Page 104 - Play Coastal Mississippi - Winter, 2025

ACCOMMODATIONS
Jesse Boyde’s Home, 1940s | Ocean Springs Historical Society
The Mockingbird Inn | Madeline Simpson
RESTORED OCEAN SPRINGS GEM IS NOW A BOUTIQUE HOTEL
When Kim Mitchell first saw the house and property at 1101 Iberville Drive in Ocean Springs, she just knew she was in a magical place. “I fell in love with it immediately,” she said. “As soon as I saw it, I just knew it could be a boutique hotel.”
She and her husband Troy were looking to move from Central Illinois to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He was born in Biloxi, but his family moved northward when he was a child so his father could pursue his career. He grew up there, met his wife, and they raised four children in a small Illinois town and worked in the hospitality business. “In some ways, Ocean Springs reminds me of it,” she said.
The Mitchells began traveling back to the Coast after their children were grown. Each time they came, they found themselves wanting to stay longer. With the blessing of their children, they began the search for a new opportunity in a warmer climate. “And this was it,” she said. “We’d thought about getting a condo or something like that, but I told my husband I have a vision for the house and the property.”
Story by Cherie Ward
104PLAYCOASTALMISSISSIPPI I WINTER2025
COASTALMISSISSIPPI.COM
Vincent Palmer Watercolor