The Roost Ocean Springs
604 Porter Ave
Ocean Springs, MS
Rooms named for Walter Anderson's paintings in the Gulf Coast town that was his home.
About The Roost Ocean Springs
The original structure at 604 Porter Avenue was built in 1894. In 1952, Wilbur C. Wisnasky converted the property into an eight-unit motor court called Wilbur's Motel. By 1997 the building had become a restaurant. In 2016, Rain Travel Collection, founded by Roxy Condrey and co-owners Jessica and Joe Cloyd, began a full restoration of the building and grounds. The Roost opened in April 2017 and has expanded twice since, adding the Oak House, a heated plunge pool, Maringouin restaurant, and The Wilbur speakeasy bar. Rain Travel Collection now manages five boutique properties, with The Roost as their flagship. The speakeasy is named for Wilbur C. Wisnasky and the motor court he ran here for decades. Ocean Springs is a small city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with a genuine arts and culinary identity. Architectural Digest named it the best place to spend the night in Mississippi.
What The Roost Ocean Springs Is Known For
The Wilbur speakeasy is named for Wilbur C. Wisnasky, the man who built a motor court here in 1952 and whose eight-unit Wilbur's Motel became the structural armature for everything that followed. The room names come from Walter Anderson's paintings, a local naming convention with specific local provenance: Anderson (1903-1965) spent most of his life in Ocean Springs painting the fauna and landscape of the Gulf Coast, and his Room at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, a private room he painted floor-to-ceiling without anyone knowing, is one of the most quietly extraordinary things in Mississippi. The oyster shell walls are a coastal building tradition specific to this region, not an imported aesthetic. The pirogue overhead is an antique. When a property's design choices all have roots in the place where it stands, staying in it is a different kind of experience than staying in a hotel whose aesthetic was shipped in.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- WiFi
- Covered gallery exterior access on second floor
- Covered front porch and back patio access on first floor
- Oak House suites with private patios (suites, 2021 expansion)
- Heated plunge pool
- Maringouin on-site restaurant (Gulf Coast cuisine)
- The Wilbur speakeasy bar
- Golf cart rentals
- Pet-friendly accommodations (select rooms)
- Free on-site parking
- Historic 1894 building with oyster shell walls and reclaimed bead-board
- Rooms named for Walter Anderson's paintings
What Guests Love
- Architectural Digest and House Beautiful both named The Roost the best hotel in Mississippi, and a top guest reviews score confirms the gap between this property and what surrounds it on the Gulf Coast. The design has specific local roots: room names from Walter Anderson's paintings, oyster shell walls from the coastal building tradition, an antique pirogue overhead, reclaimed materials from the 1894 structure. This is a cohesive vision, not a renovation.
- The Wilbur speakeasy bar and Maringouin restaurant are on the property. Guests who want to spend a full evening without getting in a car can do so without compromise.
- Ocean Springs is one of the most rewarding walkable towns on the Gulf Coast. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art, gallery row, and locally owned restaurants are within a few blocks of the hotel. The town itself is a reason to come.
Worth Knowing
- Multiple guests report that housekeeping does not make beds or refresh towels during multi-night stays unless specifically requested. This may be a stated policy at the property rather than a service failure, but it is worth asking at check-in what to expect and what to request if daily service matters to you.
- The Oak House suites, added in 2021, are the newest rooms on the property and tend to receive the most consistent reviews for room condition. If room quality is a priority, ask about Oak House availability when booking.
- Ocean Springs is 90 miles east of New Orleans on I-10 and 7 miles east of Biloxi. The nearest airport is Gulfport-Biloxi International (GPT), about 20 miles west.
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
The main building's suites are spread across two floors, with first-floor rooms opening directly to a covered front porch or back patio and second-floor rooms opening to the covered gallery, a Southern exterior veranda that runs the length of the building rather than an interior corridor. The Oak House, added in 2021, contains suites with private porches and patios. Room names are drawn from Walter Anderson's paintings. Anderson (1903-1965) was an Ocean Springs native whose work documented the flora, fauna, and Gulf Coast landscape of this specific part of Mississippi, and naming the rooms for his paintings ties the property directly to where it stands. The design incorporates materials recovered from the original 1894 structure: reclaimed bead-board, original hardwood where it could be preserved, and oyster shell accent walls specific to the coastal building tradition of this region. An antique pirogue is suspended from the ceiling in one of the main gathering spaces. The Oak House suites represent the most recent phase of the property and tend to receive the most consistent reviews for room condition. The Islander Suite, the ADA-accessible room, is on the first floor with a dedicated corridor entry.
The Grounds
The grounds include the main two-story building with its gallery veranda and the Oak House to the rear, set around a heated plunge pool added in 2021. Maringouin, the on-site restaurant, occupies a dedicated space and serves Gulf Coast cuisine. The Wilbur speakeasy bar is embedded in the building's ground floor, named for Wilbur C. Wisnasky and the motor court he ran here from 1952. Golf carts are available to rent and provide a practical way to reach Ocean Springs' downtown arts corridor, about three blocks east. Free parking is available on-site. The property is in the historic residential district of Ocean Springs, adjacent to the downtown walking corridor.
The Experience
guest reviews's give The Roost a and rank it first among Ocean Springs accommodations as of 2026 with a Travelers' Choice designation. Architectural Digest and House Beautiful have both named it the best hotel in Mississippi. These are designations a property earns over time, and the review record confirms them. Ocean Springs rewards the guest who wants a reason to go somewhere. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art, a gallery district, and a Thursday farmers market are walkable from the hotel. Biloxi is seven miles west for casinos and seafood. New Orleans is 90 miles along I-10. The Roost sits in a town that has built an arts and culinary identity independent of the casino strip, and a stay here is most rewarding for travelers who want the Gulf Coast that exists off the Biloxi beachfront. The Rain Travel Collection team is reachable at guestservices@raintravelcollection.com.
Details
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Roost Ocean Springs have EV charging?
No, The Roost Ocean Springs does not have EV charging.
Does The Roost Ocean Springs have WiFi?
Yes, The Roost Ocean Springs has WiFi.
What is there to do near The Roost Ocean Springs?
Walter Anderson Museum of Art: 0.4 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Gulf Islands National Seashore: 15 miles, about a 30 minute drive. Biloxi: 7 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
How far is The Roost Ocean Springs from Walter Anderson Museum of Art?
0.4 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is The Roost Ocean Springs from Gulf Islands National Seashore?
15 miles, about a 30 minute drive.
How far is The Roost Ocean Springs from Biloxi?
7 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
Is The Roost Ocean Springs pet friendly?
Yes. The Roost Ocean Springs welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
What is The Roost in Ocean Springs?
The Roost is a boutique hotel at 604 Porter Avenue in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, occupying a restored 1894 building with 19 main building suites and 8 Oak House suites, plus The Wilbur speakeasy bar and Maringouin restaurant on the grounds. It has been recognized nationally for its design and is considered among the most distinctive boutique stays on the Gulf Coast.
How do guests access their rooms at The Roost?
First-floor main building rooms are accessed via a covered front porch or back patio. Second-floor rooms open to the covered gallery, an exterior Southern-style veranda that runs along the upper level of the building. Oak House suites open to private patios and shared porches. The ADA-accessible Islander Suite has a corridor entry on the first floor.
What is The Wilbur at The Roost?
The Wilbur is the on-site speakeasy bar, named for Wilbur C. Wisnasky, who converted the original 1894 building into Wilbur's Motel, an eight-unit motor court, in 1952. The name connects the bar directly to the property's mid-century motor court history.
Does The Roost have a pool?
Yes. A heated plunge pool was added as part of the 2021 Oak House expansion.
Why are the rooms named after Walter Anderson?
Walter Anderson (1903-1965) was an Ocean Springs artist who spent most of his life painting the flora, fauna, and landscape of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Naming the rooms for his paintings connects the property directly to Ocean Springs' most significant cultural figure. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art is approximately 0.4 miles from the hotel.
How far is The Roost from downtown Ocean Springs?
The Roost is on Porter Avenue in the historic district, about three blocks from Ocean Springs' downtown arts corridor, restaurant row, and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Golf carts are available at the hotel for guests who prefer not to walk.
Is there a restaurant at The Roost?
Yes. Maringouin is the on-site restaurant, serving Gulf Coast cuisine. The Wilbur speakeasy bar is also on the property. Both are accessible to guests without leaving the grounds.
Is parking available at The Roost Ocean Springs?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at The Roost Ocean Springs.
Does The Roost Ocean Springs include breakfast?
No. Breakfast is not included at The Roost Ocean Springs.
How can I give feedback on a property I stayed at?
If you are a guest that stayed at the property, we would love feedback about your experience. Boutels listed on this site do not pay to be included nor can they pay to be sponsored or promoted. Your feedback matters. Please .
I’m affiliated with this property and have feedback on this listing.
We’d love to learn more about your property. To provide images, simply log in as a member (it’s free), find your listing on the map, choose “Visited,” and you’ll be given the option to upload images and leave a note. You can also and we’ll be in touch, just be sure to provide us with contact information in that form. Thanks!
Things to Do Near the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Walter Anderson Museum of Art
0.4 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
The Walter Anderson Museum of Art is dedicated to the paintings, murals, and wood-block prints of Walter Anderson (1903-1965), an Ocean Springs artist whose work documented the Gulf Coast's fauna and landscape with extraordinary specificity. The museum's most visited space is the Room: a modest cottage Anderson painted floor-to-ceiling with scenes of Horn Island, kept private and unknown until after his death. Admission is under $15.
Gulf Islands National Seashore
15 miles, about a 30 minute drive.
The Mississippi unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore encompasses barrier islands off the coast, including West Ship Island, accessible by ferry from Gulfport. Fort Massachusetts, a Civil War-era fortification, stands on West Ship Island alongside wide undeveloped beaches. The islands are accessible only by boat and remain among the least developed stretches of Gulf Coast shoreline in the country.
Biloxi
7 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
Biloxi is the primary casino and seafood destination on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, seven miles west of Ocean Springs on US-90. Beyond the casino resorts, Biloxi has the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art, a Frank Gehry-designed cultural complex, and the 1848 Biloxi Lighthouse, one of the few surviving antebellum lighthouses in the South. The Biloxi Seafood Festival and other Gulf seafood events draw visitors throughout the year.