bigtyke

We are planning to visit Louisiana and Mississippi during spring break (March 12-19). This is part of a multiyear plan to visit each state and each state capitol.

Any suggestions appreciated.

1 fly to New Orleans, get car, drive to Mississippi gulf coast

2 Drive to Jackson, MS

3 visit VIcksburg

4 Drive to Baton Rouge via Natchez

5 Day trip to Evangeline contry, Tabasco factory, perhaps swamp tour, plantation visit

6 Drive to New Orleans. VIsit Plantation, swamp tour if didn't do in BR

7 Visit French Quarter, D Day Mussum, Mardi Gras World, take streetcars

8 Fly home

neworleanslady

What a great idea. Maybe I'll start that once I've done the "Ballpark" route!
I guess you're just looking for specific suggestions or things to see/do so:
On MS Gulf Coast, I would suggest a stop Bay St. Louis. Cute town on the beach, wonderful antique shops, fun restaurants on the water for lunch or dinner.
As for your day trip to "Evangeline"/Cajun/Acadiana, the Tabasco tour is great. I would also suggest maybe a tour of a sugarcane mill. It is not grinding season, but still something interesting to do. Also, you may want to visit Lafayette (www.cajunhot.com is the visitor commission website).
I am assuming you are doing this for historical or educational aspects (and fun, too, of course!) so I am suggesting tour-type things. If not, let me know what you're interested in!
I have heard that the "Mr. Charlie" oil rig museum (www.rigmuseum.com) in Morgan City (www.cityofmc.com) is very nice also, though even though I'm from there I can't say I've been yet. If you happen to go through Morgan City, stop in The Frame Shop on Front Street and tell them their niece sent ya! The wharf on Front Street is usually full of shrimp boats – just as something else to see!
Unless you have a reason to go back to BR on the 5th night, you could take I-10 from BR to Lafayette and then Hwy 90 to the Tabasco area, through Morgan City, Thibodaux & other small cities to New Orleans. Lafayette to New Orleans on this route is only a ½ hour longer than on I-10.
Now, that being said, your Day 7 will be next to impossible to do all in one day. I know people who spend an entire day at the D-Day Museum and can't finish. And the Quarter deserves no less than a 1/2 day, Bourbon St, Royal St, St. Louis Cathedral, walk along the river, French Market, etc. etc. Taking the street car from the Quarter down St. Charles Avenue will take you a couple of hours, as well.
Just some ideas!

wsoxrebel

You'll be traveling during the Natchez Spring Pilgrimage and I can't imagine being that close and not making a day and evening of it. It is hard to describe how unique and well done the events are.

http://www.natchezpilgrimage.com/spring.htm

indytravel

I was in Jackson, MS last Easter for the exact same reason of seeing the state capitol. I'm up to 18 how are you doing?

I believe the governor's mansion in the downtown gives guided tours. I didn't have time for that. I was too busy seeing the Dresden, Germany collection at the Arts Pavilion. They have some pretty classy exhibits. You might see what's there.

crepes_a_go_go who posts here really helped me out for the area.

I recommend the Mayflower restaurant in downtown Jackson. It's BYOB and has very nice food with an old established feel to it. The Elite is a great old diner with counter and vinly booths Good food too.

I daytripped to Vicksburg. I really liked the historical society museum. You can drive through The National Civil War Park. It's filled with memorials and monuments. The ship Cairo that's an ironclad is there. It's beautifully and interestingly displayed with the original pieces from the Mississippi River where it sank then was later salvaged.

wsoxrebel

If you visit the Vicksburg cemetery, you have a choice of purchasing a tape or a CD to listen to in your car as you travel around. We got the CD and I never could drive and gawk at the correct pace. So I would stop the CD, gawk a little bit, drive a little bit and try to rematch my pace with the CD. Didn't happen. All in all, very aggravating. There may have been a trick to do this properly, and if so, please pass it on.

I would recommend bringing along a portable tape player if your car only has a CD player so you won't have to be aggravated as I was.

chrisMLU

While in Baton Rouge, you really should duck into The Old State Capitol. It is just right down the road from the current one. There is a museum inside and the building itself has a unique history (was completely burned during Civil War). Here is a link http://www.sec.state.la.us/museums/o...ck/check-c.htm

Of course you can go to the top of the current capitol (highest in the states) and also see the bullet holes in the marble from when Long was asassinated.

Drive real slow through Woodville, MS (between Natchez and BR)...it is a big-time speed trap !!

wsoxrebel

neworleanslady, what is your opinion of Eunice's Saturday night dance? Is that still the authentic Cajun place to be?

neworleanslady

Eunice Saturday night dance? Now, that sounds like it could be interesting! I have not heard of it or been. I am a "Lafayette-lady" now but have only been here one year and I haven't ventured out too much yet. Saturday morning breakfast at Cafe Des Amis is still the place to be from what I hear but I've only been on Sunday. Food is great on Sunday, but Saturday morning is when the music happens!

laurieb_nyny

You have gotten great suggestions as to places to visit but I am a little confused by your itin:

1 fly to New Orleans, get car, drive to Mississippi gulf coast (Could you do some of the events below on the way to break it up?--maybe swamp tour & plantations on your way to BR; what time is your flight landing?)stay overnight in vicinity

2 Drive to Jackson, MS (I would go to Natchez on the way to Jackson instead; N is great & during spring pilgrimage!!!! -- you can also take a horse & buggy ride around town after touring the plantations -- 2 days here)

3 visit Vicksburg (Jackson & Vicksburg here instead, I think); overnight nearby

4 Drive to Baton Rouge via Natchez (covered this already)skip

5 Day trip to Evangeline contry, Tabasco factory, perhaps swamp tour, plantation visit (combine this with 3 days in NOLA -- stop at Tabasco on the way to NOLA)

6 Drive to New Orleans. Visit Plantation, swamp tour if didn't do in BR (NOLA)

7 Visit French Quarter, D Day Museum, Mardi Gras World, take streetcars (NOLA)
(also St. Charles street car in the Garden District -- a return stop leaves you off a block from D Day Museum)

8 Fly home (what time is your flight?)

The only day I am unsure of (because I do not have a map in front of me) is the proximity of Jackson & Vicksburg to Louisiana.

gold75

I'm going to Mississippi for work and I'm going to have a day or two to explore the area. What would you all recommend to get a flavor? I'm really looking to get the most out of my time there, and I don't mind getting in a car and racking up the miles. Natchez looked like it might be a good idea. Fodors had recommended going to the gulf coast. Is there anything educational to see -- civil rights movement, etc. I'm going to be there in a few weeks.

Sonny

nezapomenutelna

Neworleanslady - everybody- I have a question for you - my friends and me (4) are taking road trip from Chicago to New Orleans 3/26-4/2. We planned on stopping in Mammoth caves on the way there - spend the night in Nasville, than drive to New Orleans, stay 4 days and on our way back we would like to stop in Graceland and Memphis.
This is our first road trip and you all have these great experiences - please help us! Do you think that this is a good plan? Are you familiar with Memphis or Nashville - what would be the ONE thing to do or to see in one day?
And about NO - we have a reservation in Historic french market hotel - is anybody familiar with it? We travel on a budget but if this should be a "damp" we rather pay a little more. This our first time in the South so any advices are more than welcome.
Also one of our friends would like to do half day fishing - rent a bout I guess - would Bay St. Luis be a good place?
And one more thing - do you know any good restaurant in NO that are not overly expensive?
Thank you tons

neworleanslady

Sonny,
I can't help you with educational/historical on the gulf coast, but there are beautiful old homes on the water that are worth a lazy drive. As for things to DO - Natchez might be better.

nezapomenutelna,
I would suggest a charter out of Venice or Lafitte. I'm not sure what type of fishing you are looking to do, but I don't know where to tell you to rent a boat or if I would suggest renting a boat in an area you aren't familiar with. I'm not sure I'd call this a 1/2 day event though. Maybe some people fish for a 1/2 day... when we go, my boyfriend likes to go 90 miles offshore Friday night and I'm lucky to be back for Saturday night!
Check out www.bestofneworleans.com for the restaurant listings. This will give you ideas on how much places you read about on this board cost. A good one not usually mentioned is in Metairie (suburb) - Drago's. GREAT food & probably cheaper than most places in the Quarter. Also, you'll be here during crawfish season so you might want to check out Deannie's in the Quarter (should be reasonably priced from what I remember) or some places on the lake (Lake Pontchartrain). You can click on my screen name for another post I just did on where to find crawfish.
Sorry, I don't know anything about the hotel.

JJ5

For the person who asked, I really truly enjoyed the tour and grounds of Jefferson Davis' home in Biloxi, MS. It is right on the gulf coast. The entire grounds/acreage is a combination of gardens, park, and memorials (Unknown Confederate Soldier) and also grounds to former USA Armed Forces Veteran's Home. Biloxi has casinos galore also and a restaurant called Mary Mahoney's that is in an original building that goes back to when the French owned Mississippi. It has some good down south cooking and a elegant dining room for the evenings, if you're in the mood.

We spent about 3 hours in this home and grounds. We had a wonderful docent who was a fount of knowledge about the last days of the Civil War, and also got underneath so my engineer could see why it is still standing after so many hurricanes.

Gardyloo

Nezapomenutelna, I posted a trip report a year or so ago regarding a NOLA-Memphis road trip we took. Here's the link:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34460759

bigtyke

We made the trip as scheduled. Here is the report.

Day 1 - flew into New Orleans. Non stop on Southwest. NO is a hard place to get to from Phx by nonstop. Many airlines show you routing thru Dallas, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, or Atlanta.

Picked up the car (Alamo) and easily got out of airport area onto I-10 . Drove to Gulfport. Stayed at the Days Inn right on the beach. Nice location, good value ($72 plus tax). Late in the evening. Went to a nearby IHOP for dinner.

Day 2. Sons and I did a walk (Volksmarch - see AVA.org for info on this non-competitive walking organization) along the shore. SOme vey nice homes. I love the huge oak trees. ALso walked along the harbor and the beach. WIfe joined us and we went to the Marine Life Oceanarium. IT is an older style marine park. They had 3 different shows with dolphins and one with sea lions and parrots. All enjoyable. You are able to be very close to the performances. You can aslo feed the sea lions. WIfe and boy #1 had their picture taken being 'kissed' by oine of the sea lions. Corny but alot of fun!

We then drove to Jackson via route 49. Nice drive, not much traffic.

Very stormy weather that night with tornados spotted south of town. Decided not to eat out - just got some snacks at the motel - Days Inn High Street. $104 plus tax for 2 nights) Located near the fairgrounds, just off I55.

Day 3 - Drove to Vicksburg. Enjoyed the battlefield. Saw the short movie in the visitors center which helps to get a good understanding of the battle. My great grandfather's unit was in the battle so I found it very interesting. We drove around the battlefield, stopping occasionally usually to sight over the cannons. Stopped at the Illinois monument - a big dome. The dome has a big hole at the center top. Makes a nice echo chamber.

The highlight of VIcksburg was the ironclad Cairo which sunk in the mud and has been excavated. There isn't too much of it left, but it has been restored some and gives you a good idea of what an ironclad was really like.

Back in Jackson, the boys and i did another walk.

Ate that night at a restaurant recommened in the AAA book. Only problem was the address was wrong! I think in the future we will confirm any address int he phone book before we go. Anyhow, we ended up driving in a nice part of town and we then stopped to ask a walker if they knew where the restaurant was. Fortunatly they did (it was about 5 miles away). food was ok but nothing great.

Day 4. Drove to Baton Rouge via Natchez. Very nice driving on the Natchez Trace road. Not much traffic, pretty scenery. We stopped a couple of places to stretch our legs and to view the indian mounds. Drove around Natchez a little but it was starting to rain rather heavily so we soon drove on.

We had a strange noise coming from our car and we couldn't figure out what it was since it would stay on when the motor was off. Turned out to be an electric toothbrush that had been turned on somehow!

We had planned on seeing some sights around St Francisville but the rain was really coming down so we continued on to Baton Rouge. Stayed at Days Inn - Port Allen (Baton Rouge West). Location a couple of miles west of the Mississippi River, right off a freeway with a bunch of other motels and fast food places.

Port Allen smells! - All the chemical plants I guess. Wasn't too bad in the rooms but was sometimes unpleasant outside. Good value - $90 for two nights plus tax.

They did not have our reservation in their computer - they were having lots of problems with thier system. Luckily there was a room for us as there was a huge bowling tournament in town and everyplace in town seemed full.

We looked in the AAA book for a place to eat. We chose Boutins. It was a great choice. We each had a nice seafood dinner. SOn #1 had a sampler - I don't know where he put it all. Big portions. We did not try the house specialty - Crawfish. About half the tables had these huge containers filled with them. One lady near us had two portions!

About half way thru our dinner the Zydeco music started. I really liked the music -we all did except for son #2 who declared it as 'lame' (as is all music except his favorite rock)

more to come

neworleanslady

bigtyke-
Sounds like a good trip so far!
The toothbrush story is hilarious!!
Sorry you had such bad weather. We're getting another round of that right now.
Can't wait to read the rest-

bigtyke

Continuing

Evangeline country was our day trip from Baton Rouge. I-10 west thru a big swampy area (freeway supported on pylons the whole way). Got off freeway near Breaux Bridge and down smaller roads thru St. Martinville and New Iberia.

We stopped at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Park. Nice small museum telling the story of the Acadians exijle to Louisiana. A cabin shows how the ordinary people lived. A fancier plantation house dates from around 1815.

In nearby St. Martinville, we visited the St. Martin de Tours catholic church. Very beautiful interior. Some items donated by king Louis XIV.

Next on to Avery Island. We had a heck of a time finding it. There is no exit at hwy 329 from hwy 90 (freeway) coming from the north. We went past it a couple of times, down wrong roads before we finally ended up on the south side of the exit. Going north, the exit was well marked.

Avery Island is home to the McIlhenny Company which makes Tabasco Sauce.
Very interesting tour altho much of it is by a short film. There isn't much to the process. Peppers are picked and ground up and mixed with water and salt and put into used Jack Daniels barrels for 3 years. Then the mash is mixed with vinegar and stirred for 28 days. Then it is bottled. You get to watch the bottling being done. I just love watching bottles being filled - in plants like this, breweries or whereever.

Of course afterwards, we had to visit the company store. We are not especially big tabasco sauce fans, but we sure bought a lot of merchandise!

The other attraction on Avery Isalnd is the Jungle Gardens, created by early McIlhenys. I asked an employee in the company store if she thought the aligators would be out. Sh thought not since it was a raw chilly day. We decided to skip the gardens and as the wife was getting tired, we headed back to Baton Rouge.

Back in BR we went to KFC and retired early.

Next morning the boys and I did our walk. New state capitol building is the tallest in the US. The old one is more interesting. Nice gardens around the capitol. Otherwise the downtown city is routine.

On to New Orleans. We went down the River Road - route 1 and then 18 after Donaldsonville. A disappointment. Not especially scenic - don't see the river at all because of the levee. Lots of chemical plants.

We stopped at Oak Alley to visit the plantation. Fantastic. 350 year old oaks forming an 'oak alley' to the Mississippi. Beautiful building, excellent tour. Of course it has a gift shop where we deposited beau coup bucks!

I picked up a replica 'courting candle', the purpose of which was explained on the tour. Basically, the length of the candle in the candleholder can be set as a way to limit the courting time of the young couples.

Drove to New Orleans where we stayed at the Amerihost Inn and Suites on Canal St. Everywhere else we stayed, we had 2 double beds and a rollaway. Here they gave us a triple double bed room. THe room also had a microwave and mini fridge. $148 for the two nights.

After settling in, we walked to the streetcar stop and took the Canal St line to the City Park and back. (Son #1 is a big streetcar/trolly fan). IN the evening we took the streetcar to the Riverwalk Marketplace where we ate at the food court. Not bad as there is a good selection of places to eat. Especially good for us as we each have different tastes. Watched the barge traffic on the river while eating and then took the streetcar back to the hotel.

Next morning, son #1 and I got up early and had a good continental breakfast down in the lobby - best one we had on the trip. We walked a few blocks and boarded the St. Charles streetcar. We took it all the way to the end and back. It is a loooong ride. Goes by some very nice houses.

Since it was March 18, a couple of late St. Patrick's Day revelers got on. One of them was loudmouthed and vulgar. The driver told him to watch his language. He chose not to and was soon tossed off the streetcar. Bravo for the driver!

Back at the hotel to pick up wife and son #2, we took the streetcar to the river and then the end of the French Quarter. Got off and wandered the FQ.

That afternoon we went on our SWAMP TOUR. Lots of fun. We did the 'Cajun Pride' tour. It was fairly close - just by the intersection of I55 and I10. Saw several gators and a few other creatures. Big gators wern't out yet becasue it was too cold. Saved a few bucks with coupon (Cajunprideswamptours.com)

Back in NO, the boys didn't want to go out to eat, so they got some microwavable food from the hotel vending machines while the wife and I went back to the RIverwalk Marketplace to eat again. Some time the wife and I will have to come back and enjoy the local cuisine a little more!

The last morning (Saturday) the boys and I went for our New Orleans walk. The walk started at one of the FQ police stations. I asked the officers if the station was the one that was always being shown on COPS, but they said "no, it was the other one"

The FQ is really filthy in the early morning - trash everywhere. I was on Burbon St. one evening years ago so I knew that it was where all the girly shows were, but I was shocked at the graphic photos displayed in some of the windows. I diverted the boys eyes as best I could and we turned onto another street.

Parking was a problem in NO as the hotel had only room for about 20 cars in their parking lot. They told us we should use the parking garage by the hospital, that it was open to the public and not restricted to the hotel staff and patients/visitors. I hope they were right because that's what we did. It was about a 3 block walk but was no problem and was cheaper than the hotel parking lot.

Our flight didn't leave until about 5 PM so we had time to kill. After checking out, we decided to drive across Lake Ponchatrain. No toll going outbound. Fun driving across such a big lake (23 miles). After that we drove west on I-12 to the intersection of I-55. A few miles south we got on route 22 and had an excellent drive cross country to I-10. Especially around Whitehall (I think) it was picture perfect Louisians with little houses/shacks along a bayou.

Back to turn in the car and over to the airport. easy getting thru security. Not too bad an airport in which to have to wait a couple of hours.

Overall the trip exceeded my expectations, There was a lot more we could have done, but that is true of every trip. Only thing that would have made it better was to be a little later in the year so the trees would be leafed out and that the gators would be more active.

starrsville

Wow! Detailed report. Thanks for sharing.

Didn't ya just love the simplicity (and setting) of the Tabasco "factory". I've toured a General Motors plant with a college economics class and I think back on both visits often. There's a book on factory tours in the US - I think I'll have to get it and visit a few more places. I'm find it amazing. Love "Unwrapped" on the Food Network for the same reason.

It's strange to be in Nova Scotia and be in the midst of the other end of the Cajun story. Crossed paths with "kissing cousins" of a LA associate in Nova Scotia a few years ago.

Tell us more about the walking tours or guides you use.

Again, thanks for a great, detailed report.

bigtyke

The walks are 'volksmarches'. These are organized, non-competitive walks that started in Germany about 35 years ago. Over there they are mostly weekend walks sometimes drawing huge crowds. In the US there are weekend walks, but also 'year-round' walks that can be walked on your own any day of the year.

Volkssporters keep track of the number of events and distance walked. One of my friends would do 6 events for 80 kilometers every weekend for 5 years when he was a soldier stationed in Europe.

In recent years there has developed a 'subset' of recorded walks. I am striving to walk in all 50 states and all 50 capitals plus Washington DC. There is a certificate and patch for doing this. There are several other specials events - walks along Route 66, Oregon Trail, at Civil War sites, etc. A new one just started where you walk events so that you have an event in a towns starting with each letter of the alphabet.

What we do is to go to a designated starting point - store or hotel usually - where we register for the event and get a map. after walking the event, we stamp our record books. Some events have a special pin, medal , or patch.

Information can be found at AVA.ORG

starrsville

Cool. Thanks for sharing the info. I'll check it out!