There's a special excitement to visiting a place as its heyday kicks off. Gaming has already turned this sleepy Southern seaport into a boomtown. Forget Vegas flash: The new Biloxi is emerging as a diminutive, family-friendly younger sibling, with more to offer than just blackjack. A 45-minute drive from New Orleans, this maritime locale brims with Southern hospitality, not to mention 21 golf courses, plus lots of hearty Southern-Creole cooking.

Wynning Streak
Now six months old, the dazzling 1,780-room, $650 million Beau Rivage, brainchild of Bellagio impresario Steve Wynn, is the crowning glory of the Gulf Coast. Despite its name, the Southern-style decor owes more to ebullient New Orleans than sophisticated Monte Carlo. The atrium features 13 live grandfather magnolia trees, bought from several local families, and 10,000 flowering plants. Floors are lined with Italian marble mosaics, and bathrooms are fitted with hand-painted sinks. Guest rooms, decorated in Matisse wines, yellows, and azures, house original artwork that's lit with gallery lights and framed in gold (875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi;             888-750-7111       or             228-386-7444      ; double rooms with sunken spa tubs start at $89; three-room suites with his-and-her bathrooms start at $199).

 Paging Tara
Just a few blocks from the behemoth Beau Rivage, Green Oaks, an antebellum plantation house, is as genteel as its neighbor is imposing. Take your mint julep out onto the veranda and watch the waves roll up on the distant beach. A stay at the inn will take you back to the mid-1800s, when wealthy New Orleans aristocrats summered in these raised Creole cottages. The inn has 1860s mahogany beds and antique local maps, as well as a Waterford chandelier, turn-of-the-century china on the breakfast table, and not a reproduction in sight (580 Beach Blvd., Biloxi;             888-436-6257       or             228-436-6257      ; rooms range from $125-$155).

Richest Po' Boy
Who has the best po' boys in town? I'd stake my money on the crabmeat-and-cheese pressed sandwiches at the Old Biloxi Schooner. This hangout has been a local mainstay for 15 years. Slightly off the beaten track, the Old Schooner has dingy walls, fading photographs of fishing boats all around, brown booths, and a classic jukebox. Sink your teeth into the soft, toasted crab and cheese and you'll agree: These rich, gooey sandwiches easily trump those hard-roll-piled-with-fried-shrimp po' boys any day. Locals insist they're best with native Barq's root beer (159 Howard St., Biloxi;             228-374-8071      ; lunch for two is about $15, before tax, and tip).

Nouvelle South
On a nice day, locals ask for a table on The Porter House's back patio, where an old cedar tree grows through the floor and the sounds of a makeshift fountain compete with the whirring of the ceiling fans. Diners munch on jalapeno peppers filled with crab and topped with a red-pepper sour cream, or the smoked-chicken-and-andouille-sausage gumbo served with rice pilaf. Entrees include classics like fried catfish served with crawfish, cream sauce, and a spicy kick. Cool off afterward with a slice of tangy key lime cheesecake (604 Porter Ave., Ocean Springs, about four miles from Biloxi;             228-875-3663      ; dinner for two is about $50).

  All Fired Up
Perhaps because of the smooth clay found in local riverbeds, pottery's the medium for artisans here. See modernist jugs at the George E. Ohr Arts and Cultural Center, a show case for his fin de siecle work, or pick up contemporary designs at Shearwater Pottery, owned by descendants of the three Anderson brothers, including Walter, a celebrated folk artist. Clean lines and pale colors give even basic cream-and-sugar-bowl sets ($30) a fresh look (102 Shearwater Drive, Ocean Springs;             228-875-7320      ).

Catch of the Day
With white sails billowing from 50-foot masts, the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum's two wooden schooners are a symbol of the last turn-of-the-century, when Biloxi was a fishing capital, before technology and catch restrictions emptied the harbor's skyline. The two massive cypress boats, replicas of the kind used for oystering, sail daily along the coastline from Point Cadet Marina (call             228-435-6320       for reservations; a two-and-a-half hour cruise costs $15).

 Islands in the Stream
Escape from the casino-lined mainland to the beach oasis of the Gulf Islands. A one-hour ferry ride away, these still-wild islands have 26 miles of white-sand beaches, hidden lagoons, and surf crashing in from the Gulf. Protected as national parkland, they're covered with oak and pines-just don't forget sunscreen, bug repellent, and a bag lunch (ferries leave twice daily from Gulfport harbor; the round-trip fare is $16;             800-388-3290      ).