If you want to hang out with beach barhoppers and good-time seekers, then you're headed to the right place. Gulf Place is the site of The Hangout Music Festival—and it's a hot spot during the summer, so come early for a prime parking spot.
This public beach is located right where Highway 59 dead ends into the Gulf. It offers attendants, open-air pavilions, restrooms and showers. Pay-by-the-hour parking meters are available.