The brand new bridge between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian, Mississippi

Our destination for the 2008 Southern Excursion was the Hollywood RV Park in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi right next door to the Hollywood Casino and Hotel, formerly known as Casino Magic. Karen and I really enjoyed the tranquil beauty of the area, especially the waterfront views. Since we were just steps away from the gaming excitement, and four very good restaurants, one being a fabulous buffet, we enjoyed our sojourn in Bay St. Louis to the fullest.

For those who like to golf, this location is close to a PGA Championship course that was built by Arnold Palmer and the Arnold Palmer Design Company. The course opened on February 1, 1997 and in 2006 underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, reopening on October 18, 2006. Not that the course wasn’t challenging enough before the renovation!

The Hollywood RV Park has 100 on-site pads with full hook-ups, cable TV, 24-hour security and a free shuttle bus to the hotel and casino. This would be our home for the next several days.

We came to Bay St. Louis to have a look around and see how the area is rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. We had been told that the bridges between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian, and Biloxi and Ocean Springs were gone. We are happy to report they have been rebuilt and are now open to traffic. We drove along the beach road (Highway 90) in our car and they are doing a great job on rebuilding both the road and the beach. We would not want to drive our motor home on Highway 90 at this time, due to the continuing construction, but in the future we would be happy to.

The Hurricane Katrina storm surge caused severe damage along the Gulf Coast, devastating the Mississippi cities of Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, D’Iberville, Ocean Springs, Gautier, Moss Point and Pascagoula. At least 1,836 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. The storm is estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 billion U.S. Dollars in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history

We had been in Bay St. Louis a few years before Hurricane Katrina, and we had driven Highway 90 through Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, and Biloxi all the way over to Pascagoula - we even took a Greyline Bus Tour of the area. The homes along the Highway 90 Beach Road were gorgeous mansions, just like the ones you saw in the movie “Gone with the Wind”.

This is an area steeped in history and tradition. The French established the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi valley in 1699 across the bay at Old Biloxi, now known as Ocean Springs. New Biloxi, founded in 1719, was the capital of French Louisiana until 1722, when New Orleans replaced it. Biloxi became a town in 1838 and a city in 1896. In 1990 Casinos transformed Biloxi, a long time beach resort, into the centre of a booming gambling district, which also included Gulfport.

Sadly, this is an area that seems to exist at the whim of the weather. Hurricane Camille wrecked the city’s waterfront in 1969, and Katrina caused even greater devastation in 2005. Among the many historical landmarks lost to Katrina are the 1856 Tullis Toledano Manor, the 1895 Brielmaire House, and The Pleasant Reed House - all in Biloxi.

We could not get over the residual effects of destruction that we saw as we drove along Highway 90. So many of the beautiful homes that once stood on these grounds were now gone, leaving only grand cement staircases and the odd foundation to remind you of were they stood. The many casinos that were built on barges are gone; restaurants, stores, condos and so much more, are now gone, and only the asphalt parking lots stand witness to the fact that these thriving businesses were once there. It took only a little time for us to realize the extent of the devastation in this lovely area.

There is, however a bright note to the situation in the Mississippi Gulf area - on our return trip to our campground we saw construction companies at work in several places, rebuilding homes and businesses, and we are happy to report that Bay St. Louis is once again “open for business”.  Many of the other Mississippi Gulf cities will be open for business by the time you read this.

The next day we drove to New Orleans, Louisiana and as we drove along we saw homes and business boarded-up and ready to be bulldozed. We made our way down to the French Quarter.

The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré ("Old Square" in French), is the oldest and most famous neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When La Nouvelle Orléans ("New Orleans" in French) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then. Thankfully, Hurricane Katrina caused only light damage to the French Quarter. We found the French Quarter open for business and we were told that in some cases, the businesses and entertainment never skipped a beat.

We decided to go on the Louisiana Swamp Tour. We were able to experience the timeless beauty of Southern Louisiana in a custom built, all-weather swamp boat. Our captain revealed the mysteries of the swamps and bayous. He showed us how the swamp had changed after Hurricane Katrina. Alligators came right up to our boat. We saw snakes in the trees, egrets and many more species of wildlife. He also showed us where people were living in the swamp, and explained how some had stayed in the swamp throughout the hurricane.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, just east of New Orleans. Even though the most severe portion of the hurricane missed New Orleans, the storm surge caused more than 50 breaches in drainage canal levees. By August 31, 2005 eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts under 15 feet of water. Most of the city’s levees were broken in one place or another. Returning to our car, our tour bus driver pointed out many places that have been or would soon be torn down do to the damage from the hurricane.

The massive destruction that Hurricane Katrina caused on the south coast of Mississippi and Louisiana has forever changed the ambiance of the area – many historic structures and other buildings on the coast have suffered extensive damage and in some cases whole areas of historic significance are gone forever.

Leaving Bay St. Louis for the Emerald Coast of Florida, we felt very sad for those who went through this terrible hurricane but we were encouraged when we saw so many people ready to rebuild their lives and homes and bring vitality back to these areas, so we can all come back and enjoy their hospitality once again.
As we were pulling out of Bay St. Louis, we saw a sign that summarizes the spirit of community pride that infuses this region, “Hope you enjoyed your visit. We are open for business”.

We certainly did enjoy our stay, and we would encourage all RV’ers to plan to visit the area again very soon.

Take care & happy RV'ing
M.B. & Karen Wilson
Wagon Masters
E-Mail   wagontrains@msn.com