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Now that casino gaming has transformed the Gulf Coast from backwater to big-time, tourists can take advantage of dozens of new entertainment options
by Janet Plume
The Mississippi Gulf Coast has long been a back-door getaway for New Orleanians escaping the Big Easy's sweltering, sultry summers. Until this decade, the sleepy stretch along U.S. 90 from Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs, Miss. consisted of little more than hole-in-the-wall, kitchenette motels separated by oak-lined stretches of laid-back, antebellum mansions.
During the 1920s, this stretch of white sandy beachfront became known as the "Gold Coast," a favorite recreational outpost for tourists and families from Florida to Texas. While the rest of the country was doing the Charleston, hundreds of visitors flocked to mainland hotels and took excursion boats and ferries to the barrier island's Isle of Caprice Casino. That casino's life was short-lived; a camper's fire wiped it out during the Great Depression.
Since then, the tranquil Mississippi Sound has been disturbed only by New Orleanians looking for a quiet respite on the beach. But since 1992, a transformation has been under way here that has turned the empty beaches into a recreational fun-house sought out by tourists from every state. They come to taste a way of life seasoned with the local spices of New Orleans cooking combined with the incomparable fresh seafood caught offshore, and to witness the melting pot of cultures that has spawned a rich tradition of festivals and celebrations as diverse as the people who created them.
More than a dozen casinos line the shore today, interspersed with scores of national and local restaurants, nearly 10,000 hotel rooms, 18 excellent golf courses and an abundance of sports and family attractions for kids of every age. From golfing to gaming and sailing to sunning, the coast's pristine beaches, bounty of fresh seafood and recreational opportunities, plus the genteel southern hospitality of local residents, are perhaps best summed up by the Mississippi Tourist Commission's toll-free number that tourists dial for information: it's 1-800-WARMEST. With visitor attendance topping 8 million last year, the Mississippi Gulf Coast has become the playground of the South.
Casinos
Since gamblers starting pulling handles and rolling dice, the race has been on for each casino to outdo the next with amenities to offer players. The competition has paid off--Mississippi today is the nation's second-largest gaming market in terms of actual casino square footage.
Today, most casinos have their own hotels, a variety of restaurants and entertainment venues. The casinos have embraced the rich cultural history of the region, theming casinos with overtones ranging from Victorian and Western to pirates and Mardi Gras.
Golf and hotel packages are offered by the Grand Casino Gulfport, Grand Casino Biloxi, President Casino Biloxi, Treasure Bay Biloxi, Casino Magic Bay St. Louis and Casino Magic Biloxi, and Isle of Capri Biloxi. Grand Casinos also owns the Biloxi Star Theater, a luxury auditorium showcasing national headliner entertainment every week.
Coast Transit Authority operates a scenic trolley line along the beach, connecting the area's hotels, restaurants and casinos. The motorized replicas of turn-of-the-century streetcars roll by every half-hour during the day, and hourly at night.
For players who like to beat the odds, Grand Casinos Gulfport and Biloxi have launched a massive "Players Know Best" campaign that has already heated up odds at other casinos. (See Henry Tamburin's feature on page 34 of this issue).
Poker players will want to check out Treasure Bay Biloxi's poker room, which has been awarded a four-star rating by The Bad Poker Players Association of America. The BPPAA has allotted the four-star rating to only two other poker rooms nationwide.
Treasure Bay's poker room has nine tables with Texas Hold Oem, Seven Card Stud and Omaha Eight, among others.
The rating is based on exemplary performance, including customer service, professional attitude and player enjoyment. The room was evaluated after representatives spent 12 hours of actual play during a two-day period.
Ninety percent of the BPPAA is comprised of recreational poker players who "hope to win a few bucks while they enjoy the game," according to Houston-based BPPAA President Dave Miles
Transportation
Reno Air this spring joined Casino Air Link to offer reliable, low-cost jet service to the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport. Currently, Reno offers flights from Atlanta, St. Petersburg and Orlando. Additional cities are scheduled to be announced this year. Fares for a 14-day advance purchase are $158 round trip, with walk-up fares starting at $238.
Both Casino Air Link and Reno Air offer three-day, two-night packages starting at $129.
"We're very attracted to the Gulf Coast market," says Steve Sarner, Reno Air marketing vice president. "It seems to be a viable, emerging marketplace with a mature casino industry and other attractions such as golfing and leisure activities. It's like the Reno-Tahoe area, which offers not only gaming, but skiing and other outdoor activities year-round."
Casino Air Link provides $79-$99 round trip service from six Florida cities, and offers charter service from 23 cities from New York to Oklahoma.
With the addition of Reno Air, the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport has begun an expansion of its facilities, with 10,000 square feet of terminal space planned to open by Thanksgiving.
Amtrak's New Orleans to Washington, D.C. service also stops off in Biloxi, as well as further north in Meridien, Miss., where Boyd Gaming's Silver Star Casino charters the "Silver Star Streak," a round-trip daily service from Atlanta. Silver Star, which offers a full-service hotel, one of the finest restaurants in the region and the brand new Singing Rabbit golf course, reserves its own car on the trip where players can take free gaming lessons or just sit back and enjoy the countryside.
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