Spring is here, so let’s travel

   Welcome back to my blog. My wife, Darlene is on her last leg of work before she retires the end of June. She has been in the education field, so spring break means a quick trip one of our nearby favorites. This trip is back to Biloxi, Mississippi for excellent meals and a little gambling. We made our reservations about 6 weeks ago at the Imperial Palace in Biloxi. We get free rooms Sunday through Thursday. We booked them for Sunday and Monday nights.

   You can and should always sign up for a players card at any casino you enter. Believe me it is not hard to get rated and start getting rewards from gambling with them. It is for entertainment purposes only. I would never suggest anyone should wager for anything other than strictly entertainment. I prefer Blackjack and my wife likes penny slots or video porker. Always set a daily limit and don’t go over, ever. If you win, great. If you lose, remember it was entertainment just like an amusement park or anything else you spend money on for vacation.

   This trip we were meeting family down there. My sister and brother in law, Darlene’s sister and brother in law, as well as our nephew. Darlene and I got a little antsy and acted as impulsive as twenty year olds. We decided at 2 PM on Saturday that we would just load up and drive the 3 1/2 hours to Mobile, Alabama and eat dinner and then look around Sunday morning before driving the 45 minutes to Biloxi. We left the house about 5 and begin searching what restaurants may be open when we got down there. We noticed old reliables Wentzel’s Oyster House or Ralph And Kacoo’s would be open, but so would many others at the time we were arriving. Darlene suggested we try Felix Fish Camp in Spanish Fort, Alabama. It is the across the bay from Mobile and our rooms we had booked were near there in Daphne, Alabama. That turned out to be a very good choice. I got the Softshell platter which consisted of 3 softshell crabs over fried green tomatoes, a salad, french fries, and a corn and lima bean succotash. Darlene got the catch of the day. Fried Redfish, a salad, french fries, and sauteed mushrooms. We got 2 sweet teas. The toal for all this food was $55 and some change. I would highly recommend dining here. We then drove the 4 miles and checked into the Comfort Inn And Suites. It was good enough to sleep for one night.

   We got up Sunday morning and drove across Mobile Bay, to find and see The SS United States. This pride of ocean liners is set to be towed out to sea in April and sank to be used as a fishing reef. Another piece of history gone. This ship was the largest and fastest cruise ship at the time of its maiden voyage in 1952. Its last trip was in 1969. You have to see this relic to get an idea of just how massive this vessel was. There was a Carnival Cruise Ship at a nearby dock, it looked smaller than The  SS United States. This is 2026 and she still holds the record for the fastest time for a Tras Atlantic crossing. If anyone likes history or sea history in particular, look this up. It is fascinating reading.

   We then headed west on I-10 to Biloxi. We got there about 1:30 and our room was ready, so we checked in early. We always have a King overlooking the Bay. We were offered an upgrade (since it was not booked) to a King Suite for a nominal fee. This room still overlooks the bay, is much bigger with jetted tub and double shower. The tub was great for the wife’s back. The upgrade was worth the small fee. We went to Boomtown Casino for their buffet. You guessed it we have discounts to use. It was not bad for a buffet.

   The next morning, we arose and went down to the restaurant inside the IP. We each had a $40 dollar food credit which more than covered the cost so, free breakfast. We gambled a little at IP and also at Hard Rock Casino. Soon it was time for dinner and the main reason for going to Biloxi. We always make reservations to eat at Mary Mahoney’s. It is just my opinion, but I consider this restaurant to be the best seafood on the Gulf Coast from Texas to Miami. I have been eating there since 1978. I have never had a bad meal yet. I ordered the usual appetizer, The Presidential Platter. It consists of fried crab claws, and fried petite softshell crabs. The name is because this dish was served on The White House lawn for the inauguration of Presiden Reagan in 1981.

Darlene got the Queen Ixolib, which is filet of tripletail stuffed with shrimp and crab meat au gratin, a roasted tomato over pasta and a salad. I did not get my usual Sisters Of The Sea, but opted for the catch of the day. Grouper filet, topped with lump crab meat, a roasted tomato over pasta and a salad. The 7 of us thoroughly enjoyed all our meals

Tripletail stuffed with shrimp and crab meat au gratin.

   Monday morning and the trip was over. We checked out, played blackjack for a couple of hours and were going to eat lunch before heading home. Yes we love to eat when on vacation. We decided to try another new place for us, Bacchus On The Bayou. It is just over the Highway 90 Bridge in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.We hit the absolute jackpot. Tuesdays are half price oysters and a catfish platter for only $12.50. We got 3 dozen oysters (2 dozen raw, and a dozen char grilled) that were very fresh. We then split the catfish platter. 

   We then drove through the quaint older section of Ocean Springs. It is very charming with many small and unusual shops. It is like going through small towns of 65 and 70 years ago when Mom And Pop Stores were a thing.

   I hope everyone enjoys reading about our travels and you get some really good ideas of places to go, things to do, and restaurants to eat at. Please feel free to look back on our inexpensive trips to Maine, The Badlands of South Dakota, and Reno and Yosemite National Park. We have also been to many other places before I started writing about them, but we do love to travel.

   Check back on this blog from time to time. Our next adventure is a week in the Florida Keys, from Miami, Florida to Key West, Florida. That one is coming up in June of 2026.