip fares including taxes are $24 for adults, $14 for children ages 3-10, $22 for seniors and $22 for military with an active ID.  For more information, visit the web site.

Note: Do not bring glass bottles to the island. Rangers strictly enforce the rules and usually check ice chests when passengers get off the boat. If you have glass, you’ll be forced to hand it over or leave it on the boat.