New Orleans & Louisiana Bayous

Last Stop on the Gulf Coast

Camped west of New Orleans proper, in the outskirts of Kenner, where Mark worked a couple of times for AT&T. Also near the airport and across the street from the north levee of the Mississippi River. Also not far from a little memorial park, where LaSalle first landed, and on May 10,1870, the first heavyweight (bare-knuckled) boxing championship fight was held.

Memorial to 1st heavyweight boxing championship fight

And what did we do in New Orleans, just before Mardi Gras? Well, I did tell a friend the primary reason we were stopping in New Orleans, was to revisit the National World War II Museum. THAT turned out to be a bit of an understatement. It’s basically all we did for the first 3 days (while avoiding Mardi Gras Parades, which started January 6)! It is HUMUNGOUS…so many more exhibits than when we were there in 2015, and it was HUGE THEN. We still have not see it all, even after 3 more days! But we did see the Road to Tokyo (not yet open in early 2015), the Road to Berlin (revisit), about half the new 3-storied Liberation Pavilion, and the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion (missed on our first visit), and more!

And, since we didn’t make into New Orleans other than that, we did all our New Orleans cuisine at the American Sector Restaurant at the Museum. In 3 days we did get to eat Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp, Chicken Gumbo, Shrimp Po Boy…no beignets, but…beignet fries with raspberry sauce!!! They were YUMMY!

Out parking lot…near the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion!

Last/4th day, we visited a new site in 1 National Park Site:

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve (#64-Revisit), where we visited our 3rd of 6 areas in the park, Barataria Preserve and did a little hiking in the Bayous there. Some of the trails are closed, due to Hurricane Ida damage.

Alligator seen on Visitor Center Trail
Bayou Coquille
One of the Twin Canals
The other of the Twin Canals…can you see the little alligator?

Today we start heading back Northeast!

Well, mostly. Next stop, Baton Rouge, is actually a tad northwest, but we will be spending the next 5+ weeks making our way mostly northeast through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, to Chattanooga. We plan to visit all 7 Alabama National Parks on the way!

For more pictures, see (in-work) Adventure Album: Florida thru Gulf Coast