We had talked about this trip for many years. Louisiana and Alabama were the last 2 states that Marci had not visited. So for our 10th Anniversary we decided to make it happen. We are so glad we did. We werent quite sure what to expect but ended up loving the area, found a lot of neat things to see and do and just loved being away together as always! We arrived in the afternoon so once getting into town we explored the French Quarter (Bourbon Street). Initially we were quite underwhelmed at the dirty, stinky, feel of it all. At least it was good for people watching and if you look up the architecture of the old buildings really is beautiful . We soon learned that most of New Orleans isn't like that. You just have to get off those couple of streets and it is all quite charming! We then headed to Jackson Square, got ourselves some beignets at Cafe Du Monde. Delicious yes. We then watched the sunset and relaxed by the Mississippi River. It was quite a nice evening and New Orleans was starting to grow on us.
Once it was dark, we headed to do a ghost tour of the French Quarter area. Entertaining yes, interesting yes, did we get scared- nope, did we believe anything we were told- not much. haha. but even with that said I would totally recommend doing it. It was a fun way to see some of the city at night. The Old Ursuline Convent is where there is said to be quite the story of ghosts.
The next morning we went to Mardi Gras World. This is where many of the floats for Mardi Gras Parades (as well as other things) are made. It was unreal to see the process and how intricate and detailed they get on the floats. The warehouse was huge! They keep the past years projects and basically transform them into something new. Pretty neat.
Next up we trekked down to the bayou to do a swamp airboat tour with Airboat Adventures. Totally worth it! Our guide was as back country as you can find. He basically grew up on the swamp, wrestled alligators (literally) and had scares to prove it. He had some great stories to tell and was quite entertaining--- especially when he baited the gators over to our boat with marshmellows and then grabbed a smaller one right out of the water. We were all a little shocked but then got to pet the little guy. The swamp itself was pretty gorgeous as well, and the speed boat ride was a ton of fun in and of itself.
Day three brought us to our Bike Food Tour!!! YES!! I love really getting to know what the locals eat and where the good stuff is. Our Bike Tour did not disappoint. Seriously had SO MUCH FOOD. There is no way we could have eaten it all. We biked around some of the lesser known parts of the city so that was fun as well. Below are some of our favorites and some of places we went.
At this point in our ride, my bike started making a funny noise--- and sure enough my tire went flat! Thanks to our guide he let me ride his bike while he did his best trying to keep the tire not flat until he could switch out the flat bike.
The Rock Market had a bunch of different vendors, all of which we tried were amazing!! We had more beignets at Lorettas and we thought they were even better than Cafe Du Monde. All though they were all good! So much good food!
After the food tour we still wanted to explore so we rented some bikes off the street and headed to explore a cemetery and then up to their big public park where Marci had planned a Gondola ride around the little canals there. They had all kinds of different art structures which made it fun to walk around a bit.
The gondola ride was fun--- but it was a HOT HOT day. We were able to bring some sparkling cider, and enjoyed some italian music--- So romantic. haha. It was an experience.
After our gondola ride we went back and explored the French Quarter a bit more. Listened to some great bands, amazing street performers, and just had fun walking the streets.
The next morning it was time to head out We had to get our Louisiana sign. State 49 and then State #50 ALABAMA! Wahoo. 50 state lines visited for Marci.
We stopped for lunch at a place called The SHED that was basically a restaurant made from old Stuff aka garbage. We didnt really know what it was until we got in and apparently it was a pretty big deal. They had been on the Food Network many times(had a mini show). It was really good BBQ food so no complaints from us.
We made it to the gulf shores of it was beautiful. We didn't quite know what to expect but were so pleasantly surprised with how amazing the beaches and the sand was there. Hawaii like sand for sure. We enjoyed the evening walking the beaches and relaxing. The next morning we went swimming, got a little sunburned, and lost our sunglasses in the waves. I'd call it a success. I would def. go back to the beaches in the gulf. they were some of the best!
We were so close to Florida that we had to go get a pic with that state line pic as well. We loved our trip and had such a great time getting away! It was a great 10th Anniversary!
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