Biloxi

July 26, 2024 - Reading time: 4 minutes

After two and half weeks of hiking, driving and walking about in the summer heat, the last stop of the journey was all about cooling off and relaxing.  We booked three nights at the Palace Casino Resort located right on the bay.   I had stayed here before, but this was the first time for James.  The man goes non-stop at work and at home, so it was wonderful to see him embrace a few days of sleeping in and hanging out by the water.  

We didn't really have an itinerary here, but played it by ear.  We spent our first full day swimming and indulging in waitress service at the pool. 

In the late afternoon we dropped by the happy hour at Fly Llama Brewing, a tiny local place that had excellent craft beers and seltzers on draft.  We particularly liked the Strawberry Basil and Pineapple Satsuma seltzers, so we picked up some 6 packs to enjoy at a later time.  The eclectic mix of llama art on the walls was delightful and I would have purchased the painting below for our kitchen back home if it had been for sale.  

For dinner, we sat overlooking the ocean outside on the third story deck of The Reef, located a few miles from the hotel.  Their fresh flounder sandwich, fried shrimp and hush puppies were all divine.  This is a no frills kind of place.  The upstairs especially has the vibes of a dive bar; but in our experience those are the best spots for good music, great food and friendly service.  It did not disappoint and we enjoyed a lovely sunset to boot.  As night fell, we watched several families with flashlights wander waaaaaaaay off-shore to go "floundering."  On that particular patch of the gulf, the water shelf is so flat that you can walk and walk in ankle deep water.  We later learned that floundering was also a beloved past time of President Truman's wife, Bess and their daughter, Margaret, when the family would vacation in Biloxi.  Who knew? 

The next day, we slept late, threw a few towels in my canvas tote, and packed some of the previous day's seltzer purchases in our cooler bag for a day at the beach.  We ordered lunch subs "to go" from a little sandwich shop then parked our folding chairs and umbrella on Ocean Springs Beach, just a hop, skip and a jump across the Biloxi Bay bridge.  The water was warm as a bath tub and calm as a lake.  So relaxing. 

We wrapped up our last night in Biloxi, and my last night of another epic summer road trip, by going back to The Reef (it's that good!) for dinner on the deck with some boozy milkshakes for dessert.  So grateful for sweet memories made on this journey and the loved ones who came along for the ride.