The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
You absolutely cannot visit Louisiana without exploring life on the bayou by doing a swamp tour. I don't know about where you live, but nothing could be further from the ecosystems where we live in California, so we could not wait to learn more about it. We chose an outfit called Cajun Pride Swamp Tours and I would highly recommend them. If you’re staying in New Orleans, they will pick you up and take you to … [Read more...]
We thought it would be fun to tour this historic town of Natchitoches, which we found out from my friend, Alan, who lives in New Orleans, is pronounced “Nack-a-dish.” Besides being the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana purchase founded in 1714, one of the towns claim to fame is it is where the movie "Steel Magnolias" was filmed and it really is the quintessential southern town just dripping with … [Read more...]
When New Orleans is not celebrating Mardi Gras, you’ll find the majority of the floats at Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. Blaine Kern is THE name in New Orleans parade floats, and they are just spectacular up-close and personal. We were given a short orientation and learned about Mardi Gras which in English means “Fat Tuesday”—the last day to party before Ash Wednesday and Lent. After watching a short film, … [Read more...]
So after a long day of driving and seeing the sites in Louisiana, and right after our carriage ride through the French Quarter the crew was famished and so the hunt began for a family friendly place to eat-which can be a little challenging in the Big Easy. Thankfully we happened upon the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant and Market on Decatur Street. My crew won't eat any shellfish, but they will eat fish with … [Read more...]
Also known as the Louisiana State Museum, The Cabildo was originally the seat of the colonial government in New Orleans, as well as the site of the Louisiana Purchase transfer. At one point the building housed the state supreme court and was the site of the famous Plessy vs. Ferguson decision. Now the building houses an incredible collection of Louisiana history. We walked through the museum which covers a huge … [Read more...]
One of New Orleans more famous culinary treats is the beignet, and you will find none better that at the very famous Cafe Du Monde. Beignet are fried biscuits that are light and fluffy and sprinkled with powdered sugar-and are nothing short of heaven. You cannot visit New Orleans without having beignet at the original location right on the banks of the Mississippi river on the outer edge of the French Quarter … [Read more...]
One of the best ways to tour the French Quarter is to go on a carriage ride. We did this just a bit before sundown and it was something that both the kids and the adults thoroughly enjoyed. We took a short tour of the historic buildings, and our lovely tour guide filled us in on all the legends and lore. It was a great intro to get us oriented in the city. Something about the clippity-clop of those hooves and the old … [Read more...]
When we were in New Orleans we met up with some good friends and local residents Alan and Diane and their little boy Eli. We asked them where we could get a good breakfast and they told us to head right over to Mother's-home of the world's best baked ham (that's what's on their sign outside). We don't eat ham, but we do like a good breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and all the fixins and Mother's did not … [Read more...]
Because of New Orleans' cultural ties to the Caribbean and voodoo culture, I thought it would be really interesting to do a voodoo tour and see the famous graves in this historic city while exploring something truly unique to New Orleans. I booked a tour through the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum and I remember that something just didn't feel right when I got off the phone. When we arrived for our tour, we were … [Read more...]
As we landed in Juneau we were all starving, and not knowing where to go we headed straight to our first stop The Red Dog Saloon-a Juneau institution and a "do not miss" according to every guidebook I read. Popping our heads into this crazy weird bar (complete with swinging saloon doors), the hostess said they served lunch and my kids were allowed to enter as long as they stayed by my side. "No problem" I said and … [Read more...]
