It was a relaxing weekend, taking our time getting up and out each day. We started the day wandering around the French Quarter checking out the antique and tourists shops. Our goal for lunch was my family’s favorite, The ACME Oyster Co, but turns out the line was a bit longer than we expected so we had to skip it so we would have time to eat and get to our activity for the day, a swamp tour.
We went with the Pearl River Eco Tour Co. which we highly recommend. Throughout the tour, our guide, John, provided a thorough discussion on the geography, history and ecology of the Louisiana swamp. We were in a small boat which allowed us to travel through some small bayous where we saw plenty of alligators and other wildlife.
Later we had a chance to visit with John again since he plays piano in the hotel where we were staying. We had dinner at a local very casual venue called Mother’s for some real home cooking of jambalaya, red beans and rice, and etouffee so that we could make it back to the hotel in time for the Halloween Parade.
It is about as close to a Mardi Gras parade experience you can have outside of Mardi Gras. Some local women were standing next to us and told us all the ins and outs of parade traditions and etiquette. It was definitely a bonus event for our weekend that we had not planned for.
We started Sunday morning with Cafe Du Monde beignets and chickory coffee. Yum!!
Then we split up. Michael, Eli, Mary Ann and Shelley went to the WW II museum, which is also a must see. Shayna and I opted to walk around the French Quarter a bit more and when it started raining we hopped on the St. Charles trolley to see the Garden District. We ended the day with another great meal at a restaurant called Peche.
On Monday morning we had a tearful parting as we started our drive home, heading west on Highway 10 until it ends – Only 1900 miles to go!
American History Roadtrip 