‘Tiny homes,’ RV park open
Sitting on the porch of a tiny home in the Pearl River RV Park and Tiny Homes in the shadow of the Golden Moon Casino gives campers the same feeling as sitting on their own porch, says owner William Shirley.
“I sit out on the porch of one of these homes, and it feels no different than sitting on the porch at home,” Shirley said. “It’s a much different atmosphere in one of these than a hotel room.”
Shirley runs the park along with his sister-in-law, Hermalinda Shirley.
Hermalinda Shirley said the park is a cozy place to vacation without worrying about booking a hotel.
“I recommend coming out and taking a tour here,” she said. “It’s a home away from home, and everyone is welcome.”
The park, which opened to the public April 1 is located at 242 Martin Road across the street from the Golden Moon. It offers 45 RV spots and 10 tiny homes for rent.
Shirley, a Texas native, and owner of the park, visits the Neshoba and Philadelphia area frequently and said she and her husband Ben use to park their RV in the Golden Moon parking lot often.
“I met Ben in Tampa, Florida, and we moved to Meridian, Mississippi, 15 years ago,” Shirley said. “We’re close to Philadelphia, and we love visiting there for the Neshoba County Fair, Marty Stuart, and events like Ham Jam. We used to be frequent RV users.”
Each RV spot is $75 a night. A tiny home is $269 a night Sunday through Thursday, and $299 a night Friday and Saturday. Each RV spot is concrete, with a sewer and water system.
Each house is around a little less than 400 square feet. Shirley said two of the houses have one bedroom with a queen bed, and the other eight have two bedrooms (one with a queen bed and one with two bunk beds) and come fully equipped with a kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom.
Shirley said she and her husband felt there was a need for an RV park in the area, especially near the casino, so she met with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians development team in late 2020 and got the project started.
Around 16 months later, with the help of Stone Canyon Homes based in Brilliant, Alabama, the park was ready for the public.
“It was COVID that sparked the idea for the park,” Shirley said. “When the pandemic started, people were buying more RVs than ever, and tiny homes gave people the social distancing they needed to be safe. I’m in Philadelphia weekly, and my husband and I bought a tiny home of our own in the park.”
William Shirley said he is at the park daily to oversee the park’s residents and activities.
“I’ve been onboard with this park for around five months,” Shirley said. “We just opened last week, so there’s been a lot of prep work, and we’re still working today on putting gravel down.”
Shirley, who lives in Quitman, said many people bring their RVs through the area to attend functions and festivals in downtown Philadelphia, the Neshoba County Fair, Geyser Falls, or hang out with family and friends.
“These are small houses with everything a normal house has,” Shirley said. “In my travels in Mississippi, I always recommend places I go, and Neshoba is no exception. I recommend everyone comes to visit and stop by the park while you’re here.”
For more information about the Pearl River RV Park and Tiny Homes, call the park at 601-780-0663.