Stop Thirty Six

We traded in our lakeside site in Scott, Louisiana for a site one block off the Gulf of Mexico in Biloxi, Mississippi, for three nights. I guess you could say we have an ocean view if you stand in just the right place? It is out there, across a field and on the other side of Beach Boulevard, so. . . We stayed at the Gulf Beach RV Resort. It’s a nice enough place with two pools, one with an ocean (it’s the Gulf of Mexico. Do you still call it ocean?) view. All sites are paved and level, although they do crowd you in. We were lucky enough to be across the side street in the annex section, where we almost had the place all to ourselves. I will never understand how campgrounds assign sites. We had two other RVs join us while we were there, and where did they put them? Right on top of each other, not five feet apart, leaving the other fifty sites in that part of the park empty!? Our ratings: Kathryn 7, Paul 7, out of 10.

I really enjoyed starting each morning with a walk on the beach. This part of the Gulf of Mexico has the white sandy beach. The six feet closest to the Gulf is hard packed which makes walking easy. The tide was going out in the morning so a mile out and then back was easily achievable. From the water’s edge, the beach leading up to the road is what you expect, deep white sand with plenty of room for all, including several Jet Ski Rental huts. The city of Biloxi has payloaders on the beach to make sure the sand is evenly distributed and ready for beach goers every day. There is free parking all along Beach Boulevard which leads into downtown Biloxi. Unfortunately, the downtown is like many we have discovered on our trip. Most of the stores are empty, reflecting their former prominence while others are struggling to try and revitalize the area with “an art district” or antique stores. There is always a coffee house internet cafe!

Biloxi has tried to attract visitors for more than the beach. They’ve build a minor league ballpark, a performing arts coliseum where Reba will be performing in February, restaurants of every type and price range, the grand old hotels, as well as the newer chain hotels, the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library, and souvenir shop after souvenir shop. If you want entertainment there is The Margaritaville Resort, The Hard Rock Cafe, and casinos? Plenty of casinos: Harrah’s Gulf Coast, the IP Casino Resort, Beau Rivage, the Golden Nugget, Boontown, The Palace, Island View, Beach View, and Treasure Bay to name a few. One of our fellow full-time Creekside residents comes to Biloxi frequently just to play in the casinos. It’s not my thing. We stayed weeks and weeks in total in Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and now Biloxi, and I am not even counting the endless casinos we’ve passed by, and I haven’t dropped a dime in a casino. Different strokes for different folks.

Next stop, DeFuniak Springs, Florida.