Hubs and I have been itching to take a road trip...ok maybe it was more that I was desperate to get away than Hubs. We had some options including Nashville, Atlanta, and Tunica. We chose to visit Tunica as our friends have been lots of times and talk about how much fun they had. After much deliberation on the Tunica tourism website, we chose to reserve a room at the Gold Strike.
We had actually never been to a casino or really gambled before and thought this would be a fun experience. We arrived at the Gold Strike around 6:30 or so. They have plenty of parking out front but we were turned on to their back parking deck by Hubs' boss. The parking deck proved so convenient. We were able to park just feet from the elevators. Check-in was so easy and they really make you feel like royatly. The Gold Strike is the second tallest building in Mississippi with 34 floors. Our room was on the 24th floor. After freshing up, Hubs and I visited the Courtyard Buffet before visiting the Casino. The Courtyard Buffet has a Steak & Lobster night on Fridays and Saturdays. If you eat crab legs and lobster, then the cost is well worth it. I thought it was a little steep for a buffet but the food was good and we were starving. Our first excitement came late Friday night. We were such beginners on the slots and were playing penny slots. I finally got the courage to bet up to 30 cents. My big win came from a 30 cent bet on the Hee-Haw (you know..as in the show with Minnie Pearl) penny slot. I won a nice amount and cashed out for the night.
Saturday morning, we visited the Courtyard Buffet again for breakfast. Again, it was a weekend price ($15.99 for BREAKFAST) but it was called the Champagne Brunch. They had everything! Since it was brunch, they not only had three kinds of eggs and every breakfast meat you could want, but they had fried chicken and all the fixins. They had an omlette station and 100lbs of shrimp cocktail. They even had a chocolate fountain and complimentary champagne. We decided to venture out and burn off some calories so we drove down to Sam's Town and the Hollywood. Both were mega-themed and really fun to visit. We played for a few minutes at Sam's Town (themed like an old western town) where Bobby instantly won...on another Hee-Haw penny machine!! The Hollywood was a lot of fun. We checked out their movie memorabilia while playing a little bit of video Blackjack (those computers cheat!). I played long enough to earn points for a 25 cent lunch. We had lunch at the Epic Buffet and it was great. Hubs basically had a Thanksgiving feast while I thoroughly loved their ice cream with more toppings than you could dream of. Hollywood also has a 50's-Themed Diner that we didn't visit but definitely plan to on our next visit.
We drove around the casino area (which actually lies 12 miles outside of the city limits of Tunica) and decided to go back to rest. We were exhausted! After agreeing not to take naps, we both ended up falling asleep for an hour or so. We headed back down to the casino at Gold Strike and played around for a while. Watching people get excited at the Craps table or hearing squeals after someone wins is so much fun. It is truly a fun atmostphere. We got hungry around 8:30 and visited the Atrium Cafe for dinner. The cafe is set up to look like you are under a gazebo in a garden. Even at 9 at night, it felt like the sun was shining indoors.
Sunday morning, we got up and packed. It was sad to see the weekend almost over but time to get back to real life. We hit the breakfast buffet one last time and headed home. It was a fun weekend and a nice getaway. Birmingham really feels like the center of everything sometimes. 4-5 hours to many great locations. I love weekend road trips!
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