This summer we took our first big RV family vacation was from San Antonio to Miramar Beach/Destin, Florida. When I say family, I mean all of my immediate family; the parents, my 2 brothers, my Sissy, and the 3 nephews. Being the detailed and great planner my baby brother is, we had a scenic road trip to and from, and since my little brother had made the drive before, we had some fun stops along the way and our first one was New Orleans. We began our adventure at 5am on a Thursday morning so that we wouldn’t have to deal with the Houston traffic. Once we passed by the Houston skyline, the road to getting out of Texas came pretty fast. If you have never traveled from Texas to Louisiana, you need to. You would be amazed how the scenery changes; from greenery and oak trees to murky water and swamps. On our route, we drove on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge (also known as the Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge) which carries Interstate 10 over the Atchafalaya Basin. The bridge is 18.2 miles and the 3rd longest bridge in the US.
On our first stop out of Texas, we pulled into the Tiger Truck Stop. At the truck stop, they have a live tiger (caged) on the property named Tony. After a few snaps of Tony, we got back on the road and went over the Horace Wilkinson Bridge which took us over the Mississippi River. Once we made it to New Orleans, we went straight to the French Quarter RV Resort; that was our home for a couple of days while in NOLA. The French Quarter RV Resort was just a few miles away from all the hot spots of NOLA. We were all hyped up and excite that we made our first destination safely, that we literally set up the RV, called Uber, and made our way to Bourbon Street. After being on the road, the first thing we wanted to do was eat some good Cajun cuisine and have a few drinks. As we walked through the French Quarter in search of a place to grab a bite, we quenched our thirsts with some frosty grenades; a must when in NOLA. We ate dinner at the Remoulade Restaurant; I had the crawfish pie with jambalaya and a Bayou drink to wash it down. After dinner, we let our full bellies rest while we played the slots and roulette tables at Harrah’s Casino. Though none of us were big winners, we celebrated on Bourbon Street with some live music like we did. With the RV park being so close by, Uber was the best way to and from the French Quarter, even late in the evening.
The morning came fast and we were up and out early to begin our long day of adventure. Even though it was raining a bit, that didn’t stop us from venturing out. I think the nephews thought it was fun being able to walk in the warm summer rain without getting in trouble. For starters, nothing like a hearty breakfast at the Creole House Restaurant & Oyster Bar that consisted of a seafood omelet, cheesy grits, and mimosas to get the day started. After fueling up for all the walking that was ahead of us, we made our way to the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium. The insectarium is located on Canal Street and North America’s largest museum devoted to insects. If you ever visit, be sure to eat some bugs at the bug buffet. Next stop was the Audubon Aquarium and Imax where we enjoyed viewing sea life, Louisiana swamp life, and watched the movie Hurricane on the Bayou which was about Hurricane Katrina. After relaxing in the cool air conditioned theatre, we let the nephews run and burn off some energy outside in the aquarium’s splash pad. Dinnertime was upon us and Cajun cuisine was on the menu for the evening which lead us to Oceana Grill; you can’t leave NOLA without having fresh gumbo and alligator. To walk off dinner, we continued our sightseeing and enjoy all the liveliness of the Bourbon Street nightlife before heading back to the RV Park.
Before making our way out of NOLA, we took full advantage of the pool and hot-tub at the French Quarter RV Park. They have a really nice laundry facility and nice shower and restrooms by the pool. The RV park grounds were clean and gated; they even have security making their rounds around the park all night which makes for a peaceful night’s sleep. Once morning came, we packed up and hit the road to our next destination… Bye-bye New Orleans and thanks for the memories…. Now to Miramar Beach, Florida!
