Our route only crossed the two small bits of these states that extend down to touch the Gulf. A coastal area is always special, so we did not feel we got a full idea of what the states are like. On the other hand these states have lingering bad reputations from Civil Rights days, so maybe we are glad we did not explore them fully. The Gulf coast of Alabama turned out to be far different from the Mississippi coast. Alabama featured an insane number of coastal condos, covering the beach almost entirely for the entire coast. On the other hand, the road was reasonable for cycling. Mississippi featured a pristine white beach for almost entirely for the entire coast. On the other hand, the road had no shoulder for most of the distance and we were forced to travel on the sidewalk/boardwalk for long distances.

Pros

Interesting coastal views, boats, bays, etc
Chance to see the effects of Hurricane Katrina
No shortage of services
Reasonably courteous/skillful drivers
People, particularly black people, very sweet

Cons

Lack of camping/wild camping opportunities
As always, lack of good or fresh food along the road
Road shoulders with a lot of trash and/or gravel
No dedicated bike paths. Bicycles are basically unheard of here. Camping stores too.