Today we keep heading west to New Orleans.
We really like Henderson Beach State Campground. It’s Old Florida vibe of my childhood. We would definitely come back here. The beach is very fine white sand that squeaks when you walk in it.
We drove along the coast to Pensacola Beach Florida. The area looks old school tourist fun.
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
“The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, located just north of New Orleans, is exactly 23.83 miles (38.35 kilometers) long. The Causeway consists of two parallel bridges that cross Lake Pontchartrain, connecting Metairie (in the New Orleans metro area) on the South Shore to Mandeville on the North Shore (where our campground is). It holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge over water (continuous). Driving across it takes about 25 to 30 minutes, and for a roughly 8-mile stretch near the middle, you lose sight of land completely.”
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans Airboat Tour
Isla’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “I thought it was really cool. I liked when the boat would turn fast. I liked being able to hold the 9 month old alligator named Squirt and learning about how they gather the alligator eggs to incubate, raise, and release back into the wild. Normally 1% of alligator eggs survive but when taken into incubators 96% survive. They release 4% back into the wild and sell the remaining for meat etc. the best part was when the alligator got into the boat.”
Caleb’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “I thought it was really really fun. I loved when he went fast around corners. I loved holding the baby alligator and when he was feeding the big alligators marshmallows. I really like our captain.
Joel’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “it was interesting seeing how the bayou system works. It’s almost like streets and roads. It was interesting hearing the captain’s stories learning about different shrimp and the area.”
Tracy’s thoughts on the airboat tour: “It’s amazing how an airboat can glide over anything. I really enjoyed seeing what the bayou was and how it felt. I liked watching the alligators watch us… they knew the boat meant treats. I liked the kids reaction to it all – Caleb loving the boat ride and Isla watching the alligator come up on the boat.”
The French Quarter, New Orleans
We spent the evening touring around the French Quarter of New Orleans. It was very warm and humid. All the roads were very sloped in order to drain the heavy rain and flooding.
We ate frog legs, shrimp and grits, shrimp po’boy, beignets, and gumbo tacos.
It was exciting that they closed part of Bourbon Street for Gumball 3000 Rally of DDE “Daily Driven Exotics”. We saw a lot of fancy cars and celebrities I don’t know except I definitely recognized Michelle Rodriguez from Fast & Furious.
Isla’s thoughts on the French Quarter: “I thought it was cool to experience all that. The beignets were really good.”
Caleb’s thoughts: “I didn’t like it all. There was too much drugs, drinking, people, vaping and gross stuff. It was bad.”
Joel’s thoughts: “it was so fun getting to experience what downtown New Orleans is like. I love all the live music and all of the live events going on. The food was great.”
Tracy’s thoughts: “Bourbon Street was what I expected. Interesting people and a party. I was not expecting Caleb to be as grumpy and judgmental of the people but it’s all good learning for him. I enjoyed all the different music. It was very cool seeing Michelle Rodriguez – we had Fast & Furious DVD and I watched it a million times.”
