Crater Lake in the wider world of Crater Lake National Park in Oregon is a sacred location to Native Americans and yet many have died or disappeared there.
May 25, 2021
I first visited Ship Island as a child with my family, taking the hour-long ferry out of Gulfport. It is the only barrier island off the coast of Mississippi with ferry access, the only one you can get to if you don’t have your own boat. On that inaugural trip, swarms of gnats plagued us in my memory we’re all wearing our shirts over our heads and it was such a trauma that I’m the only one who ever returned. Perhaps it’s my nature to try again, to subject myself to the same experience in hopes of a better outcome.
Do you need a getaway? I desperately need one, but I’m on a budget. I did some research, and it appears that you can ball on a budget in Biloxi, Mississippi. Here is the good news; it’s less than a four-hour drive from Tuscaloosa.
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Biloxi Beach is a must-stop and accessible off Beach Boulevard. If you don’t feel like lugging all your chairs and umbrellas, no worries, you can rent them. Also, they have other awesome beach toys to rent too.
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Here is a beach heads up; the sand is nice, but the water is not clear and blue. I learned from the Best Bets Biloxi it’s due to the “natural dynamics of Mississippi Sound and the barrier islands at work, the same dynamics that make surf almost non-existent at Biloxi s beaches, which is great for families with small children.” If you need the blue water views, they suggested you head to Ship Island. It is “just a short boat ride from Biloxi; the island is one of the most beautiful beaches in the c