Mardi Gras Service With Kids: A Trip Plan for Every Stop
This train came back in August 2025, twenty years after Katrina took its bridges, and it is already the easiest beach train in the South. Two trains a day each way, under four hours end to end, coach from $15, and the best part comes in the first hour: a long trestle over the Rigolets with water on both sides and pelicans on the pilings. My daughter decided the pelicans were Rally's bird from the book, and nobody corrected her. Below is every stop and what to do when you get off, which on this line mostly means walking to a beach.
By Kelsey Lizee Cecil. Times are approximate from the fall 2026 timetable; checked against Amtrak and each attraction in October 2026. Hours change; read the "know before you go" notes.If you only have one day
- With a toddler: Gulfport to Biloxi and back.Nineteen minutes, a lighthouse and a beach at the far end, then any train back. Read the book twice. Jump to Biloxi.
- Ages 4 to 8: the Bay St. Louis beach day.The 7:35am train out of New Orleans, the Rigolets trestle, museums in the depot, sand all afternoon, the 6:26pm train home. Jump to Bay St. Louis.
- The big one: New Orleans to Mobile and the battleship.The whole coast in a morning, lunch on Dauphin Street, the USS Alabama by cab, and the morning train back the next day. Jump to Mobile.
Read this before you go
Three things to know. First, take the morning train for the water: the 7:35am from New Orleans and the 6:30am from Mobile cross the bridges in daylight, and the evening trains finish in the dark for much of the year. Second, there is no checked baggage and most stops are platforms with no ticket window, so buy tickets in the app and pack carry-ons. Third, stops last two or three minutes and the train does not wait, so be on the platform early with the stroller folded. Alerts are on the Mardi Gras Service page on Amtrak (opens in a new tab).
Tickets, seats, the cafe car's muffuletta wedges, bathrooms and strollers are all in our Mardi Gras Service parent guide. This page is the fun part: where to get off and what to do when you do.
Stop 1 of 6NOLEastbound leaves about 7:35am and 5:31pm; westbound arrives about 10:13am and 8:13pm
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
The train starts at a big 1954 terminal with a 120-foot mural in the waiting room, a 15-minute walk from the French Quarter, with the streetcar stop out front. The 7:35am train is the one to take: it crosses the marsh and the long trestle over the Rigolets in morning light and has you in Gulfport by 9:24am. The evening train is for coming home sleepy. If New Orleans is your base, this is the easiest day trip in the South, and the fare has started at $15 for adults.
Walk the mural before boarding and find the alligator, then claim right-side seats for the water.
Right off the platform
- at stopUnion Passenger Terminal: a big waiting room with the Albrizio murals, restrooms, a staffed ticket window, a cafe and the Magnolia Room for Business Class.
- at stopThe Rampart-Loyola streetcar stops outside the door and runs to Canal Street and the Quarter.
- 15 minThe French Quarter, Jackson Square and beignets at Cafe du Monde.
- at stopAudubon Aquarium and Insectarium on the riverfront, by streetcar (admission).
- at stopLouisiana Children's Museum in City Park, by streetcar or cab, one of the best anywhere (admission).
- 5 minThe Superdome and Champions Square, next door.
Half a day between trains
- Beignets in the Quarter before the 5:31pm train, if you are heading east for the night.
- Home on the 8:13pm arrival: the streetcar to a hotel and bed.
Make it a full day
New Orleans is three days on its own. Ride the Mardi Gras Service out to Gulfport or Bay St. Louis on one of them and come back for dinner.
Snack stop: The terminal cafe; beignets and pralines in the Quarter. The train's cafe car sells muffuletta wedges and Moon Pies.
Out the window: Leaving eastbound the train passes the cemeteries and the skyline, then the Lake Pontchartrain marsh and the first open water within half an hour.
There is no checked baggage on this train, so pack carry-ons only. The terminal also serves the City of New Orleans, the Crescent and the Sunset Limited and is staffed all day.
Stop 2 of 6BASEastbound about 8:59am and 6:57pm; westbound about 8:23am and 6:26pm
Bay St. Louis
The first Mississippi stop and the best beach day on the line. The platform sits beside a 1929 Spanish Revival depot that holds a small Mardi Gras museum, a folk art museum and the visitor center, with a shady park in front. Old Town's shops and the beach are a short walk down Main Street. Ride out on the 7:35am train from New Orleans, cross the Rigolets trestle in morning light, and get off at 8:59am with the whole day ahead; the 6:26pm train takes you home.
Costumes and beads at the Mardi Gras museum inside the depot, then the beach at the end of Main Street with the pier and the pelicans.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform with a shelter beside the depot. No restrooms or ticket window; the depot's visitor center has restrooms when open.
- at stopThe 1929 depot: the Mardi Gras Museum, the Alice Moseley Folk Art Museum and the Depot Visitors Center (free; check hours).
- at stopThe depot park out front, with paths, benches and pavilions.
- 10 minOld Town Bay St. Louis on Main Street: shops, ice cream, galleries and the Second Saturday art walk.
- 15 minThe beach and the Bay St. Louis municipal pier and harbor at the foot of Main Street.
- 20 minWashington Street's cafes and the bay bridge walkway.
Half a day between trains
- Depot museums (45 minutes).
- Main Street to the beach, sandcastles and the pier (2 hours).
- Lunch in Old Town and the 6:26pm train home.
Make it a full day
A Bay St. Louis day: the museums, the beach, lunch on Main Street, the harbor and sno-balls, and the evening train back to New Orleans at bedtime. Stay a night for the sunset over the bay.
Snack stop: Ice cream and cafes on Main Street, 10 minutes from the platform.
Out the window: Just west of the stop the train crosses the Bay of St. Louis on a long low bridge with water on both sides.
No restrooms at the platform; use the depot or a cafe. Stops are two or three minutes, so be on the platform early with the stroller folded.
Stop 3 of 6GUFEastbound about 9:24am and 7:22pm; westbound about 7:58am and 6:01pm
Gulfport
The aquarium stop. The Mississippi Aquarium, with a walk-through tunnel of sharks and rays, touch tanks and otters, is a few blocks from the platform, and Jones Park, with the harbor, a splash pad and the beach, is just beyond it. The Gulfport Museum of History sits in the old Union Station depot right beside the platform. The 7:35am train from New Orleans gets here at 9:24am; the 6:01pm train has you home by 8:13pm.
The shark tunnel at the aquarium, then the splash pad at Jones Park with the harbor boats behind it.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform beside the old depot, with restrooms but no shelter, ticket window or baggage service.
- at stopGulfport Museum of History in the former Union Station depot next to the platform (check hours).
- 10 minMississippi Aquarium, 2100 E Beach Blvd (admission).
- 15 minJones Park: the harbor, a splash pad and playground, and the beach across the boulevard.
- at stopThe Ship Island ferry from Gulfport harbor to Fort Massachusetts and a quiet Gulf beach, seasonal (fare).
- at stopLynn Meadows Discovery Center, a children's museum, by cab (admission).
Half a day between trains
- Mississippi Aquarium (2 hours).
- Jones Park splash pad and a beach walk (1 hour).
- Lunch downtown and the 6:01pm train.
Make it a full day
Aquarium in the morning, lunch, the Ship Island ferry in season (a half day on its own), or Lynn Meadows by cab, and the evening train either direction.
Snack stop: Cafes downtown on 13th and 14th Streets, five minutes from the platform; the aquarium has a cafe.
Out the window: The tracks run a few blocks behind the beach here, so the water shows in flashes at the end of the side streets on the right eastbound.
The Ship Island ferry runs on a seasonal schedule, roughly March to October; check the day before. Platform stops last two or three minutes.
Stop 4 of 6BIXEastbound about 9:43am and 7:41pm; westbound about 7:39am and 5:41pm
Biloxi
Nineteen minutes past Gulfport, which makes Gulfport to Biloxi the shortest first ride on the coast. The platform is in downtown Biloxi, a 15-minute walk from the lighthouse, the beach and a maritime museum where kids can climb around a wooden boat. The Coastal Mississippi Mardi Gras Museum is a few blocks away for costumes and floats. Casinos line the waterfront, but the beach and the lighthouse are what a five-year-old will remember.
The Biloxi Lighthouse, 1848, standing in the median of the beach highway, then the sand across the street.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform with a shelter in downtown Biloxi; no restrooms, ticket window or baggage service.
- 5 minDowntown Biloxi's Howard Avenue shops and the Mardi Gras Museum in the Magnolia Hotel building (admission; check hours).
- 15 minThe Biloxi Lighthouse and visitors center on the beach highway (tours; check times).
- 15 minThe beach, with the Biloxi Town Green and a playground near the lighthouse.
- 15 minMaritime and Seafood Industry Museum, with boats, a shrimp boat deck and the Biloxi schooner sails in season (admission).
- 20 minOhr-O'Keefe Museum of Art, with its silver pods designed by Frank Gehry (admission; the grounds are free).
Half a day between trains
- Lighthouse and the beach (90 minutes).
- Maritime museum (1 hour).
- Lunch and the next train either way.
Make it a full day
A Biloxi day: the lighthouse tour, a morning on the sand, the maritime museum, a schooner sail if the season allows, po-boys, and the 7:41pm train east or 5:41pm train west.
Snack stop: Cafes on Howard Avenue downtown; sno-balls near the beach in summer.
Out the window: Back Bay Biloxi on the left eastbound, then the long bridge over Biloxi Bay to Ocean Springs with water on both sides.
Biloxi's waterfront is a working casino strip; the family stretch is the lighthouse, the Town Green and the museums west of it. Check lighthouse tour times.
Stop 5 of 6PAGEastbound about 10:10am and 8:08pm; westbound about 7:11am and 5:11pmour honest take: ride on
Pascagoula
A shipbuilding town, with the old wooden L&N depot beside the platform and the Ingalls shipyard cranes on the skyline. The Pascagoula River Audubon Center has a boardwalk and kayaks a couple of miles out, and the beach park has a lighthouse, but neither is a walk from the platform. For a day, ride on to Mobile or back to Biloxi.
Count the shipyard cranes out the window and look for the Navy ships being built.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform with a shelter beside the old L&N depot; no restrooms or ticket window.
- 10 minDowntown Pascagoula's Delmas Avenue.
- at stopPascagoula Beach Park and the Round Island Lighthouse, by cab.
- at stopPascagoula River Audubon Center, with a boardwalk through the marsh, by cab (small admission).
Half a day between trains
- Stay aboard.
Make it a full day
Skip, unless family lives here.
Snack stop: None at the platform.
Out the window: The Pascagoula River and the marsh, then the Alabama line and the long causeway across the Mobile delta before Mobile.
Stop 6 of 6MOEEastbound arrives about 11:18am and 9:14pm; westbound leaves about 6:30am and 4:30pm
Mobile Water Street platform
The end of the line, at a platform on Water Street between the convention center and a maritime museum, with the Mobile River across the street and downtown's Dauphin Street a few blocks in. Mobile had the first Mardi Gras in America, and its Carnival Museum is a 15-minute walk. The Exploreum science center sits right by the platform. The battleship USS Alabama is across the river, ten minutes by cab, and it is the thing to plan a day around with a kid who likes big machines.
Climbing through the USS Alabama, then back downtown for a Moon Pie, which is what Mobile throws from its parade floats.
Right off the platform
- at stopA platform with a shelter on Water Street; no ticket window, waiting room or checked baggage. Buy tickets in the app.
- at stopCooper Riverside Park across the street, on the Mobile River, with ships going by.
- 5 minGulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, with a hands-on floor for little kids and an IMAX (admission; check days).
- 5 minGulfQuest, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, built like a ship, with a bridge simulator (admission; check days).
- 15 minMobile Carnival Museum on Government Street, with floats and crowns (admission).
- 10 minDauphin Street's cafes, ice cream and Bienville Square.
- at stopUSS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, by cab, with the battleship, a submarine and planes (admission).
Half a day between trains
- Arrive 11:18am, the Exploreum (90 minutes), lunch on Dauphin Street, Cooper Riverside Park, and the 4:30pm train back.
Make it a full day
A Mobile night: the battleship by cab, the Carnival Museum, Dauphin Street for dinner, and the 6:30am train west for the whole coast in morning light.
Snack stop: Dauphin Street has ice cream and bakeries ten minutes from the platform; the Exploreum has a cafe.
Out the window: Arriving from the west the train crosses the Mobile delta on a causeway with water and marsh on both sides, then the downtown skyline and the river.
The platform has no waiting room; downtown hotels and the Exploreum are the places to wait. The MOB City Rides golf cart shuttles run around downtown for a few dollars a seat.
Water on both sides
My mom never saw this train; it did not exist when she was alive, and the coast it runs along was still putting itself back together. But she would have loved the idea of it: a cheap ticket, a bridge, a beach, and home by bedtime. We rode it the first fall it ran. My son fell asleep before Pascagoula with sand still in his shoes, and I sat with my forehead on the window and watched the marsh go gold, and thought about her, and was fine.
Next in this series: the City of New Orleans, the overnight from Chicago that ends at the same terminal, and the Crescent, which crosses Lake Pontchartrain on its way north. The Sunset Limited leaves New Orleans for Los Angeles three days a week. Every route is on the Train Trips With Your Kids page.
Mardi Gras Service trips with kids: questions parents ask
How long is the Mardi Gras Service from New Orleans to Mobile?
About 3 hours 45 minutes, with two trains a day each way. Trains leave New Orleans at about 7:35am and 5:31pm and leave Mobile at about 6:30am and 4:30pm.
Which side of the train has the water?
The Gulf stays south of the tracks, so sit on the right heading to Mobile and the left heading to New Orleans. On the Rigolets trestle and the bay bridges there is water on both sides.
What is the best Mardi Gras Service stop for a beach day with kids?
Bay St. Louis. The depot beside the platform has a Mardi Gras museum and a folk art museum, Main Street leads to the beach and the pier in about 15 minutes, and the 6:26pm train takes you back to New Orleans by 8:13pm.
Is there an aquarium near the train?
Yes. The Mississippi Aquarium is a few blocks from the Gulfport platform, with a shark tunnel, touch tanks and otters. The 7:35am train from New Orleans arrives at 9:24am.
Do kids pay on the Mardi Gras Service?
Kids 2 to 12 pay half the adult fare, and one baby under 2 rides free on each adult's lap. Adult coach has started at $15, so a family day trip stays cheap. Book early for Saints game weekends.
Which Mardi Gras Service stops should we skip with kids?
Pascagoula is a platform in a shipbuilding town with nothing walkable for a family. Every other stop has a beach, a museum or both within 15 minutes of the platform.
Sources and how I checked
- Amtrak Mardi Gras Service timetable, fall 2026 (Trains 23 to 26), and Amtrak station pages
- Mississippi Aquarium, Gulf Coast Exploreum, GulfQuest, Mobile Carnival Museum, Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum: hours and admission as posted October 2026
- Hancock County Tourism (Bay St. Louis depot museums), Ship Island Excursions, Visit Mobile
- Great American Stations and Wikipedia station and route articles for addresses, the Rigolets trestle and the August 2025 launch, cross-checked with Amtrak
Hours, prices and bus routes change. I update this page when they do; if you spot something out of date, tell me.