There was some debate about whether it would be worthwhile to stop with the kids in New Orleans. I could see Kim’s point about it being an adult oriented place, one of excess and debauchery. That said, I really wanted them to experience some of it, partly because the sense of history there would be unique to the rest of our trip so far. I’m glad we did.
We camped at a campground NorthWest of town. As we rolled in, missed a turn and cruised through a neighborhood that had seen better days (nice way of saying it), I was certainly wondering about the decision, and about Kim’s choice of campground. It was a bit rough, but in the end, it worked out great.
We only had one day to hit this town, so we headed downtown after breakfast. First stop, the French Quarter and the Jean Lafitte visitor center for a Jr Ranger badge. It was really great to visit a National Historic Site within a thriving bustling city! They happened to have a band in there playing live music (a first!)… including a clarinet and an accordion! In the adjacent kitchen, we had demonstrations of praline making by the owner of “Grannies Pralines”. They were great, and I grabbed the recipe for (near) future use. Note to self, cut it in half next time, who needs 48 pralines!
After that, we made a beeline for Cafe Du Monde for the famous coffee! Just kidding, we went for the beignet, and I had a side of coffee. Service was horrible, but energy and food was high. Lots of football fans, ready for a bowl game at the superdome later in the day.
We had planned to do a boat trip at the Chalumette Battlefield National Site, so we scurred over there in the jeep. Unfortunately, we were a bit late, and once we arrived, we found out the program was cancelled! No matter, we explored the visitor center, watched the excellent movie, and got another Badge! I’m impressed by the volunteers who travelled to this place to defend the port of New Orleans from the British! Great to hear that we we’re not afraid to partner up with some questionable characters in that hour of need as well. Jean Lafitte was a local pirate who joined the battle, offering men and ammo, in return for pardons for his aquatic thieving ways.
After that we headed back to the RV for dinner, and called it a day. A short, but good visit to the bayou, gahwonteed!
