From Nashville, we traveled south through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We were planning on stopping at a Walmart in Alabama but we kept driving and got into Louisiana before we stopped for the night. The next morning, we continued on to our campground near New Orleans.
Have I ever been more scared than when we were driving into New Orleans and our phones were going off about a Tornado warning? No. I don’t think I have. I had a good freak out session until we got to the campground in Poydras.
I might’ve also texted my parents because I didn’t know what to do.
Jared was cool, calm and collected.
We were 20 minutes away from our campground and there was nothing we could do. We had nowhere to go and the trailer wouldn’t protect us against a tornado.
We got to our site and got out to set up. Boy was it warm, even in late November
Also, lots and lots of humidity.
We got leveled and then Jared was getting ready to connect the power. He got a little frightened though.
It was a little green frog! There were also lots of little bugs around.
Once we got everything hooked up, we cranked up the air conditioning and settled in.
There were not a lot of other campers set up but that might’ve been from the bad weather.
We both really wanted a real shower so we got our stuff ready and went for a shower. We were set up really close to the bathrooms so we walked over. There were huge puddles of water every which way we went though.
When I got into the shower, I was a little scared. There were two shower stalls that had flimsy plastic curtains. There weren’t any hooks for towels or anything but there was a shower chair in one stall I used for my stuff. There were huge bugs and wasps in the stalls that really freaked me out! I really wanted a shower so I sucked it up. I kept my glasses on during my shower though so I could keep my eye on the huge bugs!
The water pressure was okay, the water was warm, and I couldn’t make any sudden movements in order to keep the bugs at bay so it was all okay.
The next morning, we had an early Swamp Tour scheduled with the Jean Lafitte Company. When we woke up was much cooler and less humid.
We were gator hunting!
It was a fun ride on the pontoon and our guide was very funny.
I even got to hold a baby alligator!
After the adventure we had, we headed to the closest McDonald’s for some coffee.
We hit Bourbon Street next! We walked around and checked out all the shops.
There was a band! 
We stood around and enjoyed the music.
There was a lot of construction happening but the music brought the street to life.
We headed to the Gumbo Shop for lunch.
We both got gumbo – Jared tried the chicken gumbo and I went with the seafood gumbo. 
In the picture above, you can see the mark from his fight with the TV.
It was a really cute restaurant! There was an outdoor courtyard which was really cool. It was in the middle of all the buildings. There were little birds flying around and the temperature was great, especially with the heating lamps. 
The price of our meal wasn’t bad at all! It was about $20 for both of our gumbos.
After lunch, we decided on a walk. We headed towards Jackson Square. Named for Andrew Jackson.
New Orleans was celebrating its 300th year. It was founded in 1718!
New Orleans had so much going on.
We even got to see the Mississippi River there.
We walked on to Cafe Du Monde, a highly recommended beignet shop.
We enjoyed some hot beverages and beignets. There was powdered sugar everywhere!
I tried the cafe au lait (coffee with chickory) because I wanted to be adventurous. It did not pay off. I realized I didn’t like cafe au laits. Jared decided on the hot cocoa and it was probably the best cocoa we’d ever had.
The beignets were hot and melted in our mouths. They were so dang good! I’m imagining them now and my mouth is watering.
After the treat, we headed back down Bourbon Street and shopped around before heading home.
We noticed quite a few street hustlers hanging around. Since it was the off-season, there were not quite as many tourists around so we made for bigger targets. One guy came up to us and said, “I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes.” We kept ignoring him sensing it was a setup. He followed us for a bit trying to engage us but eventually lost interest. After the interaction, we learned (through the internet) that this was a common question they ask tourists. They say, “You got your shoes on Bourbon Street in New Orleans”. Then they demand money. Luckily we were not tricked!
The next morning, we headed to the Oak Alley Plantation. It was an hour away from the campground but definitely worth the drive. The grounds were beautiful.
The Oak Alley Plantation was a sugar plantation. During it’s active years, the plantation enslaved 110-120 people. We listened to an informational talk from one of the staff members about the lives of slaves on the plantation. 
We walked around the area and enjoyed the beautiful weather some more.
The oak trees were reason alone to visit the plantation.
We even got to tour the mansion!
Here we are on the balcony.
We spent the whole day getting to know the grounds.
We drove back into town from the campground the next morning to explore the Garden District.
We drove around the neighborhoods and saw beautiful homes with lush gardens.
Some people had parked and began their walking tour of the homes in the Garden District.
We headed back to Bourbon Street to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop for some drinks. It was 11 am but we didn’t have any where to be. We got their specialty drink – a Hurricane – and it was great.
Lafitte’s is one of the oldest bars in the US. They’ve been serving drinks since the 1700s.
We were a little famished so we decided to take a walk to the Central Grocery and orders a Muffuletta sandwich. Central Grocery is the “Home of the Original and ‘Creators’ of the Muffuletta”.
It was full of flavor! There was salami and an olive salad in the sandwich!
The sandwiches filled us up so we went for a little walk to the Riverwalk. It was under quite a bit of construction but the mall was still open. We sat around and people watched for a little while.
We headed back to Cafe Du Monde for more hot chocolate and beignets. We had a more interesting time at the cafe than the last time. While we were sitting and enjoying ourselves, there was a camera crew following someone on a bike around. After asking a few people, we found out it was Aaron Kaufman – a tv show star.
We thought it was fun to watch them do some different takes, but we decided to leave and head back down Bourbon Street.
Pat O’Brien’s was our next destination.
From all the reviews we’ve read, you needed to be at the bar early enough for a seat.
We went in and had a drink before the show. We loved all the outdoor corridors in New Orleans. They were all cozy.
We saw a water fountain with fire coming out of the top of it!
We sat and tried to enjoy the Mint Juleps but they were not the drinks for us. They tasted like cold medicine.
We got to the other section of the bar with plenty of time but it seemed like we were only a small group of people interested in watching the pianos duel.
It slowly started to fill up. Me and Jared had great seats in the back. As we waited, we tried to finish our Mint Juleps. 
We ordered a strawberry daiquiri to wash down the Juleps. It was the best strawberry daiquiri ever! The piano players were fantastic. They took requests from the audience and could play anything thrown at them. They played Bohemian Rhapsody with ease. The two piano players took turns playing songs.
It was a fun and delicious way to end our trip to New Orleans.
The Journey Begins 