Tunica Active Pursuits

While you could spend all day and night inside one of its nine casinos, Tunica offers many compelling reasons for you to cash in your chips and step outside for a while during your visit. Mississippi’s mild southern climate means you can play golf or tennis year-round, and Tunica has courts and three championship golf courses within easy distance of its casinos.

Tunica National Golf and Tennis Club is the newest addition to the Tunica golf family and is located at 1 Champions Lane in Tunica Resorts. The Mark McCumber-designed 18-hole tournament-level course offers challenging play, private golf lessons, uplink GPS in every golf cart and a golf academy.

Greens fees range from $49-$59 in the high season (March-November) depending upon the day of the week and $39-$49 in the winter months. Seniors age 60 or older can play for $30 March-November and $25 in the winter. Twilight fees range from $30-$37.

Tennis aficionados can reserve 90 minutes of court time on one of the club’s four indoor clay courts for $40 or take an hour-long private lesson for $60. Ball machines are also available for rent at $20 per hour. For more information, call the club at 866.TEE.OFF1 (866.833.6331) or 662.357.0777. www.tunicanational.com/.

The Links at Cottonwoods, located at Harrah’s Casino Tunica, is an 18-hole Hale Irwin championship golf course. More than half of the holes on this Scottish links-style course border water and 80 sand traps provide a nice challenge for veteran players and beginners alike.

Greens fees, including cart rental, range from $49-$69 Mondays through Thursdays and $59-$89 on weekends, depending on the time of year. Twilight fees range from $49-$59. For more information, contact the Links at Cottonwood at 13615 Old Highway 61 North in Tunica Resorts or call 800.WIN.4WIN, ext. 6078.
River Bend Links at Casino Strips Resorts is located between Sam’s Town, Hollywood Casinos and Harrah’s at 1205 Nine Lakes Dr. The Scottish links-style course was designed by Clyde Johnston and provides plenty of sand, water and grass bunkers for all players.

Greens fees, including cart rental, are $55 on weekdays, $65 on weekends, and range between $30-$35 for twilight tee times. For more information, contact River Bend Links at 888.539.9990 or 662.363.1005. www.riverbendlinks.com

In addition to the tennis courts at Tunica National, Harrah’s Tunica offers tennis courts for guests.
For the true outdoorsman, check out The Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting Center at Harrah’s Grand Casino. The clay, trap and skeet facility has 14 automated stations, designed to test all levels of target shooters. A round of 50 clay targets costs $52 and a round of 100 clays runs $82, including the use of a gun and ammunition. Shooters can bring their own guns and ammo and pay only $27 for 50 clays and $43 for 100 targets if they wish. Trap and skeet shoots cost $29 with a Willows gun and ammunition and $10 if personal equipment is used.

The center also hosts sporting clay tournaments and leads guided quail hunts in season. For more information, call 800.WIN.4WIN or 662.357.3154.

The G.W. Henderson Recreation Complex on Highway 61 includes a fitness center and an aquatic center with Olympic-sized pool, diving platforms and a children’s pool. Day passes are available.

Campers, fishers and those looking to relax in the natural beauty of Mississippi can head over to Arkabutla Lake and Dam or Tunica Lake.