Page 74 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2026

Hattiesburg Mural
Budget-friendly day trips are fun for all
ages but especially in the Golden Years.
There are many options but due to space,
only a few can be described here. To be
able to drive to a destination in two or
three hours and return home the same
day is a pleasant outing. However, now
that Amtrak is back and running twice
daily to New Orleans and Mobile, new
adventures have been opened without
driving.
Day trips to the large cities to the West
and the East of us can be leisurely visits
without a particular plan. Or they can
74 | November 2026 story by Lynn Lofton
photos courtesy of Lynn Hoyt, visitHATTIESBURG, St. Tammany Parish, Bellingrath Gardens,
World War II Museum, Audubon Zoo and Mobile Carnival Museum
some members had him autograph their
have a theme or special reason such as
sporting events, plays, dining, shopping,
museums and many other events and
sites.
Such was the case for a day trip to
the Crescent City by Gulfport’s Trinity
Bookworms. After reading “Miss Ella of
Commanders Palace” by Ti Adelaide
Martin, the group traveled to New
Orleans by train and lunched at the
famous restaurant owned by the Brennan
family. “As we learned in the book, there
is always a Brennan family member there
during operating hours,” says book club
member Lynn Hoyt. “So, we met the
Brennan on board, Brad Brennan, and
books.”
Before Amtrak returned, the group
drove to Mobile after reading about
Africa Town and its history and
again later to celebrate their fifteenth
anniversary.
There are many things to do in Mobile
including the Mobile Carnival Museum,
the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial
Park and the Lower Dauphin Street
Historic District as pointed out by former
tour leader Dave Vincent. “In Mobile
there is a science museum near where you
get off the track, if you go by train, that is
really interesting,” he says.
Vincent continued, “Over in New
Orleans be sure to see the World War
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living