Harbor Lights Festival, Gulfport, Mississippi

 A couple of years ago, my friend Stephanie and her hubby Jerry moved to Biloxi so we got together with them for dinner at the casino on our last night and then we went to the Harbor Lights Festival in Gulfport.  I'd gone in 2021 and honestly it was better the last time but we still had a great time hanging out.  Steph and I walked through while the guys hopped on the little trolley car for a more low-impact viewing. 

These trees were synched to change colors and patterns with music which was super cool. 

Treasure Bay Casino & Hotel, Biloxi

Back in 2021 when I was researching the Biloxi casinos, Google Maps showed a cluster of them downtown.  Really huge ones too.  Then I noticed this one smaller casino, all by itself, right across from the beach and decided to stay there and it was the best decision EVER.  Russell absolutely loves this one, as do I.  We could both live without the smoking on the casino floors but that's OK.  I don't gamble anyway so I wasn't in there much anyway.  This trip was our second time here. 

One of two magnificent rainbow Chihuly chandeliers.

Afternoon view from our balcony.

After we got back from seeing holiday lights in Gulfport with our friends Stephanie and Jerry.

Back when Biloxi decided to allow gaming, the law was that the casinos themselves had to be located on barges in the Gulf.  All the ones downtown and Treasure Bay were on barges.  Here is a picture of what Treasure Bay looked like about 25 years ago. 

Another view of the old casino from the beach.  I bet it was super cool to see that ship! 

Enter Hurricane Katrina.  The storm surge pushed every single casino barge on shore.  Apparently the barges downtown, like the Hard Rock, were deposited right in the middle of the streets!  Treasure Bay's ship broke loose and drifted over to the beach while the hotel across the street and buildings on the pier were trashed.  This is one of the after pics.

Needless to say, the law was changed and now all the casinos are located in buildings on shore.  No more barges!

Biloxi Beach, Mississippi

Our very last day in Biloxi we FINALLY had great weather!  It was still pretty cold (in the low 50s), but I went out a few times to walk on the beach while Russell enjoyed his casino time.  Sunrise was amazing.

 The view from our room. 

It was low tide.  The Gulf only has two tides per day, as opposed to regular ocean beaches that have four per day.  So the sand bars were there from when we got up until late in the afternoon.  

Another view from our room, as I was back and forth.

Unfortunately the beach combing here isn't very good at all.  The sand is sticky mud in some places and there are no shells or glass or even any cool rocks.  Plus there are huge drainage pipes that run right into the Gulf and there is no way I would swim in this water even if the weather was hot and I was a summer person!  

Not sure if this lighthouse is functional.  Last time we were here, that area was a homeless encampment but this time there are fences around it.

Looking east towards downtown where all the other casinos are located.  

Abita Mystery House, Abita Springs, Louisiana

The Abita Mystery House, located in Abita Springs, Louisiana, is an absolute MUST SEE if you love funky, kitschy stuff as much as I do.  I was in there for a really, really long time because it's huge and there is so much to see and take pics of.  Poor Russell finally came looking for me after I was gone a good hour or more!  

There are loads of rooms packed to the rafters with all kinds of cool stuff.  Signs, paint by numbers, bottles, trinkets, toys, etc. 

A lot of the displays are interactive when you press a button on the display.  The figures move around and so forth.

The proprietor has made a ton of those hand painted, and rather amusing, signs you see here and there.

Like this one! 

Interactive New Orleans funeral.  The crypt on the left opened to reveal the skeleton while others danced and the musicians moved.

This one was one of my faves.  That's a tornado that spins and the other items move around and get caught in the storm.  There's even a trailer that has the whole wall lift off! 

The Shard House is made of tens of thousands of bits of glass and pottery.  

One of the many hybrid 'animals'.  

Bathroom of the Shard House.

Giant 'Bassigator'

The famous 'Thirty Two Foot Alligator'.....with 32 feet.  

I could've made 3 separate posts of all my pics but this is the gist.  Go see the Abita Mystery House.  You won't regret it.  It's only a few miles from Covington and not all that far from NOLA.  

When in Louisiana......

Louisiana isn't that far of a drive from Biloxi so it makes a very easy day trip.  Again, the weather was insanely bad but we powered through.  One of my Yodaville friends was meeting us for lunch and she had to drive over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in that weather!  I'm glad we drove the Causeway on a nice day a few years ago! 

We met up at DiMartino's Restaurant, in Covington.  

We HAD to get muffulettas!  They are SO GOOD! I wish they sold muffuletta bread at home.  We'd eaten here the last time too.  

Quick photo shoot with our babies before she had to head home, as the weather was getting worse with every minute! 

After lunch, Russell took me to the Abita Mystery House (separate post after this one), and then to the Covington Cafe du Monde, since there was no way I was going to the one in NOLA.  I was stoked that this opened!  I FINALLY got to try their famous beignets!  

These are served fresh and piping hot and oh my god are they good.  When they are hot.  Still being full from lunch I only had about one and a half on the 90 minute drive back to Biloxi.  Once we got up to the room and I realized there was no microwave in the room, they were stone cold and hard as rocks.  Eating them fresh is definitely key with beignets.