Another favorite dining destination for my grandparents and me was the place we called The Marina, which was actually a restaurant at the Broadwater beach Marina across from the Broadwater Beach Hotel. The restaurant had great food, particularly seafood, and also had great views of the Gulf of Mexico. As for the hotel, it was by far the most elegant and upscale resort on the Mississippi Coast, featuring two golf courses, and a large elegant swimming pool. My grandmother must have had a connection with someone in the hotel's management, because I recall being able to swim in the hotel pool at least one summer, probably 1984, given the pictures I took. Although the Broadwater Beach and its marina had been coast favorites, visited by many entertainers and celebrities, they began to fall on hard times when legal casinos came to the coast. The Broadwater Beach came under the control of the President Casino, and an ugly riverboat (later a barge) was placed across the street from it on the other side of the marina from the restaurant. Under the control of the casino, the Broadwater Beach began a slow decline, which was furthered by the construction and opening of other casinos and hotels, both in Gulfport and Biloxi. And the restaurants also declined, as people opted for the restaurants and buffets that were in the casinos. By the summer of 2005, the Broadwater Beach Hotel and casino had closed, and demolition was planned, so that a totally new hotel and casino could be built. But instead, in August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed both the marina and the hotel. Neither was rebuilt, and only the roads and dykes of the old marina remain.
No comments:
Post a Comment