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RVing the Southeast's Casinos
No matter how you roll the dice, RVers can find a wide variety of
entertainment and gaming opportunities across the Southeast to include in their
summer RVing plans. From the Atlantic Ocean to the banks of the Mississippi
River, and from the Smoky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, casinos offer RVers
entertainment, excitement, dining, shopping and fun. Some casinos even offer
camping facilities for their RVing visitors!
RVers can choose floating
casinos that include a cruise into the Atlantic from Florida, stationary
"floating" casinos along the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast, riverboats at
Tunica, Miss., and Shreveport, La., and casinos operated on Native American
Indian Tribal land in several states. While state laws vary, most require the
casinos to be technically "River Boats" or other "floating" facilities located
on the water. But many, like those along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi and Red
Rivers, never leave their dockside moorings.
Mississippi is one of the most
popular riverboat casino gambling destinations, offering 29 casinos from
Gulfport and Biloxi on the Gulf Coast north along the Mississippi to Tunica,
near the Tennessee state line. All riverboats remain dockside. There is also
casino action in Philadelphia, in central Mississippi, operated by the
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The casinos offer 24-hour gaming with the
latest in video and reel slots and tables games. Many of the casinos offer golf,
swimming, a spa, and nightly entertainment. Several of the casino locations in
Mississippi have RV parking, including Casino Magic (601-467-9257) in Bay St.
Louis and the Hollywood (800 871 0711), Sam's Town (800 456 0711) and Grand
Casinos (662-363-2788) in Tunica.
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SunCruz Casinos offers floating gaming and a cruise into the Atlantic from
several Florida locations.
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In Florida, travelers can park their RVs
and board cruise ships for a day of casino fun while enjoying an Atlantic Ocean
cruise. Ships depart from several locations along the coast, from Jacksonville
south to Key West. While gaming isn't technically legal in Florida, cruise ship
operators like Sun Cruise Casinos (904 249-9300) carry passengers into the
Atlantic, beyond the 3-mile limit, where they can enjoy slot machines,
blackjack, roulette, stud poker and a variety of other games along with great
food, music and dancing. Cruises last from three to five hours.
In South
Florida, several land-based casinos are operated by the Seminole Tribe. RVers
can choose metropolitan locations like Tampa or Miami, or more out-of-the-way
locations like Immokalee, near the Everglades. Hollywood Seminole bingo was the
first high stakes bingo operation in the country. The casinos offer high stakes
bingo, video gaming machines and low stakes poker. The Brighton Seminole
Campground (863-357-6644) in Okeechobee, Fla., has RVing facilities.
Paragon Casino Resort, a Native American casino in Marksville,
La., features an RV park with 166 pull-thru sites and shuttle service to
the casino and restaurants. |
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Most of
Louisiana's casinos are "floating" facilities offering 24-hour fun on the
Mississippi and Red Rivers and Lake Pontchartrain. The Paragon Casino
(318-253-1946) in Marksville, operated by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana,
was Louisiana's first land-based casino. Paragon provides an RV Park with 185
sites, a lodge, swimming pool, cable hook-ups, wireless Internet and free
shuttle bus to the casino. Gaming opportunities include traditional table games
like craps and roulette to blackjack and Pai-Gow poker, along with video poker
and slots.
All casinos have a strict age limit, and visitors must be at
least 21 years old to enter the gaming areas. But many of the casinos also
provide entertainment for their younger guests.
RVing the casinos isn't just
about the games. In addition to gaming, RVers can find terrific dining and
entertainment at the casinos across the Southeast. Whether you prefer an upscale
dining experience or a more casual atmosphere, most casinos offer RVers a
variety of choices. Traditional Southern dishes compete with continental cuisine
to provide a selection unbeatable in most traditional RVing locations.
Entertainment includes some of the most famous superstars in music and
comedy, Broadway shows, dance troupes, kaleidoscopic lasers, pyrotechnics and
more. You can dance the evening away to your favorite ballroom music or find
more lively entertainment at one of the disco lounges.
RVing the casinos can
be an enjoyable experience, even if you don't play the games. If you are looking
for a slightly different RV destination that offers a change of pace from the
beaches, the woods and the campgrounds of your usual RV park, consider RVing at
one or more of the Southeast casinos this summer.
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