Other Areas To Visit In Louisiana?

[MiniMe]

Since I'm looking into planning a trip in the future to New Orleans, I thought it might be a good idea to see some of the other counties and cities. Are there any areas that you all would recommend?

 

[J Lynn]

Houma, LA
Once a small town, now rapidly growing. All the shopping you can think of, hotels being built as we speak. Lots of resturants and even B&Bs. It's only about 60 miles SW of New Orleans.

 

[Desiree]

St. Francisville has tons of plantation homes up there. And it's very hilly and pretty up that way. There are alot of scenic routes to take to get there. Be sure to visit The Myrtles Plantation, it is one of the most haunted houses in America!

Here in Baton Rouge, we have a couple of casinos and the campus at LSU is beautiful. We've got some museums as well. The USS Kidd Memorial is right on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Oh and our counties in Louisiana are actually called parishes! We're the only state to not have counties. Weird, huh?

Also, Lafayette has alot ot see and do as well. There are several swamp tours and you can tour the Tabasco plant as well as the Morton Salt domes.

 

[Sherri]

How far is St.Francisville from New Orleans? We would love to go there when we visit in July. Where are the closest beaches to New Orleans and can it be a day trip if we are staying in New Orleans? Any info. would be helpful. We are going the end of June. Thanks

 

[Desiree]

Sherri, it's roughly an hour and 15 minutes (depending on traffic) to get to Baton Rouge from New Orleans, and from New Orleans to St. Francisville it will probably take you about 2 hours to get there. It could easily be done in a day.

As far as beaches, I wouldn't recommend any in Louisiana. You may be ok with Biloxi or Gulfport but I'm pretty sure they are torn up as well. Your best bet for beaches may be Pensacola or Destin. They are about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from New Orleans.

 

[yecats]

First off you'll want to see the local plantations in Louisiana as many are very beautiful and most are within 1 to 2 hours drive outside of the New Orleans area. Of course in New Orleans there is the French Quarter, Riverboats, Mardi Gras Museum, various other museums (WWII & art), Audubon Park (our zoo), the Aquarium (which should be reopening soon according to news reports), Garden District and bayou/swamp tours. Also there is the Jean Lafitte National Park Museum on Decatur (few blocks South of Cafe DuMonde) which has a lot of info on New Orleans and attractions to see. Not to mention Baton Rouge is only 82 miles away (1hr 15min. by car), Lafayette is 150 miles away (about 2+ hours drive), St. Francisville (about 2 hour drive) and Biloxi, MS is also about 82 miles away from N.O. (about 1hr 15 min). I would get on NOLA.com for current information regarding the tourist sites (to see what is open and what will be opening by the time you come to visit. Also check out Louisianatravel.com for more information. I would tell you to visit the Chalmette National Park (where Battle of New Orleans took place) but that whole area was destroyed by Katrina (that is where I resided) and I know that the National Park Service is attempting to restore the area (it may or may not be ready when your there).

As for the beaches Louisiana's coastline is pretty torn up from one end to the other and isn't easy to reach them either way. Your better off going to Alabama (Gulfshores and Orange Beach - 2hr 1/2 drive from N.O.) and Florida (Pensacola - 3 hr drive from N.O.) coast for beaches but be warned those areas had hurricanes in 2004 (Ivan) and are still recovering as well. If you just want to hang out at a beach (not going in the water) then I would suggest Gulfport/Biloxi beach area. The reason I wouldn't tell you to swim in the water is because of the hurricane debris which was swept into the Gulf. You can drive along Beach Blvd there (all the beautifull homes are completely gone now) and park and you will see the large Oak Tree limbs sticking out of the water in the Gulf. The beaches there have been cleaned but you can't see what is in the water when you step out into it. There is plenty to do and see in the LA/MS areas and your hotel should also have the various brochures showing a lot of the areas to visit.

June is very hot and humid in this area so I would tell you to treat it like a Disney trip in summer (hats, sunscreen/lotion and a cooling fan). Have a wonderful vacation.

 

[Sherri]

Desiree and yecats, Thank you so much for the good ideas on this trip. I know it will be bittersweet and I am sure what I have seen on tv doesn't even begin to compare what it must be like in person.
I am very sorry for everything you both must have lost.
I hope things are getting better for everyone. Though as we see on the news its way too slow of a process.

 

[MiniMe]

St. Francisville has tons of plantation homes up there. And it's very hilly and pretty up that way. There are alot of scenic routes to take to get there. Be sure to visit The Myrtles Plantation, it is one of the most haunted houses in America!

Here in Baton Rouge, we have a couple of casinos and the campus at LSU is beautiful. We've got some museums as well. The USS Kidd Memorial is right on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Oh and our counties in Louisiana are actually called parishes! We're the only state to not have counties. Weird, huh?

Also, Lafayette has alot ot see and do as well. There are several swamp tours and you can tour the Tabasco plant as well as the Morton Salt domes.

Great feedback! Thanks everyone...I have a lot of questions to ask...

first of all, this might be a silly question but what are the morton salt domes?

 

[Desiree]

Here's a link that tells you about the salt mining and the domes...

http://www.mortonsalt.com/industrial/products/facilities_rock.htm

Hope that helps!

 

[MiniMe]

Thanks! That's a great explaination. I had no idea that Louisiana was home to salt mines.

As far as the plantations go. What time of year would you recommend for visiting? Is it best in autumn, or is summer pretty as well?

 

[J Lynn]

Summers are very hot down here....miz-ra-ble even. Nov,Dec,Jan,Feb are the best for weather.

 

[Desiree]

Like J Lynn said, it does tend to stay hot down here at least 9 months out of the year. But if you want to go when there are plenty of flowers in bloom, I would maybe say around the late fall or early spring when it's not blazing hot just yet.

 

[MiniMe]

Right now, 80 degree weather sounds nice I love traveling in October as well, especially around the east coast when all the trees are gorgeous! I visited nola.com for more informationa bout the sites within new Orleans, but I have to admit that the more I hear about the surrounding areas, the more I want to visit those too. If you were going to take a trip around Louisiana, do you think one week would be enough time to hit up some of the major areas you guys mentioned? Or would it be better to give myself more time?

Thanks again for all the excellent feedback!

 

[J Lynn]

Oh, a week should be fine. Can you believe that I've been in only one plantation and I lived here my whole life! Drive by them alot....but never took time to visit .

 

[MiniMe]

well, that's understandable...for some strange reason it always seems like we don't take advantage of as many of the sites in the areas where we live...

Have you ever heard anything about carriage rides through the cemetary? I've heard that they are fun in NO...

 

[yecats]

I can honestly say that I've never seen carriages going through the cemetary except when a jazz funeral was in procession. I love learning something new about the state I am from (I didn't know that Morton's had a mining operation here). A week should be enough time to see plenty - you'll enjoy it but just take it slow in the heat and always have water with you. Plan on eating plenty of food (we specialize in our food) and walking it off afterwards (all of our food is very fattening). I had to laugh at Martha Stewart the other day because frankly she doesn't know a thing about shrimp boiling. Just be warned all of our food here is spicy and the locals are used to it and will tell you that its not spicy at all (to us it isn't spicy anymore as we still add plenty of Tony's Sacherie, cayenne, hot sauce and pepper to it after it is served). Have a great time.

 

[vital]

I agree about not getting in the water at any of the Mississippi beaches. The next alternative you could do is take the tour boat out to Ship Island and see the fort and lounge on the beach there. On the south side of the island, it should be ok to get in the water. It's only about a 1/2-1/4 mile walk across the island. I'd still wear water shoes though. As a child I almost stepped on a sting ray in the shallow water OUCH! I really enjoy going to Ship Island for the clearer water and touring the old fort. I try to imagine the soldiers who lived there and what they must've gone through if there ever was a hurricane while they were there. You can also see the pass that hurricane Camille cut through the island. I've read that it's even greater after Katrina. Anyway, have fun and thanks for bringing some much needed revenue to our states!

 

[Desiree]

Wait, I'm not even sure Ship Island is open anymore. I know it took some pretty serious damage. I know the pier and the concession area/restrooms were damaged heavily due to Katrina. At least that's was the last time I checked the website and that was a few months ago. I know the fort did sustain some damage too but I'm not sure to what extent.

 

[Desiree]

Wait, I stand corrected.. Here's a blurb from their website:

"In 2005, Hurricane Katrina's 30 foot plus tidal surge covered West Ship Island and destroyed all buildings except Fort Massachusetts. Currently the pier and boardwalk have been rebuilt. Visitors can still enjoy sandy white beaches, where the Mississippi Sound meets the clear, green waters of Gulf of Mexico and tours of historic Fort Massachusetts. Visitors must be prepared for sun and lack of water on the island. Bathrooms, refreshments, and water are available on board the Ship Island ferries.
Visitors are required to pack out whatever they bring to the island, including litter. A one-third mile walk is required to reach the more popular Gulf of Mexico beach on the south side of island. Large ice chests, wagons, bulky items, and glass containers are prohibited. Sorry no pets. If you have questions or need additional information please call 228-864-1014. "