I think we owe a lot to the woman at the Louisiana Welcome Center. She was so kind and sweet and very knowleagable about this state. You don’t always find a warm friendly face in welcome centers based on our past experiences. Out west we discovered that the men and women that work in these centers are exactly that, more friendly, and more into helping visitors explore their states!

She spent quite a bit of time talking with us, giving us great locations, letting us know where we should be able to park our van while in downtown New Orleans, and tips on how to be safe while visiting The Big Easy. She was so enthusiastic about giving us important information that it almost felt like we had known her forever! That’s great service that will never go unnoticed by Amy and I.

She told us about Basin St. Station at 501 Basin St, New Orleans. When we arrived there we confirmed all the information she had provided us with. She had been, “Spot On.” You do have to pay to park by using a machine and credit card but Amy found to be an easy process, no headaches at all. You can actually camp in the parking lot if you like. I still wasn’t too keen on the idea of parking downtown. I did change my mind later on, the parking lot felt very safe and if we ever return we would definitely try it out. There were three campers parked in the lot when we arrived with generators running.

We parked and fired up our own generator in the van. Amy warmed up some yummy Gulf Shrimp (the best)! We sat there for a little while chilling out until our St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 started. We also hopped on a tour bus at this location as well and rode the city in style learning all its wonderful and interesting history.

We also drove the city, that’s right. We had no issues whatsoever. It was fun and we even found a paid parking spot in the Garden District next to the restaurant called, Deanies. Amy used the online parking service to pay for thirty minutes of parking. The plan was that we would just add some more time before it ran out. We strolled along the sidewalk to the entrance and went inside. It was a smaller establishment but Amy’s co-worker Lloyd insisted it was great food! He wasn’t wrong. It was fantastic! I would highly recommend this place. It did take a while, like an hour without a reservation made to get seated but that was okay. We were hungry and wanted good food in our stomachs. We got nervous about the parking. Amy tried to pay for additional parking on the website but it wouldn’t let her add funds. I went down to the van to try the machine on the curbside. It wouldn’t let me add funds either. Turns out, after 7pm parking is free! It wasn’t five minutes later after I returned that we were seated and enjoyed some of the best Gulf Shrimp. The appetizers served were red potatoes. We had never seen this before. They were delicious! Great place, go check it out. Thanks, Lloyd.

St Benard State Park

Although we learned that camping within the big city of New Orleans was possible and not very expensive we had opted to stay the two nights at St Benard State Park. The Park was relatively close to downtown. They have 51 camp sites in all and only charge a fee of $28 a night. We had electric and water hook ups and there was a dumpsite on location. The park had a wilderness vibe to it surrounded in a pretty shade of green. It got very dark at night. We didn’t really go anywhere away from our own site except to the restrooms which were, well they had them.

The bugs. You didn’t have to worry about flies, mosquitos or ants, oh no. You had to look out for the wasps and bumble bees flying around torpedoing their ways through the campsites! I’d yell, “Incoming!” and Amy would run into the van pulling the screen shut. We only recently got that screen on the right way too, where there weren’t gaping holes for bugs to get through. It wasn’t really as bad as I am making it out to be (or was it?). We didn’t do much but sleep there. Like I said before and will keep saying in our upcoming Journals, we squeezed in every little adventure we could during daylight hours and usually by the time we got back to the campground we were staying at it was pitch black outside.

The drive to and from downtown was so bumpy. Some said New Orleans has the bumpiest roads ever. We passed through neighborhoods and then saw buildings with graffiti on them. Some of the artwork was really special while others were well, just graffiti. Our favorite was that of a clown’s face on the front of the residence. We took some pictures and video of it. We liked the picture so much we both agreed it would be the thumbnail cover to our first of two New Orleans YouTube videos we put out on our channel. If you haven’t watched them yet make sure to stop by and do so.

The Louisiana Swamp / Airboat Ride Experience

By far one of the best experiences I have ever had. So much fun! Amy says she has the same feelings. It was something I never thought she would be into but it turns out she was, we did it!

The swamp was about an hour’s drive from our campground. There in no time. It was a rather large outfit we discovered upon our arrival. We had no issues pulling in or parking the van. We actually arrived earlier than our scheduled time. We were able to get out on the water without waiting for long.

We went inside the store and Amy checked us in. While inside I checked out the gift shop and the albino alligator floating in a small water hole. I didn’t think it was real until it started moving around and floating towards the rail I was leaning over taking pictures from.

From there we made our way back outside to join the line waiting to board the airboats under this enormous pavilion type building. They gave us wrist bands with numbers, ours was # 5. They said they would announce when we could board our vessel. They had a bar with snacks. They take your picture with a fake background (if your into that, paying out the wa-zoo for it later). Of course we got one! Ha.

They did eventually call our number and we were stoked! Let’s go! We got lucky, a four seater! Me and Amy and some other couple sitting in front of us. The driver spoke in a Louisiana accent so thick he was barely understandable but this made it that much more fun! Do you call it Cajun? LOL. I wish I had a fancy dialect like he did. Of course I mumble a lot, have my entire life and very often I find myself repeating my words to people during conversation. Amy points this out a lot. She says it’s my own form of speaking Cajun.

It was time to load up and we took the back seat in front of “The Guy We Know.” We’ll get into that shortly.

There were four sets of headphones hanging from the front bar. The Guy told us to feel free to grab and use them anytime we needed to do so. We never used them. I probably should of on the way back because we were hauling you know what and the wind in my ears was wicked. The motor wasn’t near as loud as we thought it might be. It could be sensitive to some people’s ears I imagine.

We started off slow leaving the docks and cruising along the river. When we reached a side channel The Guy floored it. Is that what you call it when you’re driving an airboat? That’s what i’ll call it anyways if its okay? We shot off like a rocket! The boat glided across the water. I wondered if the bottom of the boat even touched the water. So smooth.

We started hitting big hunks of floating grass. The Guy kept the throttle steady and we flew right over them. He then pulled us into some side channel. It was super narrow and spooky. He killed the engine and we sat floating listening to him talk (understanding like 1/2 of what he said). The gators started coming. Not one, not two, not even three, more. He brought out this stick and put a marshmallow on its end. He explained that the marshmallow was know in the swamp as, “Swamp Crack.”

The gators came in closer, and even closer until they were inches away from our touch running alongside the boat. He even brought one on board with us, we weren’t ready for that, lol. The first time he did this the gator came so close to Amy that out of instinct I grabbed her and pulled her over towards me. We never seen gators so active. Being from Florida we have seen a lot of gators, but again I must stress, these gators are very active. They aren’t one bit afraid of the boats or the human snacks on board.

We were taken to numerous other secret spots like this one. The gators kept getting bigger and bigger as we went along the swamp. The ride in the boat was mesmerizing. The trees overhead, the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere with nothing but swamp waters and gators swimming around in them. Towards the end he hit throttle again, wide open i’m pretty sure and we flew through a series of twists and turns in the marsh. We hit this open area and he did a 180 degree turn spraying water everywhere! Awesome!

He was very knowledgeable about the environment and took the time to answer everyone’s questions. He then said we weren’t going back until he found the “Big One.” Now, at this point we had seen some very big ones, but we knew he must of meant one even bigger!

The boat stopped in the middle of this wide canal. We saw ripples in the water, maybe from 600 feet away. I started humming the theme to JAWS. It felt like we were in a sequel, or maybe Lake Placid in Louisiana. It swam at the speed of light straight towards us. It came all the way up to the side of the boat (my side) and I ain’t going to lie to you it was a bit intimidating. The thing then disappeared underneath the boat. Then we saw the tail ripping through the water at the front of the boat. Disappeared again. The Guy put some Swamp Crack on a stick and hung it over the edge. A few seconds of silence passed and the gator’s gigantic head appeared. The Guy brought the thing on board with us. Twice. LOL. So much fun.

We had a fun fast ride back to the docks. Wait… I forgot to tell you about the “I know a guy.” In the middle of one of those alligator encounters The Guy told us that this swamp wasn’t suitable for swimming. We kind of guessed that on our own. Then he said something else, “This is also a great place to get rid of someone, you know what i’m saying?” We all laughed but I wondered if he might have actually…. He told us we could all now go home and tell everyone that we, “Know a guy.” Amy and I have been using this phrase for everything ever since!

St Louis Cemetery No.1 Tour

After parking at the Basin St Center you walk up to the main building and go inside. They have a very informative museum inside and a gift shop. You can purchase tickets for the city trolley tour ride and / or tickets to tour the St Louis Cemetery No. 1. This cemetery is located next door to the station. We did both. We will talk about the trolley tour and why we chose to take it in the next portion of this journal. For now let’s focus on the cemetery tour. I’m so demanding aren’t I? You could always skip this section and scroll down. I hope you stay. This cemetery tour is actually pretty cool and it holds a lot of history from New Orleans.

One of the main reasons I wanted to go was to see the actor Nicholas Cage’s future burial site he had made, a huge white pyramid in the middle of the cemetery. Amy was intrigued by a grave that is marked with three XXXs that you can supposedly make a wish upon and it will come true. The cemetery was kind of spooky. We started at the station and walked down to the entrance. This is the only way you get to go inside is by purchasing a tour ticket. The skies above became very dark once we were inside. Weird, right? Oh, did I say we had to enter through some old gates? Sorry, we did.

The tour lasted about thirty minutes. Our guide led us through tombs of famous New Orleans historical figures that had been laid to rest there. We reached the tomb of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Her powers reportedly included healing the sick, altruistic gifts to the poor, and overseeing spiritual rites. The guide informed us that people from all over had come to her tomb, marked with three red XXXs and left offerings like candles, coins, statutes, beads, flowers, notes and many other things. They left these gifts in hopes they would be granted a special wish. We didn’t make any wishes while we were there, lol. It was a story worth hearing.

The 1969 film, Easy Rider had one of its pivotal scenes filmed in the cemetery. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper (actors) with their film crew supposedly filmed during a Mardi Gras time when the streets were packed so they could blend right in. The scene is of the two of them dropping acid and hanging out with prostitutes. It was later frowned upon, hmm, wonder why, and they didn’t allow these types of activities going forward without permissions.

700 tombs and over 100,000 bodies are in the cemetery and it remains active for family members of those who own tombs within the cemetery. This cemetery dates back as far as 1789. Is it haunted? Even though it’s in the downtown district I wouldn’t go playing any hide and seek in there, Amy says she wouldn’t either.

Nicolas Cage procured his Pyramid Tomb in 2010 for his future funeral. It’s a nine foot tall pyramid shaped tomb made of stone. You can’t miss it, it looks like the only one in the cemetery. It is inscribed with the Latin words, “omia ab uno” that translates into, “Everything from One.” Kind of strange I know, but kind of cool. A pyramid grave in the middle of New Orleans? You go Cage! Cage also owns other buildings in the area purchasing them after they were foreclosed upon.

The French Quarter

The French Quarter was amazing. It was my favorite part of our exploration in The Big Easy. And yes the scenery was fantastic and just as jazzy as I had expected even if it was during the daylight hours!

The musicians on the street. There is nothing quite like the sound of JAZZ in one’s ears! I can’t believe I didn’t start actually admiring and listening to Jazz until my older years. I’ve been missing out! Love it now though!

All Amy kept talking about and hyping it up was going to this place called Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter! “Oh we are so going there and getting a Beignet!”

“A ben what?” I had asked. We went. We waited with a couple hundred other people as well, lol. “This ben-whatever-you-are-calling-it better be really good!” She just rolled her eyes.

“You’ll see. And you’ll love it!”

AND LOVE IT I SURELY DID! The line was long but it didn’t take long to wait. Man, they really get people in and out quickly. There is a cash only line and a credit card line. If your smart, bring some cash, it is faster.

I grabbed a table while Amy ordered the you-know-whats. She came to the table with a coffee and a white bag that read “Cafe Du Monde Beignets” on the front. Inside, all I saw was a white powdery substance. HMMM. No, it was powdered sugar with some special ingredients. No doubt it is a form of a drug though, has to be, I am hooked and have been having major withdrawals since we left New Orleans! So good, so good. Words can’t describe. They are hot too when they come out. You take a bite and just dip it on back in there getcha some of that magic powder! Thanks Amy, you were totally right, I do love them!

One thing Amy and I like to do when we get to a new location is immediately go scout it out. We have usually done our homework and research beforehand but getting a birds eye view layout is even better. We make notes, sometimes add and or change our itinerary. We may be going somewhere and never really had a plan going in and then BOOM, PRESTO, we got one! Maybe we find something even better than we wanted to do originally and spend our time exploring that instead.

New Orleans was no different. Day one we bought a trolley pass at Basin St. Station. We rode the entire city for a small fee. The tour guides are knowledgeable about the area and can provide some great facts / locations to add to our information arsenal. You can kick back, not have to drive, and just enjoy the ride. Get off when you want to, stay on when you want to. UP to YOU. They run all day and get you to all the major locations or within close proximity. We were so familiar with the layout and structure of New Orleans after our trolley ride we could’ve loaded up people in our Van and given tours ourself!

The New Orleans City Tour (Downtown, Garden District & More)

The Superdome was amazing. We are Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans but seeing our rival’s stadium, the team in our division every year, was pretty fascinating. The buildings, the murals, the street musicians, all a wonderful delight to the eyes and ears. There is just something amazing you feel when traveling through a big city like this.

Amy wanted to check off one of her bucket list items, “Bourbon Street.” We found it easily, it was about 4 O’Clock in the afternoon. The street is not very wide and it was jammed packed full of people already. I can’t even imagine it at night or during a special event like Mardi Gras. There are fancy restaurants on either side of the road. You can hear live bands from some of them as you walk by. I didn’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling while walking down the street. There were some unusual characters (no judging) strolling around that made me feel a little uneasy in the Big Easy if you know what I mean. Again, that could be the law enforcement in me. Dunno. It was neat to see. The music was awesome. We stopped in a bunch of the restaurants that seemed to invite us but they were all unfortunately booked up and the waiting list was heavy. They even had a Hard Rock Cafe but it was over an hour’s wait.

All in all New Orleans was a pretty cool place. We felt safe everywhere we went, we did stay in the “touristy” area as we were warned to do. We found great parking and we were able to have a fantastic visit. And…if we are ever in need…to relax and have a grand time, well…

We know a Guy.