Jefferson Davis Home, Gulf Island National Seashore, Davis Bayou Campground

5/8 Well last night was interesting. There were only about two places in the park (Hollywood Casino RV Park, Bay St. Louis, MS) where you could hear the peepers peeping all night long and we were in one of those sites. So we closed the windows and put the air conditioner on. George kept on going back and forth to the casino not to spend money but to watch people. One woman had been there since we ate lunch. They do have bands during the weekend and there were a lot of people who come to the casino. Most of the casinos have been rebuilt in this area and some that were on the water have moved away from the gulf so they will not have to rebuild again.
Left this morning heading down scenic route 90 east and stopped at the Jefferson Davis Museum and Library. This was his last home which is right on the gulf. It just reopened about 6 months ago because of all the damage from Katrina. The house was completely redone and some of the furniture was totally lost. One of the floating casinos washed right down route 90 and took out their gates and fences and landed on top of a Holiday Inn. The Library and main museum is still not opened because part of the building -FEMA forced them to move the building a few feet because a small part was in a flood zone. Continued driving on 90 east and what a beautiful drive. Miles and miles of white sand beaches and just think last year these beaches were covered with oil. They look great now but the tourists have not come back. These beaches are free and have parking all along the road. We have not been in this area since 1972 and it really is beautiful. Beaches are all free! No lifeguards!
Stayed at the Davis Bayou Campground in the Gulf Island National Seashore, Ocean Springs, MS. This is a National Park Self Registration Campground next to a marsh. Some sites are shaded with oaks and some are not. Quiet campground and within walking distance of a picnic area, fields, boat ramp, marsh overlooks, trails, biking, and about a mile from the visitor center. This area was hit hard from Katrina and the visitor center has only been reopened within the last year and they are still working on replacing trail markers. Stopped for one night but we would stop again. Miles of beaches are within driving distance from this campground. Pretty area right off 90. This campground does not have reservations and we were there on a Sunday night and there were plenty of sites still available. We went on a number of trails and visited the Visitor Center which recently opened up after being under 15 feet of water from Katrina.