Mini Family Getaway: Centennial Plaza + Oasis Water Park
Trip Overview
Who: Our family of 3 (with an almost 4-year-old)
Where: Gulfport, Mississippi
Dates: April 18–19
Drive Time: About 2 hours
Lodging: Kid’s Suite at The Oasis (king bed + bunk beds)
A friend recommended the Oasis Water Park for young kids, so we planned a quick overnight to check it out.
Where We Stayed
Oasis Resort at Centennial Plaza
We booked a Kid’s Suite, which included bunk beds for Frankie—an immediate win and something I’d definitely recommend if you’re traveling with little kids.
Pre-trip Planning
Since Centennial Plaza is a full resort, we focused mostly on what was available on-site.
Dining options:
- Hippie Fish (lunch + dinner)
- Oasis Grill (breakfast + lunch)
- Sweet shop near the water park
Activities:
- 2-story arcade
- Mini golf
- Oasis Water Park
I did look up a few off-property restaurants just in case, but our plan was to stay on-site as much as possible.
Tip: We showed Frankie videos of the water play area beforehand, which helped build excitement (and gave us a sense of what she’d actually want to do).
Our Experience
You can’t access the water park until 2 PM on check-in day, so we timed our drive to arrive right around then.
We made a quick stop at Buc-ee’s in Pass Christian (because…always), and got to the resort around 2:30. Our room was already ready, which made things easy—we changed, sunscreened, and headed straight to the water area.
The setup was better than I expected:
- Large splash pad and play structure
- Dumping water buckets
- Lazy river
- Full pool
- Larger slides for older kids/adults
Even with a crowd, it didn’t feel overly packed, and there were plenty of chairs and umbrellas.
This was Frankie’s first real water park experience, and honestly…not quite the reaction we expected.
Right as she was about to go down her first slide, one of the big dumping buckets tipped over and completely startled her. After that, she wasn’t interested in the slides at all. We spent a bit of time in the shallow areas, but between the initial scare and a small slip, she was officially done.
So, we pivoted.
We headed back to the room, cleaned up, and shifted gears to the arcade and dinner at Hippie Fish, which ended up being a highlight. Frankie loved the arcade.
Tip: The arcade games add up quickly, so budget for that. They do offer half-price Thursdays if your timing lines up.
That evening, we walked around the property and caught the fountain show, which plays music with lights and water—such a fun, low-key way to end the night.
Day Two
Frankie did great sleeping in her bunk bed (part of the goal of this trip), but we woke up to cold, windy, drizzly weather.
The Oasis Grill doesn’t open until 7 AM, which didn’t quite work for our early riser. Luckily, there’s a Waffle House less than 5 minutes away, so we pivoted again and grabbed breakfast there.
Frankie was open to trying the water area again, but the weather didn’t cooperate—and with checkout at 11, we decided to head home after breakfast.
And yes…we stopped at Buc-ee’s again on the way back.
Final Thoughts: Would We Recommend The Oasis?
Yes, for a short, easy family getaway, it checks a lot of boxes. Everything is in one place, and the water area is especially great for younger kids.
What Went Well
- Frankie did great sleeping in a new environment
- The bunk beds were a huge win
- On-site activities made it easy to pivot when plans changed
Tip: If you have young kids, the bunk bed room is 100% worth it—it gives them their own space and makes the experience more fun.
What We’d Do Differently Next Time
- Stay 2 nights instead of 1 to really maximize the water park
- Build in time for the beach (it’s right across the street)
- Be a little more prepared for how unpredictable toddler reactions can be