Casino Cash Fuels Miss. Tourist Attractions
T U N I C A, Miss., Dec. 26, 2003 -- A $26 million museum and ecological park has opened on the banks of the Mississippi River, the latest in a line of entertainment developments largely paid for with casino tax money that Tunica County officials hope will lure a wider range ofvisitors.
The Tunica RiverPark, which opened its doors Nov. 19, features a37,000-square-foot museum with artifacts that date to the days ofthe explorer Hernando DeSoto, aquariums swimming with river lifeand interactive exhibits where visitors can pilot their ownriverboats.
The museum sits on 130 acres of wilderness through whichdevelopers plan to build a network of trails. Nearby, tourists canfloat up the river on an old-fashioned paddleboat, passing bothcotton fields and casinos in what was once the poorest region inthe nation.
The park is the most recent in a line of projects built by acounty now flush with revenue from its nine casinos and the roughly12 million people — many from Memphis, Tenn., a short drive to thenorth — that the gambling halls bring in each year. The strategy isthis: now that they have the gamblers, county officials want todiversify and attract families to the area, too.
"The way we look at it, the casino folks are going to come hereanyway," said Tunica County spokesman Jeff Piselli. "You're goingto have people from all over the place coming to see this, andthey'll bring their kids. We don't really lose anything, what weget is an entire different demographic."
Country Roads Lead to Casinos
A decade ago, the landscape of this rural county of about 9,400was mainly an unbroken terrain of cotton and soybean fields. Today,golf courses, restaurants and retailers have sprung up on thecountry roads that connect the county's nine casinos.
Jon Lucas, president of Park Place Entertainment's Tunica group,which owns the Grand, Sheraton and Bally's casinos, compares Tunicatoday to another gambling destination 20 years ago.
"It's a very similar story to the early days of AtlanticCity," Lucas said. "Atlantic City had deteriorated and was aneconomically depressed area. It was a way of helping revive thatarea." The county in fiscal year 2003 made $43 million in gamingrevenue, according to figures provided by the Tunica Convention andVisitors Bureau. Since gaming came to this corner of the Delta in1992, the county has pulled in $361.5 million.
Last year, the first fruits of the building spree resulted in alivestock and exposition center and the Tunica Museum.
The Tunica National Golf and Tennis Center, a $12 millionproject, is scheduled to be finished soon. A $5 million aquaticcenter with an Olympic-sized pool is under construction.
Officials also have $38 million plans to expand the countyairport's runway and construct a new terminal building.
Remember Vegas?
More projects are in the works. A group of investors calledTunica Motor Sports Inc. wants to build a motor speedway on a pieceof land on U.S. 61. The group this week filed a rezoning requestwith the county's planning commission, said Gary Copeland, directorof planning and development.
Bobby Windham is the owner of the Hollywood Cafe, a landmarkdiner and live music venue known for its fried dill pickles; thecafe and its late piano player were immortalized in Mark Cohn'ssong "Walking in Memphis" ("Now Muriel plays piano/Every Fridayat the Hollywood"). Windham says the opportunities for localbusinesses today are enormous compared to a few years ago.
"You don't remember Vegas? Those places out there, they startedwith nothing, and look at them today," Windham said. "It's goingto get bigger and bigger and bigger." If You Go…
TUNICA, MISS.: Home to Bally's, Fitzgeralds, Gold Strike, GrandCasino, Harrah's, Hollywood, Horseshoe, Sam's Town and Sheratoncasinos. Call (888) 4TUNICA or visit www.tunicamiss.org for helpwith lodging or more information on local activities. TUNICA RIVERPARK: Harbor, observation deck, ecotrail, aquariums,marina. Call (662) 357-0050 or visitwww.tunica-ms.com/tunica-river-park. TUNICA QUEEN: A 300-seat, non-gaming paddle-wheeler boat withcruises throughout the day and evening. Prices vary; meals andentertainment on some cruises. Contact (866) 805-3535 orwww.tunicaqueen.com for details. GOLF: River Bend Links Golf Course, at www.riverbendlinks.com or(888) 539-9990; and Cottonwoods Golf Course, (662) 363-2788. TunicaNational Golf and Tennis is due to open next year; call (662)357-1472 for details. MUSEUM: History of local development, Indians, farming. Locatedon Highway 61 south of the casinos. Admission is free. Open Tuesdaythrough Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (662) 363-6631 for moreinformation. NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Tunica is 19 miles south of Memphis, Tenn.,home to Graceland, the Museum of American Soul Music, theSmithsonian Rock'n'Soul Museum, and the legendary Beale Streetmusic district. For more information, contact the MemphisConvention & Visitors Bureau at (901) 543-5300 orwww.memphistravel.com.