Days 3-5: Gulfport, Mississippi

Our campground for the next three nights was the Gulfport Luxury RV Resort. This was possibly one of, if not the, best campgrounds we have stayed at. I think the only one that really compares to it was the Creekfire Resort outside Savannah, Georgia. The campground was super clean, the sites were all well-kept, and it wasn't too big so you could walk everywhere. The campground is literally right across the road from the beach, so its location is great. All of the other campers were friendly, and it was just an all-around pleasant experience. My only critique was that we could not completely level our motorhome because of the slope on our site.

I know that sounds super nitpicky, but it is a nuisance that you have to deal with when you stay in a motorhome. If you have any sort of camping trailer you have a lot of flexibility to level your camper, because you are leveling it with jacks that have a good bit of extension. Between the jacks and blocks you can level it on almost any surface. But our motorhome's leveling system will only lift the coach so far off the ground. So we ended up with the front of our camper angled slightly down. You can't even tell from the picture above, but trust me it's a nuisance. And yes, I know that is a first-world problem. After several attempts to move the camper and re-level I let it go, much to the relief of my family. With the motorhome parked, we suited up and hit the pool.

This place had the perfect pool setup for our family. It was zero-entry, which was great with Nolan, and it sloped down to a depth of four feet. Connected to the pool was a lazy river which was three feet deep all the way around. It was great. The weather was sunny and 80 degrees, so we all had a blast.

Everyone had so much fun that we lost track of how much sun we were all getting. Despite using Allyson's all-natural mayonnaise sunscreen everyone got burnt.... except Dad 😉. Dad's not a sun guy. I get out of the pool, lay around until I dry off and then put a shirt on and get in the shade. So 30 years from now I'll the pasty-looking guy with nice skin!

After the pool we ate dinner, had a dance party and then checked out more of the campground. They had the usual kid stuff: gaga ball pit, playground, etc. They also had a little arcade room that was a lot of fun for the girls.

On Saturday we were getting a van to check out the coast. Usually we pick up the van on our way into town, but that can be chaotic, and since we didn't think we'd need the van on the first day we decided that I would try and take an Uber to the Enterprise on Saturday morning and save money. That worked out pretty well. My uber driver had a radar detector and when I asked what it was she quipped "they'll never catch me", so we made great time getting to the Enterprise!

We got the van, hit up Walmart for some supplies and food, and then got back for a gaga ball tournament the girls wanted to play in. After that it was back to the pool. In addition to a nice actual pool, the pool deck had a bar, snack shack, and a stage for a band. On Saturday they had a country music band playing, and they were pretty damn good! At one point they played a cover of Billie Jean which, to my shock, was awesome.

We got some ice cream at the pool, listened to music, and played in the water.

After dinner we went for a drive along US route 90, which is right along the gulf. It was a pretty drive, and the weather was pleasant. Gulfport is adjacent to Biloxi, so we drove through both towns and they have the same arrangement along route 90 where there are many places to easily pull off and park to check out the beach. We stopped in one larger area to check out the water. Of course an ice cream truck pulled in and we couldn't pass that up. The only thing in all of Mississippi that wasn't cheap was the dang ice cream truck.

Gulfport and Biloxi are interesting places. I had been to both back in 2016 or 2017 for a work conference, so I knew a little about their history. They were both lively, well-populated places....until Katrina hit. It basically leveled a good chunk of both towns and people left and never came back. Even 20 years later there is evidence of this. All along route 90 there are lots with concrete steps and nothing else. It's all that is left after Katrina. Another interesting thing about this area are all the Waffle Houses. You can literally see multiple Waffle Houses with your own eyes in places along Route 90. It was nuts.

Sunday morning was Easter and because the kids have the best mom ever, the Easter bunny still made his way to the camper. The girls and Nolan all found their baskets and were excited to see what they got, and then we went out for some donuts.

Later that morning I took Nolan on a drive for a couple hours to look for souvenirs, and Allyson and the girls dyed easter eggs. Nolan and I checked out a popular Souvenir stand called Sharkheads, where I picked up this custom airbrushed hat that I will shamelessly wear on all future trips, to the delight of my children.

After lunch we hit up the pool again, and then hung out and began getting ready to move on to Louisiana on Monday.

This campground was awesome. You really got to work to make it down here, but it is well worth it. I don't want to bash Mississippi, but there isn't a whole lot else going on throughout the state, however their little piece of the coast was fun. I think if we were ever back in the area we would definitely make a point to stop here again.