Greater New Orleans
Top Day Hikes in Louisiana
The words hiking and Louisiana don't often go together. They certainly don't conjure up images of rugged mountain trails past bubbling creeks. But if you know where to look, Louisiana offers a unique chance to get outdoors in a different way. Discover a boardwalk...
Experiencing the Holidays
With Thanksgiving behind us and the tree ready for decorating in our front room, I can officially say we're full swing into the holiday spirit. This is the time of year I make my wish list of must-hit events and prepare the kids for running full steam ahead until...
Northshore Trails: Northlake Nature Center and Big Branch Marsh
On this gorgeous fall weekend, we took advantage of the weather to revisit two of our favorite hiking trails on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. Despite being surrounded by towns and cars and people, the Northlake Nature Center and Big Branch Marsh National...
Cooling off in Bogue Chitto State Park
On an unbelievably hot Louisiana summer day, we set out to cool our toes in the waters on the Bogue Chitto River. The state park by the same name is one of Louisiana's newest state parks, located near Franklinton. Loblolly pine tree The drive there on LA-25 north...
Tickfaw State Park and Lake Maurepas’ Northshore
On a whim, we recently decided to take a little drive and check out Tickfaw State Park in Springfield, not far from Ponchatoula and Hammond. It was a scenic journey, north on I-55 through that swampy strip of land sectioning off Lake Maurepas from Lake Pontchartrain....
Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans
In a city known for its cemeteries, each one is more unique and beautiful than the last. One of our favorites, though, is Metairie Cemetery, built on the grounds of a former horse racing track. Opened in 1838, it was the premiere race track of the South, competing...
History and Hollywood in New Orleans’ Garden District
Another Garden District Beauty In the midst of t-ball and swim lessons, we've been sticking close to home as of late, taking short adventures in and around New Orleans. Our latest outing was something we rarely do, a guided walking tour of one of the most...
New Orleans: Paddlewheels, History and Beignets
On a coveted three day holiday weekend, t-ball and birthday parties kept us tied to the city, so we used the extra day to explore our hometown. It's so easy to settle into work and school routines during the week, and take off exploring the unique small towns and...
End of the Road: Jefferson Parish’s Town of Jean Lafitte
We've been on a kick lately traveling to the end of all the roads in Louisiana--first in Plaquemines, then St. Bernard and now Jefferson via the Town of Jean Lafitte. It's altogether quite a different drive than the other two, most notably because we didn't seem to...
St. Bernard: From Old Arabi to Shell Beach
Nearly two years ago, we drove the San Bernardo Scenic Byway through St. Bernard Parish, headed for the Chalmette Battlefield and the Los Islenos Fiesta. This weekend we returned to hit a few spots we had missed on our initial journey, starting with Old Arabi and...
End of the Road in Plaquemines
It's not easy to get lost in Plaquemines Parish. There's one main road that runs down the left side of the Mississippi River and one down the right. Once you get on it, you simply drive straight ahead until you reach the end. We chose Highway 23 on the left side and...
Tulane’s “Faces of the Maya”
On our evening walks around Uptown New Orleans, we've discovered one the best places to take rambunctious kids is Tulane University. We get a little bit of exercise walking there, and they get to jump out as soon as we reach the university and let loose. It's the...
Fall at the Swamp
Although we've explored the trails at Jean Lafitte National Park's Barataria Preserve dozens of times, every trip brings new discoveries. Sunday was the perfect day to visit, with mildly cool weather accented by rust-colored cypress trees and red maples (our...
Charming Madisonville
The tiny town of Madisonville perched its stilted houses and businesses along the banks of the Tchefuncte River, which flows south and widens as it enters Lake Pontchartrain. Countless days of rain had prompted us to visit this historic maritime community, whose past...
French Quarter Fest…with Kids
French Quarter Fest, the largest free music festival in the South, is four, packed days of more than 800 local musicians playing on 22 stages throughout the Quarter's historic streets and waterfront. Now in its 29th year, the event has ballooned into a massive...
Zebras and Lizards at the Global Wildlife Center and Bogue Chitto State Park
Beyond Lake Pontchartrain and Covington, out past sprawling plant nurseries, lies the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom. We made the trek to the far reaches of the Northshore to see the more than 4,000 exotic animals that reside here at this 900-acre wildlife preserve....
Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
Bundled in puffy jackets and hoods, we fought the weekend's blustery weather and - in between Mardi Gras parades - carved out some time to discover another of Southeast Louisiana's (SELA) eight National Wildlife Refuges. Encompassing nearly 19,000 acres of Lake...
The Secrets of New Orleans East: Bayou Sauvage & Historic Forts
Beyond a line of Vietnamese stores and restaurants, Chef Menteur Highway journeys to the far edges of New Orleans, deep into the nation's largest urban National Wildlife Refuge. Just a short distance from our house, Bayou Sauvage NWR is a flashback to what much of...
Two Holiday Outings: Cirque Dreams Holidaze and Celebration in the Oaks
During this magical holiday season, we decided to take the kiddos on a tour of some of the "magic" happening around town. At nearly 4 years old, Charles seemed prepared for his debut into the theater scene. A travelzoo offer got us $11 tickets to Cirque Dreams...
Dinosaurs Attack at Audubon Zoo
To build up the anticipation for visiting the Lafayette Science Museum's Dinosaurs exhibit, we ended our long Thanksgiving weekend with a trip to the Audubon Zoo and its own Dinosaur Adventure. The normally packed zoo was nearly empty on this bitter cold and dreary...
Barataria Buccaneers’ Day
Our latest trip took us back to one of our earliest adventure locations - Jean Lafitte National Park. It was Barataria Buccaneers' Day at the Barataria Preserve in Marrero, and Charles was on a mission to become a Junior Ranger/Privateer. Sweetgum seeds in the forest...
Knighted at Ren Fest
Every November on the outskirts of Hammond, men, women and children dust off their swords and corsets and step back in time to the village of Albright. They become the centerpiece of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, affectionately known as Ren Fest, and they open...
Halloween Hauntings
This Halloween weekend, we took advantage of the ghouls and goblins haunting New Orleans. We kicked it off Friday night at Audubon Zoo's "Boo at the Zoo," where hundreds of Jedis, princesses and fairytale characters had replaced the usual wild animals found at the...
Weekend of NOLA Festivals
When October arrives, those lazy summer months fall to the wayside and festival season kicks into high gear. I had our calendar booked and had mentally prepared the family for a packed weekend. Pony rides at the Children's Book Festival We started off Saturday...
A Straight Drive Down Carrollton Ave.
Every Fall, I feel the urge to search the web for u-pick farms and local produce. I'm not much of a gardener myself, shying away from dirty fingernails and mosquito attacks, but the prospect of pumpkin patches and fairytale gourds draws me out to the country—normally....
Two Northshore Parks: Fontainebleau and Northlake Nature Center
Boys will be boys. That's the one thing I have discovered to be overwhelmingly true about our three-year-old son, whose favorite color is blue, is obsessed with dinosaurs and thinks the greatest achievement in life is to find every bug that exists on this planet. Put...
Across the River to Algiers Point
Today we hopped in the car and started driving with no destination in mind. Heading toward downtown New Orleans, we made a split second decision to cross the Crescent City Connection when the bridge appeared in the distance. The first exit on the Westbank may not...
Art and Planes in New Orleans’ Warehouse District
One of several Walter Anderson paintings on display at the OgdenThe air conditioning is running nonstop these days. I find as I get older, I have less tolerance for the heat, while the kiddos seem to be oblivious to it. In a desperate effort to keep them inside, I was...
Summer in the French Quarter
Back from a two week vacation along the coast of California, it was rough stepping off the plane in a fleece jacket into a wall of hot, sticky air. Everything instantly slowed to a crawl -- breathing got harder, walking became an enormous task and carrying luggage...
A Stroll Down Oak Street
Main streets across the country have designed themselves into one-stop destinations, luring us in with fancy sidewalks and nice landscaping and then keeping us there with an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants and coffee shops. Uptown New Orleans has several of these...
St. Tammany’s East Side: Slidell
6:15 a.m. and both kids were up and rearing to go. Charles was pulling on his shoes while asking me in the sweetest toddler voice possible, "Mommy, can we go on an adventure today?" August squealed in agreement. I checked the temperature, and it was already 80 degrees...
A Studio in the Woods
I'll admit it, I'm a map junkie. Everyone nowadays has GPS in their cars or on their iphone, but I love the feel of an actual map in my hands. Sometimes when I'm bored, I'll just pick up a map and start looking it over, searching for something I've never seen before....
Longue Vue House and Gardens
It was a typical morning, only 7:30 a.m. and Charles' three-foot, stuffed T-Rex had already tried to eat August and had succeeded in eating his yogurt snacks. I had my exercise in for the day after chasing the squealing 3-year-old around the house in my desperate...
A Closer look at City Park
Journalist Chris Rose was on the news the other night expounding on how most people don't play tourist in their own city. He, for example, had never been to the World War II Museum or Preservation Hall. While I had both of these covered, there were some places in New...
Down in Da Parish
Lured into St. Bernard Parish by a festival, we ended up staying late into the evening to see plantations, a battlefield and chickens. That's right, chickens kept us out way past nap time. But I digress. It all started when I saw the newspaper article about the Los...
Lake Pontchartrain’s Northshore
Every Monday morning, thousands of people wake up at the crack of dawn to leave their homes and drive across the longest bridge in the world to their jobs in the city. A lover of sleep and a hater of traffic, I've always wondered what could possess someone to...
It’s Carnival Time!
There are some things in life that children have to learn at an early age. Take football, for example. I'm determined to have my toddler, Charles, recite the LSU Fight Song before he can fully sing the alphabet. Likewise, you are never too young to learn to appreciate...
Bayou St. John and City Park
Some days you know from the minute you wake up that today is not a day to go traveling. The piles of laundry are glaring at you, the empty fridge is pleading to be filled and the impending start of the workweek is gnawing at your conscience. But, then again, the...
A Short Drive into the Swamp
Stifled from days of cold weather (40 degrees is frigid for New Orleans!), we took advantage of a warm spell and ventured out of the city to Jean Lafitte National Park. The park proved to be an ideal location to take two small children. We started off in the visitor's...