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Cajun RV Park Biloxi, Mississippi |
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Campground at Barnes Crossing Tupelo, Mississippi |
From deep-sea fishing and shrimping to collecting seashells on pristine beaches, the Mississippi Gulf Coast offers a boatload of adventure. Hit the links at 18 of the best golfing destinations in the country, or play the South’s hottest slots and table games at twelve Vegas-style casinos. Tread a spiral staircase into the past at the Biloxi Lighthouse, home of several “firsts.” Visit the home of the only Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, and explore his Presidential Library and Museum. There’s something for everyone on the Gulf Coast, from spicy barbecue to fishing rodeos to car cruises.
The Mississippi Gulf, known as the “Casino Coast,” is home to a dozen Vegas-style gaming houses. Biloxi, billed as the third largest gaming city in the United States, offers 24-hour nonstop action from high-stakes gaming to thousands of slots. Deal yourself in at IP Casino Resort and Spa, which offers 70,000 square feet of nonstop gaming action.
Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort is the new way to play with a modern spacious gaming atmosphere and exploding family fun at Lava Links Miniature Golf. Give more than 2,700 slots a whirl at the Island View Casino Resort, where their Beach Casino is smoke free.
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Those warm coastal waters create the best sport fishing opportunities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Whether it’s freshwater, brackish or saltwater, charter companies know where the fish are biting and offer a full range of expeditions including deep-sea and offshore rig fishing, where sharks and other sport fish are plentiful. Anglers can reel in speckled trout, triple tail, flounder, ground mullet and redfish for an impressive catch of the day. Set aside time for serious angling.
Set sail on a shrimping expedition where nets are set and the catch includes crabs, stingrays, squid and pufferfish. Take a sunset cruise and drink in the beautiful evening vistas along the Gulf Coast.
Twenty-six miles of pristine Gulf Coast beaches provide sunbathers with a tranquil oasis to catch some rays while families search for shells and play beach volleyball. Follow Highway 90, known as “Beach Boulevard,” to amazing art carved from the remains of oak trees destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Tee off at 18 regional golf courses, some designed by world-renowned course architects Donald Ross, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicholas. Both Golf Digest and Golf Week Magazine named The Bridges Golf Club a Top 10 Course in Mississippi. Fallen Oaks was voted one of the Top 5 Courses on the Gulf, and Pass Christian Isles Golf Club, designed by Tom Bendelow, is one of the oldest courses.
The Biloxi Lighthouse is home to many “firsts.” It’s the most photographed monument on the Mississippi Gulf; one of the first cast-iron structures in the South; and the only lighthouse located in the middle of a major four-lane highway. It also has had more female light keepers than any other lighthouse in the country. Standing 65-feet tall, it’s close to 15 feet wide at the base and has 57 steps to the top of the iconic structure.
The Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum is loaded with local flavor, cooking up exhibits that explore shrimping and oystering . Displays include replicas of 65-foot double-mast Biloxi schooners and artifacts of the region’s maritime history.
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The Mississippi Gulf Coast is home to Beauvoir, the 52-acre retirement estate of Civil War Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Located in Biloxi and overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Jefferson’s residence is comprised of a cottage-style plantation home, the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum, botanical gardens, a former Confederate Veterans home, Confederate Solider Museum and a Confederate cemetery where Davis’s father Samuel is buried along with the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier. The Confederate Memorial Day is acknowledged each April and honors those who died for the Confederacy during the Civil War, which raged from 1861 to 1865. Guided tours of the home and library are available.
The Gulf Coast is home to exciting festivals and events all year-round. Sample lip-smacking southern sauce at the Gulf Coast BBQ and Music Festival held in the spring. Each summer the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo holds an all-ages competition in fresh and saltwater fishing.
Celebrate the region’s seafood heritage during the annual Biloxi Seafood Festival in September, culminating with the Gumbo Championship. Head out on U.S. Route 90 during the annual Cruisin’ the Coast event in October. It’s an entire week of swap meets, sock hops and drag races along the Beach Highway with 7,000 cars motoring along.
The annual Gulfport Harbor Lights Winter Festival in December is known as “the Most Magical Show in Mississippi,” putting a glow on the holiday season.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau
228-896-6699
Mississippi Tourism
866-733-6477