Heading down South for the Holidays.

November 11, 2007 9:16 PM

My best friend is stationed in Biloxi, MS with Americorps and I'm planning on going down there for a Southern roadtrip over the Christmas holidays. What should we see within 4-6 hours of Biloxi? [mi]

We're Northern born and bred, having most recently lived in Philadelphia and Chicago, and so we were thinking of doing a giant circle through the South over the course of a week. Drive 2-3 hours, see stuff, spend the night, continue onwards.

I'd be interested in your favorite places to eat/things to see in MS, LA, TN, and AL. We're also concerned that everything might just completely shut down between Christmas and New Years. Is this something to worry about? Will it be safe for the two of us (22 and 23 female) to travel alone in a car in more rural areas, or should we stick to the major cities? Any places to definitely avoid?

Thank you in advance for your help.

posted by moooshy to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

New Orleans is close to Biloxi :)
posted by radioamy at 9:45 PM on November 11, 2007

Is Biloxi still a mess from Hurricane Katrina? I'm sure they worked overtime to get the floating casinos back into operation.
posted by HotPatatta at 9:47 PM on November 11, 2007

Its still a horrible mess down there. How about spending your time volunteering for some organization that is building homes for displaced victims?

Having lived in Pascagoula, I can tell you there's just not much to see in the entire area. You may be horrified by what is still untouched down there after Katrina- so prepare yourself.
posted by Chuck Cheeze at 10:39 PM on November 11, 2007

@Chuck: Well, she'll be down there for the entire year doing that, so it's a way of giving her a Christmas break.

@Hot: Hmm. We're near AC in NJ and that was never much a draw.

@radioamy: Indeed it is close, and it's possibly on our agenda.
posted by moooshy at 10:42 PM on November 11, 2007

I'm from a town about an hour north, and having been to Biloxi-Gulfport about three months ago, I can tell you the entire Gulf Coast is still a flattened wasteland save a few Casinos.

I recommend you go to New Orleans, still great, still fun. Its safe as long as you stay in the more traveled areas and keep your wits.

You could also try Natchez if you are into the "Gone With the Wind" Old South, riverboats and antebellum rustic thing. It's beautiful there - very safe.

Vicksburg is also nifty, lots of Civil War attractions - very safe.

You could visit the infamous crossroads where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil, then head to Morgan Freeman's bar, then head to Graceland, then hang out in the swanky rock/country/Southern punk bars in Nashville - rather safe.

Everything shuts down between New Years and Christmas.

You will be safe no matter where you go - safer in rural areas than in downtowns.
posted by Lownotes at 10:55 PM on November 11, 2007

i'm a big fan of taking folks to avery island, home of the tabasco hot sauce people. the tour of the hot sauce factory is free, but the real draw is jungle gardens, an aviary and botanical garden where you get the added surprise of a buddah in the middle of nowhere.
you can also try to catch the konriko rice factory, although every time i've been to avery island we spend too much time at jungle gardens to make the rice factory tour.
new iberia is pretty much smack dab in the middle of cajun country, so you can schedule a plantation tour or a swamp tour. new orleans is about midpoint for biloxi/avery island, so you can do a night in nola and a night out in the swamp country. and depending on when you come, you might also catch the christmas bonfires that help santa find his way to the boys and girls who live out on the bayous.
posted by msconduct at 4:51 AM on November 12, 2007

Go camping on Horn or Cat island.
posted by atchafalaya at 5:11 AM on November 12, 2007

I'm not sure, but I suspect that no one is running boats out to the islands again yet, especially not this time of year. Mobile is only about an hour and a half to the East. We're having a fairly mild winter so far (I'm here in Hattiesburg, about an hour and a half north of the Coast), so maybe even heading to Florida might not be too bad an idea.
posted by thebrokedown at 9:07 AM on November 12, 2007

I've only been back once since the storm, but I can tell you Biloxi is still flattened. Does anyone know if Hugo's in Biloxi is still open or re-opened? It had great pizza, and it's where the tradition of putting French dressing on pizza was born (try it!).

There are a number of small bistros and restaurants in Ocean Springs. I don't recall if the Hwy 90 bridge is supposed to be open by Christmas; you might have to take I-10 to get there. If you can, get there early one non-Sunday morning, and go to Tatonut on Government Street. Best doughnuts I've ever had. If you like barbecue, there's The Shed in Vancleave. It's pretty good; I mostly recommend it because I know for a fact it's open. It wasn't around when I lived in Ocean Springs.

Since you've specified such a long drive, there's Seaside in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, about a 3.5 hr drive. It's where they filmed the Truman show, and it's pretty surreal. Not much going in on Dec., though. Ah, on re-reading, I see you don't include Florida. Fair enough. Since you're considering a trip to Tennessee, though, might I suggest looking at the recommendations in this thread.
posted by solotoro at 10:07 AM on November 12, 2007

Go pay your respects at Hank's grave, drive across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, then head straight down highway 82 to Monroeville and throw eggs at Harper Lee's house while yelling, "Admit it! Truman Capote wrote that book, didn't he!"

After you post bond, keep heading south until you get to Foley. Have a sundae at the lovingly and meticulously restored turn-of-the-century soda fountain in the pharmacy on the town square, and save room for some fresh seafood at the bowling alley snack bar, which has, hands down, the best fried fish and homemade hushpuppies I've ever eaten. Seriously. Everyone in Foley knows the best food is at the bowling alley snack bar, and it's really good. Plus, there's bowling. Everyone likes bowling.

By then you'll be within spittin' distance of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, where you can drink at the Pink Pony, or blow off those flatbellied frat boys and go to the last great American roadhouse and the goal of every Alabamian's late-night road-trip, the shrine of the Redneck Riviera, the Flora-Bama in Pensacola, which was razed by hurricanes but never stopped serving cold beer, a testimony to the powers of persistence and functional alcoholism.

Then hop back on I-10 and you're two hours from Biloxi.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:21 AM on November 12, 2007

Wow these are great. Thank you all. I will let you know what we decide.
posted by moooshy at 4:45 PM on November 12, 2007

You're only 2 and half hours from the gulf coast of alabama and pensacola (florida).

Will it be safe for the two of us (22 and 23 female) to travel alone in a car in more rural areas, or should we stick to the major cities?

Take the same precautions you'd take in the north, or west, or anyplace you might travel. Remember, the south isn't known for its large cities, so keeping away from rural areas means missing much there is to see.

That said, I'd go with bitteroldpunk's suggestions or simply go to new orleans, especially if you've never been.

(and I'm not sure what lownotes means when he says everything shuts down. Almost nothing shuts down. It shouldn't be a concern at all)
posted by justgary at 12:38 PM on November 14, 2007