This Mississippi Coast island has water like Florida beaches. Here's what a day trip is like.

As a Bay St. Louis native who is new-ish to living in New Orleans, it's easy to see how the Mississippi Gulf Coast has become one of the fastest growing areas in the South.

Although devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, signs of destruction are now few and far between.

Cities that dot the man-made beaches along Highway 90 have re-developed their downtowns. New housing — subdivisions, apartments and waterfront homes — is taking over vacant lots. And people are moving there from Louisiana, Texas and other states.

But growing up in a "tourist town" also means locals may overlook how much there is to do on the Coast. I've visited the brown, murky beaches more times that I can count, but until recently had never taken a short boat ride to the barrier islands.

In many ways, the islands ar