Buccaneer State Park

The wave pool sits where Katrina left nothing. In 2005, the hurricane wiped every structure off this beachfront — bathhouses, rec center, campgrounds — and the state rebuilt from ground zero. What came back is one of the few places on the Gulf Coast where a wave pool, 250 campsites, and the Gulf of Mexico beach occupy the same unbroken tract, no casino or highway in between. Ship Island is visible on the horizon from the sand. The park's name references real pirates who used Hancock County as a base — the coast's buccaneering past is not a theme. The rebuilt facilities include an 18-hole disc golf course, a 1.8-mile nature trail through coastal marsh and pine flatwoods, and a 4.5-acre waterpark. Day-use fee charged. Campsite reservations at mdwfp.com. In Waveland, straddling the line toward Clermont Harbor off U.S. Highway 90 and Beach Boulevard.