AL: Amtrak returns: New Mardi Gras service reconnects hurricane-rebuilt towns

Amtrak cars will finally glide back onto Gulf Coast rails this Saturday, a triumphant return nearly 20 years after Hurricane Katrina swept away much of the coastline.

It’s a return nearly a generation in the making. The Mardi Gras Service, with its two daily trips between New Orleans and Mobile, includes stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. It rolls in exactly nine years and six months after an inspection train along the route drew dignitaries and crowds of well-wishers waving American flags and holding signs imploring for the train’s return.

In those years, coastal Mississippi has rebuilt and in many ways, reborn. Bay St. Louis, once “basically destroyed” as Katrina’s floodwaters swallowed its streets, now hums with art galleries, antique shops, cafes, and waterfront views.

“It’s been 20 years, so there is a lot of emotion involved,” said Roxanne DeNicola, owner of Café BoneJour Pet Boutique and Bakery in the Depot District. “To this day, we always look at things as before Katrina and after Katrina. I think that before Katrina, when the train was running, and now that it’s back, that is one more piece of the city that was lost which is now coming back.”

From the bayfront charms of Bay St. Louis to the vibrant seafood and casino scene of Biloxi, the route offers more than just a ride between the two anchor cities. The communities along the route hope the train becomes a traveling chance to step off, wander, and discover.

The route on Saturday is the inaugural train trip and includes dignitaries such as local politicians, members of Congress and federal rail authorities.

The first week of service on the Mardi Gras is already sold out, according to the Rail Passengers Association.

“On August 18th, for the first time in nearly 20 years, Amtrak service will resume between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama,” according to a statement Friday from the Rail Passengers Association President & CEO Jim Mathews. “This is a really big deal. It took years of patient advocacy — by Rail Passengers, our allies, and countless local constituents — to make it happen."

Historic Depot

In Bay St. Louis, visitors do not have to roam far from the 1927 L&N Railroad Depot, now turned into a museum, to learn about coastal history.

Susan Duffy, a concierge at the historic train depot, is anticipating an uptick in visitors who can learn about Mississippi rail history, blues music and about the Mardi Gras celebrations shared by every city along the train route.

Duffy is already laying down the framework for the longtime argument met with good-natured ribbing between Mobile and New Orleans: Who hosted the first Mardi Gras celebration? Mobile has long claimed the mantle and includes its role in the annual festival in Visit Mobile’s tagline: “Birthplace of Mardi Gras.”

But Duffy has her own pitch in that it was, after all, first discovered in the United States in 1699, before Mobile and New Orleans existed, in modern-day Mississippi where Iberville and his crews were anchored off Ship Island. Some historians believe the first Mardi Gras gathering in the U.S. happened at Mardi Gras Point (which no longer exists) in 1699, four years before Mobile’s claimed first Mardi Gras celebration in 1703.

“Mississippi had the first Mardi Gras, OK,” Duffy proudly declares inside a depot that is adorned with Mississippi Mardi Gras memorabilia that tells its story about its krewes.

“They love the costumes,” Duffy said about the attire on display inside the first building Amtrak Mardi Gras Service visitors will encounter when they hop off the train. “They love to see us in the visitors center. A lot of depots have been torn down so this is unique to Bay St. Louis.”

Depot District and Old Town

Visitors to Bay St. Louis will have several options to peruse the city. Unique to Bay St. Louis are golf carts, which can be rented for people needing a ride to the scenic Old Town, about 2-1/2 blocks from the depot.

“This may be a little pit stop for some people, but it’s a little gem on the coast,” said Jeff Cabe, 53, an Air Force retiree who has lived in Bay St. Louis for the past 12 years and who motors around the coastal city in his golf cart. “I’m sure people will discover it.”

The closest grouping of restaurants and shops along Blaize Avenue, is known as the Depot District. Within walking distance from the Amtrak train stop, the Depot District includes restaurants like Lagarde’s Fine Wine and Spirits, BBQ Depot and Uncle Joe’s Pizza.

“We’ve all been talking about how good this will be for the business,” said Gracie Dupont, 19, of Bay St. Louis, who works at the family-owned Uncle Joe’s along with Morgan Sand, 20, and bartender Jace Fairley, 27.

“It will be like a new era for Bay St. Louis,” she said.

Café BoneJour is located within the same row of businesses within the Depot District, and is selling train-specific doggie treats and toys for visitors.

DeNicola, the store’s owner, said much of the Depot District has come together over the past four years, and that the arrival of Amtrak is generating much of the buzz. Mardi Gras and Christmas parades take place within the district, and popular events like Wednesdays at the Depot draw large crowds to the area.

“The strip is completely revitalized,” she said, adding that her business was one of the very few within the district several years ago. “It went from being a ghost town with only my business and no foot traffic to now being a nice little spot with restaurants, bars, pilates, and another retail place. There is a ton of traffic. It’s a very nice place to eat, drink and shop. It’s come full circle.”

Within walking distance of the train stop is Old Town Bay St. Louis, a walkable area full of boutiques, art galleries, antique shops, restaurants and seaside bars.

Shay Coss, 44, of Bay St. Louis, said much of the area has seen growth since the hurricane, which has turned out to be a catalyst for eventually revitalizing area referred to as the “Secret Coast.”

The city has been described as revitalized into a laid-back, coastal community tucked away about 50 miles from New Orleans.

“I don’t think there is one experience in particular, but a totality of how the town makes you feel,” said Coss, who operates Magnolia Antiques. “There is nothing here you can’t do elsewhere. But it’s different in the way we make you feel here.”

Gulfport

The next stop along the Mardi Gras Service route is Gulfport which, much like Bay St. Louis, has a historic train station. The 1904 Union Station Railroad Depot is home to the Gulfport Museum of History where visitors can learn about the city’s 125-plus-year history.

“We get a lot of people coming into the museum and they all seem to want to know when the Amtrak train is coming back,” said Rhonda Tiery, 72, of Gulfport, who works at the museum.

She said of its return, “it’s going to be a big event.”

The town is ready for the visitors, and Tiery said there is plenty to do, including family fun scavenger hunts and bar crawls.

Across from the train stop is Chandeleur Island Brewing Company, the city’s only craft brewery that has been in operation since 2013. Chandeleur will have its Lil’ Smack IPA for purchase aboard the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service.

“I think this will give people the opportunity, if they haven’t come to Gulfport before, the chance to stop for the day, grab lunch and experience what we have to offer,” said Alissa Nugent, 33, the taproom bar manager at Chandeleur in Gulfport.

“There are so many different things to do here,” she added. “It’s not just the casinos anymore. There is a food and beverage explosion. A lot more family amusement things. It’s a nice getaway, and a staycation.”

The family-friendly feature, also within walking distance or a short Coast Transit Authority bus ride, is the Mississippi Aquarium, a 5.8-acre complex that incorporates both indoor and outdoor features and has over 200 species of animals.

Festivals are also popular in Gulfport and the other coastal Mississippi cities. The biggest attraction is Cruisin’ the Coast, Oct. 5-12. The event encompasses the cities stretching from Ocean Springs to Bay St. Louis, and businesses anticipate full Amtrak cars bringing visitors to the Mississippi coast.

“We are packed out in here,” said James Graben, 22, of Long Beach, Miss., and a bartender at Murky Waters BBQ, which is within a short walking distance of the Gulfport train stop. “I can certainly see a lot of New Orleans folks, especially those who heard about (Cruisin’ the Coast) coming to the (festival).”

The Peter Anderson Arts & Craft Festival, held on Nov. 8 and 9 in Ocean Springs, is also expected to be popular among those taking the Amtrak service. Plans are underway for a commuter bus to take passengers from the train station in Biloxi to Ocean Springs – a popular seaside community without a train stop but one where visitors travel for shopping and dining.

Biloxi

The Biloxi train stop doesn’t have many locally-owned restaurants or shops around it. But it’s within walking distance of Kessler Federal Park, home to the Shuckers, a Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Also nearby is the Beau Rivage Casino, among the popular towering Gulf-based casinos that draw visitors from New Orleans and Mobile.

“It will be nice to have people from different areas come in to grab a bit to eat before they leave to get to their next stop,” said Shannon Burton, 42, a lifelong Biloxi resident and warehouse manager at the family-owned Desporte’s Seafood LLC, along Caillavet Street, which is where the train stop is located.

The seafood restaurant and market is the closest retailer to the train stop.

“There should be a good amount of traffic coming in,” Burton said. “It will be a new thing for Biloxi.”

Flagship District

The last Mississippi stop before Mobile along the route is in Pascagoula, approximately a 40-mile drive west of the port city. The Pascagoula station is in the heart of the city’s Flagship District, a downtown area with shops, restaurants and parks.

Like Bay St. Louis and Gulfport, Pascagoula has a historic train station still standing where Amtrak will be stopping. But unlike those two cities, the Pascagoula L&N train station, first opened in 1904, will not be open in time for the start of the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service.

However, the station is being renovated into the second Mississippi Gulf Coast location for the Chandeleur Brewing Company.

Nugent, the taproom bar manager at the brewery in Gulfport, said that a representative will be at the Pascagoula train stop on Saturday handing out beer for people to sample.

“We’re very fortunate and grateful to be in both locations,” she said. There is no opening date yet for the Pascagoula location. “We are excited on what it will do for us and our community in general.”

Pascagoula visitors have options on where to dine, including eateries with deep historical roots. Perhaps the most visible is Scranton’s, a restaurant and bar inside an old 1883 fire station operated at a time when Pascagoula’s downtown used to be the Town of Scranton. The two towns merged and became Pascagoula in 1912.

Scranton’s owners Jackson Pickett and Amy Chenoweth Carlson are part of a family-owned tradition of a restaurant and bar that first opened in 1982. The building once had a civic center upstairs, but that has since been converted to downtown apartments.

“We’ve evolved, changed to meet the needs of the community,” Carlson said.

Carlson said the train’s arrival will be celebrated in Pascagoula. Scranton’s is planning to have a Dalmatian mascot holding a banner to welcome the train. The Krewe of DoDah’s, the city’s popular Mardi Gras Krewe, will be dressed and waiting for the train’s arrival on Saturday.

Carlson said she is hopeful the train’s return will also be a boost for the Grand Magnolia Ballroom and Suites, a seven-suite boutique hotel the family has owned since 2013 and is within a close distance to the train depot.

“We’re very excited,” Carlson said. “Personally, I’m very excited to zip to New Orleans and have alternative options (for transportation).”

She added, “Our downtown has boomed in the past couple of years, and the Pascagoula redevelopment authority is getting downtown living moving forward. We are expected for those people to travel over from New Orleans and Mobile to see what Pascagoula has to offer.”

The Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is also expected to bring people to festivals that occur within walking distance of the train stop. Aside from Mardi Gras, the city celebrates the Zonta Arts & Crafts Festival on Oct. 5; and the Goula Palooza, which may be the oddest of coastal gatherings that commemorate an alien abduction.

That event is akin to an alien-themed pub crawl and is a city favorite right before Halloween. It recognizes the Oct. 11, 1973 incident in which two Pascagoula men — Calvin Parker and Charles Hickson, now both deceased – claim they were abducted while fishing. The aliens were described as bulky creatures with claws. Once inside a spaceship, the men were examined and then returned to the riverbank.

The incident sparked a stir in coastal Mississippi and prompted Ocean Springs to approve an ordinance prohibiting people from shooting aliens. The incident named the “Pascagoula Incident” led to documentaries, movies and books.

And a legacy in a city that includes an October block party.

“People dress up as aliens,” said Holden Brady, 27, of Pascagoula who has owned and operated Craft 228 since it opened last October. “Live music. Vendors selling art items and all of that.”

Brady said he’s looking forward to Amtrak bringing passengers to Pascagoula to celebrate alien pub crawls and more.

“It will be cool to have people from the other cities stopping by on the train, having a couple of cocktails and checking out the view and restaurants around here,” he said. “Our little city is blowing up. They all have been talking about Amtrak coming here for a while. We’re anticipating a good crowd to come through here.”