Upon our arrival in Gulfport, our friends whisked us off to their lovely home in Diamondhead and we enjoyed a night of revelry. (It had been quite some time since we had all been together and we had a lot of catching up to do.)
The next morning we headed over to Hancock County, MS, to the John C. Stennis Space Center. This #NASAstennis rocket testing facility is located on the banks of the Pearl River which defines the border between Mississippi and Louisiana. The on-site Infinity Science Center is a non-profit science museum and serves as the official Visitors Center for Stennis. It’s a “must see” featuring a variety of interesting educational attractions and exhibits. (Price of admission is $18 for adults14 to 54, $15 for military personnel and those 55 and above, $11 for children 4 to 13 and free for children 3 and younger.) For a $7 add-on, you can take a ride on the Apollo 11 Virtual Reality Simulator. Buckle up and hold on tight!
After the formation of NASA in the early ‘60s, they wanted their rocket testing facility to be located between the manufacturing complex at the Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans, LA and the launch site in what was Cape Canaveral, FL. Built to test the history-making powerful Saturn V rocket engines that carried men to the moon, the Stennis complex now hosts a vast array of federal, state and educational agencies – as well as private high tech companies and corporations like Rolls Royce. It’s also home to the largest concentration of oceanographers in the world, most of whom are working at the U.S. Navy's Meteorology and Oceanography Command based here.
This is a truly awesome facility and the bus tour (first come, first served but included in the price of admission) is well worth your time. It’s a “behind the gates” look at this 14,000-acre research complex at the heart of the 125,000-acre Stennis buffer zone. This restrictive zone reduces the harmful effects of very loud and very low frequency sound waves produced in the rocket testing area. Since the facility is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Federal Government, American citizens 18 and older must present a valid government issued photo ID; those younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Non-US citizens must present a valid passport from their country of origin or a Lawful Permanent Resident card, if applicable. Our very knowledgeable guide detailed the site’s history and ground breaking scientific work. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. You could even say we had a blast!
Our friends took us into nearby Biloxi for dinner on two occasions. Initially we went to the #Saltgrass Steakhouse on Beach Blvd across from the #Goldennugget.bx We had a great time surprising several other friends who had come up from Florida for the weekend. Saltgrass is an American restaurant chain with more than 80 locations across the nation. The one in Biloxi is family friendly with good food at a fair price. We were lucky to get in at all as the host couldn’t find our reservation for a party of 10 when we arrived on that busy Friday evening. However, the manager soon stepped in and, after a short wait, we were all seated together and proceeded to have a very enjoyable evening.
Our second night in Biloxi found us at Thirty-Two Steak and Seafood Restaurant located 32 floors above ground atop the IP Casino Resort Spa on Bayview Avenue. This is one of Biloxi’s most sought after establishments with knockout views of the water, attentive service and excellent food. This AAA Four Diamond restaurant also offers one of the finest wine selections on the Gulf Coast. On our third and final evening, we ventured into Pass Christian for dinner at Bacchus on the Beach. They’re famous for their oysters so I started out with an order of char-baked and they were delicious. Since it was “Pork Chop Monday", I followed that with their very tasty 14oz. French bone-in pork chop served with collard greens and jalapeño cheddar cornbread.
Before we headed home, we visited Bay St. Louis, just east of Pass Christian. This city has much to offer from boutique shopping to fishing charters. Perhaps one of the most interesting are the Angel Trees. These beautiful, beach-side wooden angels were carved from once magnificent live oaks. They are works of art created by Chainsaw Sculptor Dayle K. Lewis from Indiana who transformed various tree trunks into his own angel creations. They are really something to see!
Sadly, it was time to head home and we were dropped off at the Gulfport Biloxi International Airport. This 7-gate facility may be small but it’s well run. Our B717 #Delta flight to Atlanta departed on time and our connecting B737 flight to #RDU Airport was also on schedule.
Until next time...safe travels.
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