Biloxi or Gulf Shores

We (47 %26amp; 49 married couple) are taking our 21 year old daughter on her 21st BDay trip. Looking at Gulfshores or Biloxi, MS. Had always told her we%26#39;d take her to Vegas but decided we didn%26#39;t want to fund her gambling and she%26#39;s a college student without much money. Figured she%26#39;d blow her daily gambling allowance of $100/day in an hour and then what. Anyway, she%26#39;d not a huge partier by any means and had looked into other areas, hence, Gulf Shores or Biloxi. Just a three-day trip. But here%26#39;s what we%26#39;d like - she loves to sit at the beach, loves to golf, we%26#39;d eat out each night at a fun place. Which town would be better. Looking for a place to stay beachfront with restaurant/bar at the location. Do any beachfront condos have that option. I hear by reading on the forums that most beachfront lodging is condos but do they have restaurants or bars by the pool. Only staying a short time so want some pampering. THANKS!

Biloxi or Gulf Shores

Sorry, forgot to add that we%26#39;re looking at coming Memorial Day weekend. Is it warm enough to sit by the beach then and get in the water?

Biloxi or Gulf Shores

If you are mainly interested in beaches, beautiful water, and NO gambling, then you might want to look at Gulf Shores. I don%26#39;t know about golf courses there...maybe you could research Gulf Shores, AL, on TA.

Otherwise, Biloxi does have golf courses and really nice casino/resorts. The beach there is full of pretty white sand; but the water is not wavy nor of the pretty blue/green color near shore. This is due to the area not being too far from the mouth of the Mississippi River and the islands not far from the coastline to keep wave action down to almost none. You can catch the Ship Island boat out of Gulfport to see the pretty blue/green water on the Gulf side of the island...this is also just a fun little excursion.

Just investigate both areas here on T.A. You will get alot of info here.

Although we love Biloxi and the casinos are the big draw, sounds like you need to visit Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. Beautiful beaches, great seafood restaurants, outlet shopping. Not many condos have on site restaurants, but many are within walking distance depending where you stay. Gets very busy during Memorial Day so make your reservations early.

All the beaches east of Mobile Bay are fantastic and each area has a character of its own. Sands are sugar white and water blue-green. Water temp in late May will be about mid 70%26#39;s, temps in high 80%26#39;s, but often still a bit windy. Memorial day is the official opening day of beach season. Most areas crowded. The beaches west of Mobile Bay are brown sand except the Biloxi/Gulfport area where they import the white sands. There is no surf/waves because the are sandbars miles offshore that brake the waves. You might also consider the Pensacola area. It is very family oriented and close enough to restaurants/shopping and tourist stuff. It is just about the same distance from Mobile as GulfShores. Again Memorial Day is a very busy weekend at the beach.

I agree with the other comments...we spent one week at Gulf Shores. We found lots of things to do along the Gulf from New Orleans to Pennsacola (we had a week so drove all over the area). We really liked the beach along that area.

A trip to Ft. Morgan is time well spent, and we saw the military park at Mobile which my husband really enjoyed.

Family and I went to Gulf Shores two years back- great time!

Previous comments have been right on- IMHO. Gulf Shores is a great place and we really enjoyed the genuine hospitality.

I am heading to Biloxi next weekend for gamble/golf weekend with old friends- when are you going? I will be happy to provide comparison feedback when I return.

However, one drawback to the beach experience we encountered in G.S.- stinging jellyfish and lots of them. This is not an everyday problem but when the ';come in';, get out of the surf. We saw jellies ranging in size from a dime up to a foot (with tentacles). The big ones are fairly easy to see and avoid but my whole family got stung at some point over the two days they were in the surf.

Put it this way, when the jelly%26#39;s came in, the locals got out. The beaches were still busy but not the water. If you get in with them, you will get stung- so have some remedy handy to deal with the sting.

FYI, we%26#39;re neighbors in P.V. and have great friends in KCK

Kansas City K: I would recommend Gulf Shores for the beaches and the clarity of the water. You should probably visit the TA forum from that area to get more info on what is available entertainment for your 21 year old.

Also, you should ask the question about the jellyfish situation, as it can be a factor along the coast albeit you visit will be early in the season and I would expect the water temps to be a little on the cool side, and the jellies might not be as prevalent then.

Good luck on your visit.