Jones Park sits along the Gulfport waterfront and anchors the Small Craft Harbor, the working and recreational boating centre of the city. The park itself is modest — mostly lawn, a fountain, and open water views — but the surrounding harbor and the Ship Island ferry terminal give it life. The amphitheatre in the park hosts concerts and community events during warmer months.
The harbor is pleasant to walk around in the evening, with shrimp boats, sailboats, and sport-fishing charter boats tied up alongside. The adjacent restaurants and seafood joints along the waterfront are the better casual eating options in Gulfport — closer to a fishing town atmosphere than the casino-driven scene to the east in Biloxi. The Ship Island ferry departs from the dock here, so even if you are not getting on the boat, there is usually activity to watch.
Gulfport's waterfront suffered badly in Hurricane Katrina, and parts of the recovery are still visible in the newer construction that has replaced what the storm took. The park and harbor represent the city's more functional, workaday self — the part that was rebuilt because it needed to be, not just for tourism.