One of the biggest advantages of living in Vicksburg, in my opinion, is its proximity to New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

So, this past weekend, my husband and I loaded up our little girl in the car and headed south until we saw salt water. It was just a one-night getaway, but it was enough to leave us feeling refreshed after weeks of running around busy.

We began our coastal weekend with a late lunch at The Shed Barbecue and Blues Joint, complete with kids’ karaoke courtesy of the restaurant’s DJ. Once we’d eaten our fill of fall-off-the-bone barbecue and the rugrat got all her wiggles out, we headed to downtown Ocean Springs for the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.

The museum was a perfect way to kill an hour, with its air conditioning and comprehensive chronicling of one of Mississippi’s most iconic and misunderstood artists.

We especially loved the “Little Room,” an original room from Anderson’s home that was transported to the museum. Swathed in color from floor to ceiling, all painted with Anderson’s signature nature images, my husband and I spent a good 15 minutes in the room, playing “I Spy” with our toddler thanks to the various animals and plants depicted on the walls.

The real highlight of the weekend, however, was the beach.

For weeks — months, even — my child has asked to “take me to the beach.” She told everyone who would listen that she wanted to build sandcastles with her daddy and knock them down.

So we knew as soon as the heat of the day had passed, we’d make our way to the beach.

Buckets in hand, sunscreen slathered on, we went to Ocean Springs’ East Beach area and had a grand time. My baby did get to build her sand castle and knocked down plenty of her daddy’s constructions as well. She ran back and forth with us from the sand to the water, which was knee-deep and calm and perfectly warmed by the sun.

We spent more than two hours just enjoying the sunshine and the water and the slight breeze, and then, once we got everything cleaned up, my husband and I turned around to find our sweet baby belly crawling through the sand.

It got everywhere, and we didn’t even mind.

And as we packed up the car to go clean ourselves up before dinner, my little girl said, “Mama, the beach was so fun!”

That was music to my ears.