I recently returned home from my trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. I went on this trip with my nephew, Nate Mcaleenan, and my parents, Diana Lynn Smith and Dennis Smith. The first thing I want to say is wow. It is an amazing city. Both the city and the surrounding area are beautiful. The city is near a large lake and river and is surrounded by many swamps. There was a really long highway that actually went through that swamp. We originally left late Friday night and met up with my sister, Jeannie Smith, and her family at the Lake of the Ozarks. We stayed the night at the condominium they rented. We left the following morning. We did not arrive in the area until around 2 A.M. Sunday. We decided to stay at a Days Inn in Laplace. We had actually reserved a hotel in the French Quarter called Maison Du Puy. That reservation, however, was not until Sunday night and would have lasted until Wednesday night. Many events occurred that night, the most notable event was when my nephew, Nate McAleenan, locked the car keys in the car. We went through alot, but managed to get in with the help of a hanger. Later that that day, we checked out and traveled to New Orleans to buy our Power Passes, which grants you free admission to 26 attractions over a defined period, in our case five days, for a specified amount, in our case $146 a person. After this, we made it back to Laplace to do the first swamp tour (Cajun Pride Swamp Tours). The tour began at 9:30 A.M. The boat was a little high, but the swamp we were brought to was very nice and relaxing. The water was no more than four feet at any given place though. While we did not really see many large alligators, we did see plenty of smaller ones. The tour guide was very entertaining and I learned a good amount about local culture and history. Following this, we traveled to Oak Alley Plantation. A beautiful plantation where many films, including Interview with the Vampire, have been filmed. We explored the reconstructed slave quarters and facilities which illustrated the horror that was slavery. We then began a guided tour of the main house. The tour guide gave detailed information on the house and family that lived there. I learned many things I was unaware of including how they controlled bugs and heat during that period. The guide even discussed two ghost experiences she had at the plantation. After the tour, we discussed various topics related to the purpose of the plantation; meanwhile, a snake was encountered and much time was spent following it. Our guide, who disliked snakes, wanted it dead, but it luckily managed to escape. We then went to our hotel we reserved in the French Quarter. In all honesty, we hated it. We did not know valet was required and that the continental breakfast, which was terrible, was only for two. Further, the hotel had no refrigerator or microwave. The room even had electrical issues. We convinced the hotel to allow us to cancel the rest of our stay. That same day, while searching for something to eat, we decided to visit the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. This park included a mixture of environments including including freshwater and brackish marshes, coastal hardwood forests, lagoons, canals, borrow pits, cheniers (former beach fronts), and natural bayous. At a couple locations, there were boardwalks you could travel on, though there was only one really good area that protruded into the swamps. That first day we arrived in the evening and were able to see about six relatively good sized alligators between 3.5 and 4.5 feet long. Unlike the other days we visited the park, there was no vegetation front of the walks, it was just deep, dark water. Very creepy indeed. The second day we decided to visit the Audubon Zoo and Aquarium. In New Orleans, they have have a park complex that includes an aquarium, zoo, Insectarium, and IMAX Theater. The aquarium was first and we actually arrived a little early. this permitted Nathan and I to explore the area. We walked on the ferry walk, the river walk, and even discovered one of the plazas donated to the city by Spain for the Centennial in 1976. We then returned to the aquarium and several minutes later entered the aquarium. The aquarium is not large, but it is very neat and relaxing. The first exhibit, which was Mayan themed was especially mesmerizing. They even had an underwater tunnel that you could walk through and look at the fish swimming above and next to (if you have been to the new sea lion exhibit at the St. Louis Zoo, for my St. Louis friends, that is essentially what this was, but with fish). Another area of note was the rainforest exhibit. There is at least one other aquarium that i can remember having an exhibit like this one, which was the aquarium in Baltimore. In any event, it was really neat. The purpose of it is to simulate what its like to actually go through the rainforest. The exhibit includes native fish in aquariums, relevant rainforest vegetation, native birds, and insects. In the next area was penguins and it just happened that we arrived just in time to watch the show. it was really interesting. They discussed the unique personalities of the penguins, described how they lived, and even fed them. we probably spent about thirty minutes watching the show. There were several other exhibits including one that simulated the environment of Louisiana. The final exhibit was a large aquarium that contained a variety of wildlife including stingrays, multiple types of sharks, green sea turtles, and much more. Ironically, the exhibit was sponsored by such companies as BP, Shell, and Exxon. Next we traveled to the New Orleans Zoo. Along the way, we encountered a major rainstorm. It rained like crazy, some parts of the street even had as much as a half of an inch of water. We arrived at the zoo and it was still drizzling, but we decided to go anyway. It was actually pretty nice since it kept the temperature down. Despite the warning that many animals would probably not be out, we saw nearly every one. The zoo was not quite as packed as the St. Louis Zoo, but it was worth it because it was quite beautiful. There was one fountain in the center of the zoo that was absolutely magnificent. I will not go into a great deal of detail on the specifics of this location as this post has already turned into the War and Peace of posts, but I will say that many of the exhibits were just as beautiful. The reptile house and Louisiana swamp exhibits were of particular note. The reptile house included quite a number of very naturalistic exhibits. I believe it was divided according to the type of reptile or amphibian that was on display. The Louisiana swamp exhibit was also as naturalistic. The best part, which was also probably my favorite part of the zoo, was a raised walk over a swamp filled with alligators. There was a green moss that covered the water making it easier to see the alligators. The zoo was really quite incredible, definitely one to check out if you are ever in New Orleans. That was really the extent of what we did that day, though we did spend a few hours at the aforementioned wildlife refuge. Unfortunately, this day there was a great deal of vegetation in the way, but we still did manage to see a few alligators. My nephew Nathan also fed them some marshmallows that we purchased from Winn Dixie, a local grocery store. The next day is what I refer to as the French Quarter Day. The first place we visited was the Old U.S. Mint (I am not positive, but this location may not have been located in the French Quarter). This mint minted coins from the 1830s to the early 1900s with the exception of 1861-1865 when it served the Confederacy. Sadly, they were doing reservations on the second floor, so we were only able to see the exhibit on the first floor. While we would not have paid in any event as we had the passes, we were informed that there was no admission fee due to the renovations. It was pretty neat. There were many interesting artifacts including one of the first calculators from the 1890s. The second place that we visited was known as Presbytere. The place was essentially a museum that includes different exhibits. I am not really sure of the full history of the building, but I know it was once a hospital and a jail. on the second level, there were several rooms filled with Mardi Gras stuff. I realize that this event is a major part of the New Orleans culture and history, but I have never been very interested in Mardi Gras, so I did not spend much time there. The first floor was much more interesting. On this floor, there was an exhibit on hurricanes and their effect on the city as well as their long relationship with the city. Perhaps the most interesting portion of the exhibit was Hurricane Katrina. This event occurred roughly a decade ago and really had an enormous impact on the city. The exhibit tracked the sequence of the hurricane, the impact, and explored what the future is. It was a really informative exhibit that enabled me to really understand an event that seems so distant. I had chills several times during the exhibit. Genuine everyday objects from the event really helped in this regard. Another object of note on this floor was a piano that Fats Domino played on. The third place we visited was the 1850 House, which is exactly what it sounds like. The house was essentially a facsimile of what life would have been like for a member of a higher class around the year 1850. It was really quite beautiful and both my mother and nephew experienced weird feelings in the house even though the operators did not claim the place to be haunted. Originally, I had planned to skip the Calbildo, but since we had time, I decided we should do it. As it so happened, it was virtually right next to Presbytere, the building we visited earlier. I did not regret it. It was one of my favorite attractions in the city. Calbildo was the center of the French and later the Spanish governments. Among the many things that occurred here was the formalizing of the Louisiana Purchase in the early 1800s. This place included a number of objects from throughout New Orleans history. There was also a great deal of information on this same history. Describing everything from the economy and politics of colonial New Orleans to the slave rebellions of the early 1800s to the role of the city during the American Civil War. This museum was really quite informative and I learned many things about local history I was unaware of previously. Unfortunately, I was not able to spend as much time at this location as I wold have liked as we had to get somewhere else. The next and final place of the day was the New Orleans Historic Collection. Like Calbildo, the museum was dedicated to the history of the city. In addition, it contained a wealth of objects from throughout New Orleans history. I would say there were hundreds of objects ranging from maps to Mardi Gras masks to other everyday objects. We had actually indicated our interest in a self-guided tour, but as it just so happened, we encountered an impromptu tour when we entered the first section on the second floor (the first floor did contain a section on a particular group from the Jazz Age, I believe they were named the Pointer Sisters). The tour ended up running for about one hour and a half and explored the history of the city and region in great detail. The tour guide was relatively new, so was still learning and there is much to learn. I was even able to contribute my own prior knowledge including some of the things I had learned at Calbildo. It was really quite fascinating, even though we did not go through the last of the rooms. I believe we ended around New Orleans in 1880 as our guide did not realize she had been talking as long as she had. I then finished looking at the rest of the rooms. After this, we had planned on taking a walking tour of the French Quarter, but our (at this time it was only me and mother for various reasons) legs were so tired that we decided to just skip it. We then proceeded to go to the Sauvage wildlife refuge where we spent a couple of hours. We also met some of the locals, who recommended a few places for us to eat at. We also seen a number of animals including several smaller alligators. The gentlemen also mentioned that they had seen a ten foot alligator earlier that day. My nephew also accidentally caused an alligator to bite the bait of one of the men that were fishing for alligator gar. What happened was he was throwing marshmallows and, in doing this, the alligator was inadvertently led to where the bait was. The next day we began the day by taking a cemetery walking tour which began at 11. The journey to get there was quite the story, but that is another story. Lets just say it was quite the adventure, but we did get there in time though it was close. The tour was really interesting. We seen a number of sites along the way including the site of New Orleans first cemetery and beautiful examples of New Orleans architecture. Eventually we arrived at the purpose of the tour: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Near the front of the cemetery, was one of the two pyramid tombs in the cemetery. Shortly after, we visited the second most visited grave in the country (number 1 being Elvis Presley). The grave of Marie Laveau, who is today known as being the Queen of Voodoo. This cemetery also included a huge burial pyramid built and owned by Nicholas Cage. It also included several huge monument structures (I cannot think of the actual names) constructed by various ethnic societies. The most magnificent being the one built by the Italian society. That structure was towering, made out of marble, and even included beautiful statues. The designer actually hated the backwater city of New Orleans and so worked ferociously to finish the project. Unfortunately, for him, he worked so hard that he died of exhaustion and was the first person buried in the structure. Other notable graves include Homer Plessy from the famous 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy Vs. Ferguson, which established the separate but equal doctrine, and the graves of the two of the wives of governor Claiborne, the first elected governor of Louisiana. We then traveled across town to get on the Creole Queen River Paddle Boat Cruise. This boat traveled along the Mississippi for about thirty minutes in order to reach the Jean Laffitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Among other things included at this site was the site of the famous Battle of New Orleans. There was a long walk to the visitor center with a number of signs containing information along the way. When we arrived, a park ranger gave us a rundown of this famous battle. Inside there was a history of the War of 1812 as well as the Battle of New Orleans. In addition there were a number of artifacts from the conflict. Sadly, I did not have enough time to explore this fully. Me and my mother then exited and took a picture of one of the cannons outside as well as the Battle of New Orleans Monument. We then quickly proceeded back to the boat that took us back to the city, though I quickly stopped at an open plantation house (there was nothing actually inside) along the way. While that was originally intended to be the end of the day, in actuality, it was not. My nephew Nathan convinced my Dad to pay for a tour that was not included in the New Orleans Power Pass, which ran about $21 a person. this tour was actually a ghost tour and it began at 8:15 P.M. This tour was incredibly interesting. The tour recounted a great deal of specific history and fascinating stories including elements of ghostly experiences. I could go on all day telling you the many interesting stories told, but I will just briefly mention some of the more interesting locales. The first place was Jackson Square. The square was the site of many events including the execution of several dissidents from a silent revolution when the Spanish sent a governor. One of the alleys we then went down actually once contained the blacksmith shop of famous privateer Jean Lafitte, who used the place as a front for the gold and silver he plundered. Another example is the Hotel Provencal, which was built on the site of an Ursuline Civil War hospital. Many people have claimed to see visions of the hospital as it was during the conflict. Nurses running, patients moaning, and bloody cloths on the floor. Perhaps the most notable place on the tour was the mansion of Delphine La Laurie. Delphine and her husband were known for the brutal torture of their slaves in New Orleans, which was notable for its slave codes. When knowledge of the horrors they inflicted became known, a mob came to kill her and her family, but they had already fled. If you have the chance, I definitely recommend you looking up and reading the full story. I also found the story of General Beauregard to be quite interesting. Shortly before the secession of the South, he was appointed as head of West Point. Due to this secession, they deprived him of his position. He would later go on to command the defenses at Fort Sumter and win the First Battle of Bull Run. Strangely though, his name did not really go down in history, despite his many achievements. There really were many other interesting stories, but these, in my opinion, were the highlights. The tour ended at a cool looking shadow of a statue of Jesus. I should also add that the tour did spend some time talking about vampires, but it was mostly focused on ghosts. The next day was when we planned to leave, but this does not mean that it was uneventful. We checked out of the hotel early and then went on to do the second swamp tour of the vacation called Ultimate Swamp Tours. This roughly two hour tour took us through a number of deep swamps, marshes, and canals. We seen a variety of wildlife, the most notable being, of course, alligators. The boat was low and the tour guide was able to get many of the alligators to get really close to the boat. Nearly all of them were larger than the ones at the first tour. The largest one we encountered, about 7 or 8 feet, actually went under several times and surfaced virtually right in front of where me and Nathan were sitting. Of the two tours, I definitely enjoyed this one better, though the first was still really good. Following this, we went to the Confederate Memorial Museum, which was the oldest museum in the state. We started by watching a video at the back, though we encountered a couple of ignorant people so me and my mother were not able to finish the 20 minute video. We then proceeded to finish the museum, which was not very large. It included a wealth of objects from the conflict. It was really quite fascinating. I actually learned that Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, was the first President of the Louisiana Historical Association. The last place we visited and this was just a coincidence because it was right across from the Confederate museum, was The National WWII Museum. We spent a pretty good amount of time here. There were numerous objects from the conflict and was even staffed by actual WWII veterans. The museum essentially was a chronological following of the conflict, though the European and Pacific campaigns were separate. In addition the information here was very detailed and I learned a number of things that I was unaware of before. Eventually I managed to make it through the museum and I returned to the car (not before buying a book on the war from the souvenir shop, the only souvenir I purchased during the entire vacation, named from Axis Victories to the Turn of the Tide: World War II, 1939-1943 by Alan Levine). After this, we left New Orleans and returned home several hours later. In conclusion, I must say I really loved this trip; I would probably place it in my top three most favorite trips. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend visiting New Orleans, it is a great city.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 17:18:02 +0000
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