Louisiana Swamp Tour Recommendation
Jun 2nd, 2007, 08:14 AM
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Louisiana Swamp Tour Recommendation
DH & I are traveling to NOLA in mid-June. The posts on the Fodor's site have really whetted our appetites & provided us with excellent information! While we like visiting cities, we enjoy the outdoors, are hikers & have visited many national parks. We are very interested in taking a tour of the natural swamp areas near NOLA--preferably by air boat. Any recommendations?
Jun 2nd, 2007, 12:22 PM
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Hiking
We just returned from a road trip that included New Orleans and while we did not take a swamp tour, the Honey Island Swamp seemed popular. http://www.honeyislandswamp.com/
We just returned from a road trip that included New Orleans and while we did not take a swamp tour, the Honey Island Swamp seemed popular. http://www.honeyislandswamp.com/
Jun 4th, 2007, 04:20 PM
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Hiking, the Honey Island Swamp is beautiful. It's located north of New Orleans. It is said to be one of the least altered river swamps in the country. However, there are no airboat tours - many restrictions to preserve the swamp, the nesting bald eagles, etc. The airboat tours are all south/southwest of New Orleans.
Jun 5th, 2007, 12:41 PM
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I went on the Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour in 2005, before Katrina. Don't know if it is the same, but the guide was very entertaining. I do know that the hotter it is outside, the more "action" you are supposed to see from gators. Apparently they are in love with marshmallows. When my husband and I go back to NOLA for our 6th visit this August, we are going to try Jean Lafitte's Airboat Tour. Moves faster - maybe it won't be so hot!!
Have a blast - you can't help yourself! By the way, saw your earlier postings. Red Fish Grill on Bourbon st. is awesome. They keep winning Best Seafood awards. If you go to the Chamber of Commerce website you can print a coupon for a free bottle of wine there.
Tujaque's is great - Acme Oysters -- we are going to try either Arnaud's or GW Fins for the first time this year.
Be sure to stop by the Tropical Isle on Bourbon for a Hand Grenade, and say hi to Big Al Carson for us!
~Chile
Have a blast - you can't help yourself! By the way, saw your earlier postings. Red Fish Grill on Bourbon st. is awesome. They keep winning Best Seafood awards. If you go to the Chamber of Commerce website you can print a coupon for a free bottle of wine there.
Tujaque's is great - Acme Oysters -- we are going to try either Arnaud's or GW Fins for the first time this year.
Be sure to stop by the Tropical Isle on Bourbon for a Hand Grenade, and say hi to Big Al Carson for us!
~Chile
Jun 5th, 2007, 04:15 PM
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We did a swamp tour with Capt Nick out of Lafite on Bayou Barataria, south of New Orleans. The guide picked us up at our hotel, we stopped for po-boys and other snacks along the way, then set out on a shallow boat with an outboard motor. We went through a deep channel where the shrimp boats are, then went into some small swamp channels. It was really interesting. It wasn't an air boat, but since we did have a motor, we were able to go far and fast out on the more open water and also drift quietly through the close swamps. We saw quite a bit of wildlife - several gators, a bunch of herrons, and some other things.
Jun 8th, 2007, 06:30 AM
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Chilepepper--Thanks for the great information. We love seafood and will definitely keep the Red Fish Grill on our list. Can't go wrong with free wine. My thoughts were the same as yours regarding an airboat--that it would be cooler because of the wind! Gators like marshmallows? Who knew? J Correa--Sounds like you enjoyed your swamp tour. Thank you for the info. I'm looking forward to exploring the natural environment of Louisiana.
Jun 8th, 2007, 08:52 AM
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We did enjoy our tour. The guide was a Louisiana native who grew up on the bayou. We had some good conversations during the tour - he didn't have any set talk, just pointed out things a long the way, we asked questions, and things went from there.
We wanted to see wildlife and enjoy the natural landscape, so an airboat was not for us. I actually wanted to take a canoe tour, but my husband is not very experienced with canoes and they make him nervous - he worries they will tip over. So the boat with an outboard motor was the compromise. We were able to cut the motor and float along on the current through the bayou, so that was really nice.
And alligators do like marshmallows - what is not to like? LOL. It is a controvercial thing though, since marshmallows are not natural food for gators, it isn't good for they systems. Also when wild animals get too comfortable with humans and see them as a source of food, problems can develop. The animals lose their natural fear of humans and get too close, which is dangerous. Also, the animals lose their interest and eventually their ability to seek food for themselves.
We wanted to see wildlife and enjoy the natural landscape, so an airboat was not for us. I actually wanted to take a canoe tour, but my husband is not very experienced with canoes and they make him nervous - he worries they will tip over. So the boat with an outboard motor was the compromise. We were able to cut the motor and float along on the current through the bayou, so that was really nice.
And alligators do like marshmallows - what is not to like? LOL. It is a controvercial thing though, since marshmallows are not natural food for gators, it isn't good for they systems. Also when wild animals get too comfortable with humans and see them as a source of food, problems can develop. The animals lose their natural fear of humans and get too close, which is dangerous. Also, the animals lose their interest and eventually their ability to seek food for themselves.
Jun 9th, 2007, 11:24 AM
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Hiking45,
All the comments here are good. I would recommend an airboat at this time of year as (a) you won't need mosquito repellant when you move fast and (b) it will be much cooler. I would also recommend that you get a "personalized" airboat tour, where it's just you and your husband and the guide. With a dedicated airboat trip, your guide can stop you where you want when you want, and it makes it so much more personalized.
You will be visiting at about the best time to see wildlife in the swamps. Alligators should be swimming around and sunning, and egrets, pelicans, herons, and other birds will abound. All the Cypress trees will be green, and you'll really get to experience a swamp in its full grandeur.
All the comments here are good. I would recommend an airboat at this time of year as (a) you won't need mosquito repellant when you move fast and (b) it will be much cooler. I would also recommend that you get a "personalized" airboat tour, where it's just you and your husband and the guide. With a dedicated airboat trip, your guide can stop you where you want when you want, and it makes it so much more personalized.
You will be visiting at about the best time to see wildlife in the swamps. Alligators should be swimming around and sunning, and egrets, pelicans, herons, and other birds will abound. All the Cypress trees will be green, and you'll really get to experience a swamp in its full grandeur.
Jun 11th, 2007, 08:31 AM
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i would suggest go to houma,la they have the coolest swamp tours and was not effected by the storm..of couse new orleans has the best food in the states so for good food their are many great restaurants.. one of my favorite is dragos in metaire.. a local hangout .. the BEST grilled oysters ever.. once you have that you'll be craving them.. then go to the northshore above new orleans and theres a great b&b called beachwood gardens.. its close to abita springs with has the best bike trails... alot to see in the covington area...sweetolivelane@yahoo if you need more info
Jun 12th, 2007, 06:03 AM
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We did a tour through Airboat Adventures a few years ago and LOVED it:
http://www.airboatadventures.com/
You will need a car since it is outside the city. We REALLY enjoyed it. The guides are local to the area and have lots of personal stories to share, and you really get up close to the alligators. We hope to go back with our kids and doing this with them as I'm sure they would really get a kick out of it. Definitely do the airboat (whether you use this company or not) - some of the swamp tours look more like party boats and I can't imagine you really get the same experience we did on an airboat.
http://www.airboatadventures.com/
You will need a car since it is outside the city. We REALLY enjoyed it. The guides are local to the area and have lots of personal stories to share, and you really get up close to the alligators. We hope to go back with our kids and doing this with them as I'm sure they would really get a kick out of it. Definitely do the airboat (whether you use this company or not) - some of the swamp tours look more like party boats and I can't imagine you really get the same experience we did on an airboat.
Jun 12th, 2007, 07:15 AM
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Honey Island Swamp Tours is my choice, and it is important to not that it is NOT a party boat. Guides are knowledgeable, and you see a lot of wildlife in a gorgeous setting. True, it's altered now, but still a very unique ecosystem in the U.S. I'm leery of airboats because they make so much noise and disrupt the air and water so much, that I wonder what animals would hang around to be seen, but that's just me.
Jun 13th, 2007, 06:04 AM
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After doing the slow-moving Swamp Tour (which we LOVED), I am really looking forward to an airboat tour -- I'm glad that those of you who have been really liked it. I did find out that with Jean Lafitte (the co. we are going with) they can pick you up in the French Quarter if you do not have your own car.
