Anyone been to Treasure Bay in Biloxi MS lately?

Hope you have a good trip here to Mississippi in May.

I won’t be any help on BJ, host and room comp questions at Treasure Bay, but I can chime in a few things.

Seniors do get ½ price lunch on Tues and Thurs at TB after minimal play. We use ours at the Den on 9^th floor for the good view and the decent ½ price food there.

We don’t care for the TB buffet but we do like the buffet at the Palace Casino in Biloxi. Its rated very high and any day Mon-Thursday you can get ½ price buffet for minimal play. It’s one of the best values on the coast, IMHO. They have a Mongolian grill and a separate hot pasta station as well. We love their Bread pudding (with warm praline sauce). We’ve been going there for 25 years.

We rarely eat anymore at any Biloxi area casinos. We used to get free rooms, lots of free play and lots of food comps, but the Vegas-like gouge is in full force here and most of that has gone away since Covid.

We can recommended the pizza place at Scarlett Pearl Casino. It ain’t cheap but we think it’s really good, especially the meaty pizza called The Butcher.

Other non-casino restaurants:

Long Beach – Coterie. A branch of the long-time New Orleans Cajun/Creole restaurant. On the Hwy 90 beach with a nice high view.

Ocean Springs – The Shed. Award winning barbeque in a very cool rustic setting just north of I-10 at highway 57 exit before you get to OS. They’ve won Memphis in May barbeque competition several times. No indoor AC-cooled seating so be aware of that. It’s all good there but we love the sliced brisket, wings, sweet potato souffle and baked beans. They have oysters now too.

Downtown Biloxi – Parrains Cajun. A few blocks from Beau Rivage. Small, about ten tables, but some of the best Cajun food we’ve found outside of rural Louisiana.

D’Iberville – Quave Brothers. Excellent poboys. Just a few blocks from Scarlett Pearl. They even have a hot muffalatta poboy.

Woolmarket – Tarantos. Crawfish heaven. Rural area north of I-10. More great poboys. If you’re here in May, they still should have fresh crawfish but they serve the mudbugs all year. They have been there a long time; excellent experience all around.

Things to do:

We’ve lived here eight years but have been coming to MS coast for 30 years. Some of our fun things to do we can recommend are:

Beauvoir – Confederate White House and home of Jefferson Davis. Just west on Hwy 90 past TB. If you are interested in the Civil War, it’s a must do, especially the cemetery out back. Do you remember a few years ago when blue cities were taking down Confederate statues? Beauvoir contacted them and “We’ll take them.” And they did. They’re out back, too.

Walter Anderson museum – Ocean Springs. Even if you are not the art museum type, give this place a visit. Anderson was an eccentric hermit-like artist from OS who would PADDLE his row boat out to Horn Island and sketch the wildlife there for most of his life. Be sure not to miss the “big” room (painted by him floor to ceiling) and the “hidden” room his family discovered after his death. They moved it to the museum when it opened. You’ll be blown away.

Ohr-Ofeefe museum on Highway 90 near Harrahs in Biloxi. If nothing else, go to marvel at the Frank Gehry designed buildings.

Infinity Space Center – Off I-10 at the last exit before Louisiana. Near the Stennis Space Center. Very educational especially if you followed the glory days of NASA. Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise is a Biloxi native and still lives here.

Have a great time and get lots of royals.

That's great info, Schuvy! I don't remember exactly where I ate when I visited Biloxi, but it was all terrific: seafood, BBQ, Cajun. If I lived there, I would weigh 400 pounds.

I kind of loathe all the Southern glorification of the Civil War traitors, uh, "heroes." I see all those statues and monuments, such as that huge Whatever Mountain relief sculpture in Georgia, and I wonder how a black person might feel upon seeing them. It's like visiting Germany and seeing statues of Goebbels, Himmler, Rommel, etc.

At each and every one of those lovingly kept plantations, thousands of people were prisoners and toiled, suffered, and died there. They were beaten, tortured, and raped. I think there should be a little more, OK, a LOT more, sorrow and above all, remorse expressed.

Nonetheless, I do enjoy visiting the South. Parts are beautiful and the culture is intriguingly different. I can't take the humidity, but it's only a problem in the summer. There's a lot of history to explore.

And thanks for confirming that Biloxi isn't the casino bargain it used to be. That was my impression during my brief visit in 2024.

Schuvy, thanks so much for all the info!  Yeah, unfortunately, from what I'm seeing, The Gouge has been finding a home in the Gulf Coast; there's hardly any playable VP anywhere anymore, far fewer promos than there used to be, no cheapo air packages (thus our plan to drive).  I'm always interested in local food, thanks for all those recommendations.  We'll probably do the TB buffet (Dungeness crab legs on Wednesdays, and I remember a lot of surprisingly good Gulf Coast food on previous visits), also planning on Mary Mahoney's (good, solid food and a cool ambience).  Maybe McElroy's, probably Felix's in Gulfport (hoping that they can at least hold a candle to their store in NOLA), maybe Desporte.  I've heard good things about Parrain's.  Gonna be hard to get everywhere, we'll be there for 3 nights, that's no more than 12 meals.

jstewa22, let me know how Mary Mahoney's was for this upcoming trip.  We weren't greatly pleased a few months ago, might have just been a one off that night.  Two of us had fish entrees, the third had steak.  One who ordered fish declared herself to be a super judge of the type she ordered.  She said it was "fair".  Mine (fish) was OK, just not as expected/described on the menu and in some online reviews.  The steak person was happiest with her order.   I was the only one having a cocktail; had to send it back.  Service was just fine, as expected.  I had made the reservations, requested a table with a nice window view, birthday event.  We were seated at a window, but it overlooked construction of the property next door!

But it was by a window...what can I say?!  Sometimes you get what you ask for but it doesn't turn out that great.

Candy

I'm really surprised that the Gulf Coast casino strip has declined in tandem with Vegas. The whole shtick with Gulfport/Biloxi, Shreveport, Tunica, and farther afield, the Okie Injun casinos, St. Louis, KC, etc. was that you could have a Vegas experience within a day's drive of, or easy flight from, the "heartland"--and it would cost much less. Now, with the Gulf Gouge in full flower,  I see no compelling reason whatsoever to go there to gamble. Not that Vegas is any better.

The remaining decent gambling destination within my reach is Reno. Others have told me that it's hard to get to by air, and of course you can only drive there if you're on the West Coast. I can get there in an afternoon.

Maybe our Dear Leader's crushing of the economy will lead to lots of bargains as the casinos see empty hotels and idle slot machines.

I'll let you know about Mary Mahoney's, Candy.  I've always liked that place, the food has been solid and I love the historical setting.  Hopefully the food will at least be decent on our visit.  I'll probably post a trip report when we get back; my TRs are always far too food-oriented.

Kevin, I guess the Gouge hasn't spared anywhere, we even see it at the local Indian casino (Hard Rock Tampa), although they've always gouged.  Same me-too mentality that's spread from the Strip to downtown and the locals' places.  Some backpedaling would be nice, although in the big scheme of things I don't think there's ever been a major reset.  Try to find FPDW or single-deck BJ or 0.5% CB anywhere now.