Travel briefs

Cruise line interested in Mississippi Gulf Coast

GULFPORT, Miss. -- The State Port at Gulfport, which serves as the temporary dock for the Carnival Cruise line ship Conquest, is being considered by another cruise line, said Don Allee, the port's executive director.

Allee would not name the company but said it's "one of the major carriers" in the Gulf of Mexico.

"We exchanged some information recently about the possibility of a regularly scheduled cruise service," Allee said. "It was an inquiry that I'm convinced we wouldn't have had ... had we not had the ability to demonstrate what we can do with the Conquest."

The Conquest, a 952-foot-long cruise ship, has been using the State Port at Gulfport for once-a-week cruises since March 9 because the rising Mississippi River and low-slung power lines made it unsafe for the ship to dock at New Orleans.

The Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau recently began a $30,000 advertising campaign using the Carnival voyages as the centerpiece. Officials had hoped the Conquest docking would attract a permanent cruise line.

When Carnival first diverted the ship to Gulfport, plans were for six weeks with the option of six more. So far, there have been eight.

"I would not be surprised if we saw more than 12 sailings," Allee said.

Exhibit focuses on segregated beach

CONWAY, S.C. -- A new exhibit captures the heyday of Atlantic Beach -- a time the historically black beach town was segregated even in the surf.

The exhibit, "The Black Pearl: A Celebration of the Times and Lives of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina," is on display at the Horry County Museum in Conway.

It includes photos and postcards from the 1940s and 1950s and features transcripts of interviews with town residents. It is part of an effort by the Atlantic Beach Historical Society to preserve the history of the town.

The exhibit reflects life in the town when segregation extended into the ocean with ropes in the surf dividing Atlantic Beach and North Myrtle Beach.

"But intertwined with it is the fun times," said historical society president Sherry Suttles. "It's almost because it was segregated and closed off from the rest of the world that it spawned this wonderful, vibrant life in the streets."

During segregation, black performers such as James Brown stayed in Atlantic Beach after performing in nearby South Carolina cities.

--From wire reports