Magic River Campground is right off I-10 in Mississippi, and it’s a great little campground. We found it because of its convenience to I-10 and it was a very affordable Passport America park. We were surprised to discover not only is it a Passport America park, it’s THE Passport America park: it’s owned by the person who started Passport America! You’ll probably pass the PA office/headquarters on your way to the campground (it’s not on the same property).
For $13/night with a PA discount, you’re surrounded by trees and wetlands, in a sleepy little spot with very friendly people. Most sites are back-ins. Electric is 15amp and 30amp, and three sites have 50amp service. Not all sites have sewer hookups. There’s a pool, showers, wifi, free firewood, and a little community area that had a fire for warm conversation in the mornings.
Follow the park’s directions to get there! If you plug the street address into GPS, you will get a residential driveway on the opposite side of the property.
It’s first come, first served, so no reservations (at least not when we stayed there), but we’ve been there twice (once in August and once in November) and didn’t have any trouble finding a spot to stay. We suggest pulling into the campground, then stopping and scoping the place out on foot before deciding where to park.
It’s definitely swampland in this area. This is where we learned the magic of Damp-Rid!! Holy moly. We’ve been in some humidity before, but southern Louisiana/Mississippi humidity is something special. That also means there’s mosquitoes, so be prepared for that in the warmer months. When we visited in the winter time, it was one of the nicest places we’ve ever stayed.
Fairly decent cell service, too! (T-mobile and Verizon.)
Magic River is very close to NASA’s Infinity Science Center, which was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. Long Beach is a nice little city, and it’s easy to find a sandy beach to stick your toes in the gulf.
We have had great luck saving money with Passport America for short (1-3 night) stopovers on long trips, and highly recommend it. Membership is between $44-50/year, or you can buy lifetime memberships. If you sign up, please tell them that we referred you!