As a disc golfer that's new to the sport, I immediately hear the rumblings among players in the New…read moreOrleans area that the 21 hole course at Hiller Park in Biloxi, Mississippi was the best on the Gulf Coast. Being an adventurist and liking the challenge of playing new courses, I decided to make the 90 mile drive to give it a try. It turned out to be a very good decision, as this course has a lot to offer, especially in the use of the natural landscape to create many hazards and challenges. The park is located just a few miles from Keesler Air Force Base and there's actually base housing that butts right up to the park. The park appears to have been around for quite some time as there are a lot of mature cypress, oak and pines trees. There's also a lot of thick vegetation / brush lining some of the fairways and surrounding the baskets that makes hunting for your disc on an errant throw quite challenge. Water comes into play on a lot of holes, as there are salty / brackish fingerer lakes that extend from the Gulf of Mexico into the park. I don't recommend wading in for a disc as the brackish water is very murky and you can't tell what's beneath the surface. I like the fact that nearly every hole offers three different tee boxes (white, red & blue). We played the red every time, as it offered concrete tee pads and appeared to be the intermediate distance, as compared to the blue pro tees. The best way to review this course, to me, would be to describe all 21 holes. Hole 1 is right next to the pavilion/gazebo and forces you to throw over an arm of the bay onto a basket that's well protected. Throw left and you'll hit a tree and into the water. Fade right and your disc is going down faster than the Titanic. Hole 2 fades so far to the right that you can't see the basket, which is placed right at the edge of a wooded patch that will eat your disc for lunch. Hole 3 crosses a narrow creek that forces me to lay up for fear of hitting the water. There's also a lot of low lying branches over the water. Hole 4 crosses a dry creek and fades right to a basket near a bridge and a cluster of oak trees. Hole 5 was hard to find without a map and is actually in a tunnel of trees. If you cannot throw straight, keep a good eye on your disc as it ricochets on the pine trees like a pinball. Hole 6 is shaped like a horseshoe and bends endlessly to the left. Hole 7's mando forces you to throw through a narrow gap of trees to enter a short fairway that veers sharply to the right. Hole 8 is fairly straight and open and crosses another dry creek bed. Hole 9 fades slightly to the right through a cluster of large mature pine trees. The basket sits in front of a steel cable that separates the course from one of the park's parking lots. Beware of the thick brush to the right, as I have gone in to retrieve a disc and it is unforgiving. Hole 10 forces you to throw across another finger of the bay. The basket lies to the far right, so if you fade at all, you will go in the drink. Beware of the lone power line in front of the tee box that has been known to snag a few discs and cause them to drop into the water. Hole 11 is bordered by tennis courts to the right and a road to the left. The is another finger of the bay that opens up to the right . Unless you have a big arm, I recommend laying up and throwing at the basket from a 12 foot high perch. Hole 12 forces you to cross the water to get back to the tee box and punishes you with a technical throw protected by water and thick disc snagging trees. Hole 13 fades left with some trees to negotiate. Hole 14, I cannot recall and will update after I play my next round here. ;-( Hole 15 looks like an "ess" curve on a race track and features another water crossing and yet more trees. Hole 16, I cannot recall and will update after I play my next round here. ;-( Hole 17 drives across a long open field to a basket near the road to the right. Hole 18 requires a short walk and is nearly another tunnel of trees, but not quite as thick. The basket is well protected and requires a strong hook to the left and good accuracy. Hole 19 throws back near the tee box of 18 and has a lot of ricochet potential through the dense tree coverage. Hole 20 has you throwing back to the road near the pavilion / gazebo near hole 1. Hole 21 is a short hole. But throw too far and you are in the shrubbery. Throw too high and you may clear the shrubbery and end up in the bay. Overall, this is a very enjoyable course and I can see it easily becoming a favorite of mine. For New Orleanians, it's a little far, but definitely worth the drive.

Nice course with good mixture of holes. Bring a disc retriever Incase you land in water. Fun courseread more

I found out about the Friendship Oak while searching online for things to see in the area. I've…read morenever seen something like it in person so I decided that my Pomeranian and I needed to visit. Started out by ending up in a very undesirable location behind the hospital in Gulfport. Definitely not where the Friendship Oak ever lived. Did some more searching online and found it about 15 minutes away on the University of Southern Miss campus right across from the ocean. So, that being said, when you are looking for directions just punch in University of Southern Miss in Gulfport. When you pull into the campus you will see the tree to the left. You will take the roundabout to your left and can park nearby in some of the visitor parking spots. When I was there there were very few cars around, so I found a parking spot right near the tree in front of Hardy Hall. The tree is just awesome. It was planted back in 1487. Wrap your mind around that. Think of all the changes to the area, all the people who have walked by it, sat under it, climbed on its beautiful branches. Then think of all of the natural disasters that it was endured, surviving when so much around it has been destroyed. Unfortunately, but I guess understandably, they have the tree roped off these days so I couldn't get as close to it as I'd have liked. I didn't want to climb on her, per se, but I would have loved to have been able to stand under her branches and be in her world a bit. I think that would be an amazing experience. But alas, I was only able to walk around her to admire her and take a few pictures. Across the parking lot there are more oak trees on campus that are not as majestic but are definitely beautiful.

Great little quick stop if you're in the area. I wouldn't drive out of the way as there's not much…read moreto it but it was a cool piece of history.

Nice little Park off the highway and easy to miss., turn around at next exit (we did)…read more Entrance near an industrial area, lots of trucks in and out. Nice parking area along the water, with some picnic tables. An information board located near entrance. Some people were just parked (maybe enjoying the view), a Ranger did drive thru. So the area is monitored. A decent trail with a nice boardwalk takes you into the refuge with views of the marsh and water. We were here mid-day so it was quiet. Some birds, and lots of turtles. On way out, net Blair (local birder) and we talked about sightings in area. He told me about a Kingfisher that hangs out over waterway off main road. The Kingfisher was right where he said it would be - we did not stop (lots of trucks) passing by. Nice to talk to locals, especially fellow bird enthusiasts. Worth a stop !!!

Is the hustle and bustle of city life getting you down?…read more Do you find yourself becoming stressed from traffic? Do you need a break? If you answered yes to the above questions, I have just the thing to cure what ails you. What is this miraculous cure you ask? Dirt. That's right friends, good ole 100% American dirt. Get you some. I realize that the words posted above these may seem ridiculous, and for some it won't help, but for me, getting off the road and into nature helps me every time. The Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge is one such place that I recommend you check out. This NWR is located off of the very last exit before Mississippi (Pearl River Turnaround). If you're heading from Louisiana, exit, turn left and drive down the first dirt road you encounter. There isn't really a very good sign, but you'll know it when you find it. As you first enter the NWR you will encounter a very cool railroad bridge. For many, this will be the coolest thing you see, but for me there is much more. The roads through the NWR are dirt and rock only. They are fairly well packed so four wheel drive is not necessary, but I would be reluctant to take a car back here if it is low slung. The roads run for many miles through the middle of the refuge and you are unlikely to encounter any other humans if you go during the week. If hiking is your thing, there are a few trails that I have yet to explore, but they do look promising for a brief nature hike. Each trail has its own parking area which is convenient since parking on the road wouldn't be ideal. The roads here seem to go on forever. I would guess that it took me nearly thirty minutes to drive the entirety of the main road. It ended up at a weird camp type residential area, finally dead ending at a very run down looking trailer. I haven't fully explored all of the roads yet, but it does seem to be a one way in, one way out situation. The hour or so I spent on my first trip invigorated me and I can't wait to go back.

The perfect place for everyone to meet, greet, eat and have fun in the sun. See you all there.read more

This is a festival that takes place in John Davis Park ever year the last weekend in June. It has…read moreamusement park rides for the children and music for the adults- which was awesome this year.. This year Mel Waiters closed the festival. He really put on a great show. The music is in the center of the park under all of the beautiful oak trees with tons of shad and benches and picnic tables to sit. The food is from local venders from around Lacombe. The festival offers a very family friendly atmosphere. Lacombe is a very small community, and this festival offers you that small community feel. You more than likely will know most of the venders if you grew up in Lacombe or Slidell or the other surrounding towns. At this festival everybody knows everybody and it feels like a huge family gathering. Fun times.

We only had one day for fishing while we were in New Orleans and Claude was the best guide we could…read morehave asked for. Caught plenty of Sheephead, redfish, trout and they were some nice sized ones. Will most definitely be back again soon.

Good times at Stennis. Wished all the exhibits would have been open but plenty of hand sanitizer…read moreavailable. Great educational spot for kids. Center is shutting down soon for renovations so not much in the store but still got a sticker. Plenty of RV parking and picnic area.

This is where the rocket engines are tested for our space program and they have viewing areas where…read morefolks can watch and did watch the giant rocket engines that got us to the moon, the space shuttle and our future engines get tested. This is a very interesting and very large tract of land NASA runs with various companies and government agencies having facilities on site here for various training, research and other work. This is also the location of the Naval Oceanographic Office so there is also a military presence here. You can tour the facility by bus as part of your admission fee to the Infinity Center or if you know somebody that works at Stennis they can meet you at the visitor center and get a pass completed for you (NASA prefers that a visitor request be done ahead of time by the employee).

Ben Nelson Golf Vehicles in Biloxi has recently had some challenges due to some very serious staff…read moreissues which made the papers. Unfortuantely at the same time, our EZGO had a significant issue, and due to some of these short term challenges, it was impacting their ability to repair our cart. The point of this review is that despite their current challenges, the CEO personally stepped in and helped resolved not only the current repair issue we were having, but also a longer term issue. We were dealt with very fairly, and I fully believe that the repair work they have done has put us in a much better position. Ben Nelson Biloxi have bought in some new staff that were very helpful and I certainly would not hesitate in recommending these folks to anyone who is looking to buy a new vehicle or have their cart repaired.

Quiet, clean dog park. Different sides for large and small dogs.Plenty of water fountains and…read moredoggie bags for cleanup. Nice view of the gulf water.