Christmas Lights in Natchitoches, LA

The Christmas lights in Natchitoches are why our camping trip took a decidedly road-trip turn.  I hadn't been to Natchitoches to see them since the 1998 Christmas Festival, and my husband & daughter had never seen them.

We missed Christmas Fest by one day.  I was okay with that.  The crowd was much thinner.  And there were no fireworks to convince our border collie that THE WORLD WAS ENDING!

We arrived in Natchitoches about an hour and a half before sundown.  After getting a snack, we headed out to Front Street with the dogs.  We parked down by the water, walked around, and waited for the sun to go down.

Let me tell you, Hodges Gardens has nothing on Natchitoches.  The water towers have Natchitoches labeled as the City of Lights, and with good reason.  Cane River Lake's two bridges were decorated.  There were light displays on the banks of the lake opposite Front Street, and some light displays right where we were. And they were magnificent. 

Something that was rather new to me was the fact that the carriage house was open, and there are now horse-drawn carriage tours of Natchitoches, though I'm not sure whether this was just for Christmas Fest or something being done year round. 

Natchitoches is just beautiful any time of year, and after dark, the light display during the month of December is just amazing. 

One note--if you bring your dog(s), be prepared for the fact that it seemed like more food hit the ground than made it to people's mouths the day before.  We had to constantly make sure none of that food was making its way into our pups' mouths. 

If you've never been, the drive to Natchitoches is definitely worth it.  Just don't forget to visit Lasyone's and get a meat pie!

http://www.christmasfestival.com/
Also, the good hotels book up, so if you don't live in reasonable driving distance, make your reservations early!

South Toledo Bend State Park

My husband & I love to camp.  Or rather we like the idea of camping.  We've gone camping.  We think it's fun.  But to say we love it, I think, implies that we do it all the time.  We don't.

My first camping trip ever took place when my husband & I were dating.  This was back in the late 1990s.  He suggested it, and I readily agreed.  After all, this was something we could do and bring my beloved dog Molly. So we went.  My first camping trip ever was in Kisatchie National Forest.  I have absolutely no idea where we went, and this forest is massive.  It takes up a very large area in the center of Louisiana.  All I know is that when he brought up the idea of camping, I thought we were going to be "roughing it".  And then we got there, picked our site (within walking distance of bathrooms containing flush toilets and hot showers). The site itself had running water and an electrical outlet.  And I, naive as I was, hadn't even thought to bring my blow drier.  :)

My first experience with camping was that, although fun during the day...once the sun went down, it was kind of boring.  So, on our next expedition, I was more prepared.  Right after we got married, we took our doberman pinscher to Arkansas.  We went to Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas.  I remember just knowing we wanted to go camping in Arkansas.  We went to Hot Springs first--there's a national park there.  And there were campsites, but it was pretty much camping in a parking lot, so we searched on.  I can't remember exactly where we camped, but after staying a couple days, we decided to explore some more.  We went in May, probably the beginning of the peak season, and most other places were full.  Eventually, we'd like to go back up to Arkansas and explore a little more.

The next year, our family had grown to include a golden retriever, and it was with him and our dobie that we went on our road trip.  We went to Tennessee and North Carolina via Florida.  Yes.  I told my dear husband we could go camping again, but I wanted to see a beach on the way.  For the record, most of Florida was very dog un-friendly at the time.  I've heard the exception is the Keys, but don't take my word on it.  All I know is that dogs are allowed pretty much anywhere (except in buildings) in any state park in Louisiana.  In Florida, we went to Blackwater River State Park, and our campground was pretty much the only one that allowed dogs.  We drove up through Alabama and Georgia to get to Tennessee.  We stayed in a campground in Tennessee National Forest. A special note here...if you get a flat while camping, ask the park rangers where to go.  That's what we did, and the place was very fair and did an awesome job.

After a couple days in Tennessee, we headed east to Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina.  Our road trip was at the end of April/Beginning of May.  We were completely unprepared for how cold it was up in the mountains.  It was still beautiful, and when you hike with two large dogs, people tend to let you have spots to yourself for awhile. :)

Now....our road trip & last camping experience was two years after we got married.  This weekend's camping trip was to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and was our three-year-old daughter's introduction to camping.  This time, we brought our young dogs, a border collie and a miniature Australian shepherd. It was their introduction to this sleeping in a tent experience we call camping, also.   We had to retired our golden retriever from hiking activities after the last time we brought him to Port Hudson and wore him out.  And to be honest, I don't think our dobie really likes the outdoors much.

To prepare our daughter, we slept on the back porch once.  She was thoroughly intrigue at the idea of "sleeping outside."  For years I'd heard friends and family talk about going to Toledo Bend, so I was pretty curious about it.  I did a bit of research, and we decided to check it out.  Now, in my research, I discovered that South Toledo Bend State Park is very popular, especially the cabins.  Unfortunately, most cabins don't allow any animals except (according to the website) seeing-eye dogs (which, really, cannot be ADA compliant.  They should have to accept ANY service animals, whether for the blind or physically impared, but I'll have to check that out later).  And we tent camp, anyway, which is why we tend to camp when it's not particularly hot or cold.  In Louisiana, this window is small, so it's no wonder we haven't been in several years.

We arrived at the State Park at 4:10.  We were greeted by a friendly employee who let us know that they were pretty empty and we could pick our campsite.  Okay, here's the good info--if you're tent (not primitive) or RV camping at this state park, the best views are at sites 35 & 37--no contest.  The only conundrum is whether you want a view or to be close to the bathroom/hot showers.  It's a good walk or a short drive from the sites with the best views.  These premium sites cost $2/night more than the improved sites.  Now, another insider tip--you can reserve a spot online through www.ReserveAmerica.com.  They will charge you a $6 reservation fee, so we didn't do it.  When we got here, we were still charged the $6 fee, but they called it processing or something like that.  It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.  I can understand a fee for reserving a spot, especially one with a great view...but if you're going to be charged that anyway, why not state that somewhere on the state parks website?

The weather was absolutely perfect camping weather as far as we were concerned.  After setting up our tent and building a fire, we cooked hot dogs and chili.  Then we turned in for an early night.  This morning we got up early, cooked breakfast on the open flame again--somehow it tastes better that way.  And after nice hot showers, we went off on our adventure.  We started at the visitor's center.  It was unmanned, but still very interesting.  Of course, dogs are not allowed in any buildings, so we had to take turns going in with our daughter.  She seemed most intrigued by the food chain exhibit, as it had a wheel she could turn.  Then, because we saw a sign that said Bald Eagle Nest trail, that's where we went.  We didn't find a bald eagle's nest, though this area is supposed to be a nesting area for our national bird.  However, we did stumble upon a pretty private, pretty rugged beach.  The trail was fairly easy to traverse, even for our daughter.  After we did the trail, we did a little exploring outside of the state park.

One of the places we went to, because frankly, we were intrigued by the sign, was Bass Haven Resort.  We did not get out of our vehicle here.  To call it a resort is an exaggeration.  Unless your definition of a resort is a bunch of rundown trailers all grouped together.  Now, the people may have been nice.  It may have been dirt cheap.  I don't know.  All I know is it's not my idea of a resort.  Or of a haven, for that matter.

Before heading back to our campsite for the night, we visited another state park.  Hodges Gardens State Park is a relatively new state park.  I'd been to it before it became a part of the state park system.  Apparently way back when they had quite the Christmas light display, and this year they were bringing it back.  It was worth the $1/person we paid to get in.  Our daughter enjoyed the lights.  We were able to bring the dogs.  They are planning on expanding the lights over the next four years, according to a news article I read on the subject which made us want to go.  Maybe we'll check it out again in four years.

The Louisiana State Parks system needs some updating.  This summer we went to Fort Pike State Park in Florida and were told our entrance fee was good for the next 7 days at any Florida State Park.  So...maybe Louisiana should adopt this policy.

Also, there is an iPhone app for the Louisiana State Parks system.  It is a paid app that I downloaded last year.  We visit state parks fairly often, and it does have some good qualities.  Is it worth the download?  Well, most Louisiana State Parks have wireless internet now, at least in some parts...and that's good because otherwise there's basically no cell service.  There is an alert feature on the app.  But what are the odds you're going to be in a wifi area when you need assistance?  Also, the Christmas lights event was not on the events page.  What I've discovered is that if a state park has a Facebook page, that's where the most current and reliable information will be found.  Not on the app.  Not at http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/#maincontent.  And that's kind of sad, in my opinion.  The paid app should, at the very least, be up to date on all events going on at every state park.

One of the more memorable parts of this trip was seeing a black squirrel, a very interesting-looking animal. We also drove across the Toledo Bend Dam, which was pretty intresting.

All in all we had a wonderful experience getting back in touch with nature, and I do thoroughly recommend this state park.  Though if you do take your dog(s), remember they have to be on-leash or crated at all times.  The leash cannot be longer than 6' (no flexi-leads).  And I would also recommend treating them wih a type of flea/tick prevention, as the area is known for being high in tick population. 

Children's Museum

Today my daughter and I met a friend and her two children at the Children's Museum in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  I'll start by stating that the children were three years old (my daughter) and 21 months (my friend's twins).  It had been awhile since I'd last been to the museum...well before I had my daughter. Visiting a children's museum without children is kind of like going to a pet store without a pet.  What point is there?

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  There is parking behind the building in downtown Lake Charles, but because we went on a weekday and towards the end of the day, my friend and I both managed to find spots on the street directly in front of the museum. 

Children under 23 months enter for free, which is good for families with young children, especially for families on a budget.  I didn't think the $7.50 entry fee/person was unreasonable. 

Right after entering, the kids flocked towards a water play area.  If you have a boy or a girl who likes to get dirty (wet), they have waterproof smocks to protect clothes.  After leaving that area, we headed towards a grocery store, which all three kids seemed to like. 

Once we convinced them to leave the grocery area, we entered an area dedicated to the Louisiana wetlands.  Okay, if you bring your young children here, you HAVE to get them to get in the canoe.  After they're in the canoe, they can look at themselves on TV, which considering the number of times Louisiana natives are filmed on the water, was pretty neat.  It was almost like stepping into an LPB nature program. 

For the fitness enthusiasts, there is a rock wall and a place to swing from a rope.  Have someone who wants to grow up to be a fire fighter?  They have a place where your child can dress up and even control the sirens. 

And all that was just on the first floor!

The second floor was where things got rockin'...literally.  There's a music room where kids can sing karaoke (today it was 80s country, but that may change), play drums, or play the guitar, all in front of a mirror and under a black light.

There's also a physics room, a bubble room, and much, much more.

On the third floor, yes, there's a third floor, they have rooms for painting, etc., but they were not open/available when we went.  There is also a blow up castle that my daughter seemed to enjoy, but that wasn't anything special and actually had a few tears in it.

Will we go again? Probably.  My daughter really did seem to have a good time.  Would I recommend it?  For people with young kids, absolutely.  Even if you're just traveling through Lake Charles and need a couple hours to let the kids stretch their legs.  We spent two hours there, but we could've easily spent at least three without becoming bored in the least.

http://swlakids.org/

LSU Rural Life Museum

Only a few minutes after you turn off Essen Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and head towards the LSU Rural Life Museum, it seems impossible that you are still in Baton Rouge. 

There are rows and rows of crops and flowers, depending on the time of year, and large oak trees all but block out the fact that the Interstate 10 is right there.

There is a separate fee for the museum and the gardens.  If the temperature is right, I highly recommend checking out the museum grounds and the gardens. 

The museum itself is mostly air conditioned, with air conditioned bathrooms right inside the entrance and un-air conditioned bathrooms at the exit to the grounds.

Some of the exhibits are quite macabre.  There is a beautifully carved Rolls Royce (I believe) hearse.  There are also several coffins that make you believe people must have been much smaller way back when.  They have examples of jewerly, including some hair jewelry, broaches made from deceased loved ones' hair. 

Once you leave the museum and enter the grounds, there are several buildings to peek into, but most of the buildings cannot be entered.  The exceptions are a beautiful church, a store, and the oldest wooden jail in Louisiana, complete with a ball and chain.  Most, if not all, of the buildings have a plaque letting you know where the building was originally and who donated it to the Rural Life Museum. 

Then there are the gardens.  To get to the gardens, you have to go back into the museum building.  If you go when the azaleas are blooming, the gardens are truly breathtaking.  There are a couple buildings in the gardens, including one private residence.  There area also two ponds.  Once again, it's outside in Louisiana, so bring bug repellent, but honestly, this is one of the most beautiful places in Baton Rouge.

There are several events throughout the year, including Haints, Haunts, & Halloween, which we have been to and was very enjoyable. I highly recommend the LSU Rural Life Museum as a must-visit place in Baton Rouge.
http://appl027.lsu.edu/rlm/rurallifeweb.nsf/index

Audubon State Historic Site

A few weeks ago my family and I took a trip to St. Francisville, Louisiana, where we went to the Audubon State Historic Site to see the re-enactment of the Battle of Bayou Sara.

St. Francisville itself is beautiful, and the Oakley House certainly fit right in.  For a plantation tour, the entrance fee was nominal because the Oakley House was given to the State of Louisiana and is now part of the Louisiana State Parks system, so if you're not quite sure if a plantation tour is for you, this is definitely a good one to start with.

The bathrooms were clean and well-lit, important for anyone traveling with little ones.  They are located on the outside, before you pay, which was also quite convenient.There is also a picnic area adjacent to the parking lot.

As soon as we walked into the air conditioned visitor's center, we were greeted by the friendly staff.  There are many historic items to look at in the visitor's center.  They even had period clothing for children to try on.  What I found most interesting and unusual was that for a large part of its history, the Oakley House was owned by women.  Makes for an empowering history lesson for young ladies. 

After we left the nice, cool visitor's center, we could either go on a trail to our right or go to the Oakley House to the left.  As the re-enactment was being held behind the house itself, we chose to go left; however, we have been before and found that the trail to the right had a nice, friendly volunteer standing by a pond, who showed our daughter some tadpoles and fish he had caught in the pond.  It was very memorable for my daughter as she recounted seeing the fish and told us all about it on the way to the house.

When we arrived at the Oakley House, a tour was going on, so the doors were closed.  However, this day was a special day, and a woman dressed in period clothing was on the second floor porch handing out cups of iced tea and fans.  There was a handout that went along with the fans that gave a very interesting lesson on how women used the fans to communicate with men in a time where women were expected to keep silent.

After a cup or two of sweet tea, we took our fans down to the battlefield.  I will warn you, when they shoot the cannon, it is loud.  Many of the children we saw were ready to leave after the first cannon.  But my little lady was engrossed by the horses that were part of the re-enactment, so we stayed until the end.

It really was an enjoyable experience, and we were able to explore all over the old plantation.
http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/iaudubon.aspx

Bluebonnet Swamp

One reason that East Baton Rouge Parish has so many activities, especially activities for people with children and/or dog-friendly activities is because of BREC, or Baton Rouge Recreation. 

Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center is one such BREC property.  Located just off Bluebonnet, right down the road from the Mall of Louisiana, it's a wonder of nature smack dab in the middle of our capital city. 

Most of the time dogs are not allowed in BSNC, however a couple days of the year are designated as Dog Days. There are three trails to go on, and are fairly easy to traverse.  As with any nature adventure in Louisiana, bug repellent is highly recommended.

However, if a walk in the swamp is not your cup of tea, the actual nature center has a large variety of wildlife to see...mostly reptiles, and some biofacts--pelts, sheddings, etc.

The staff was friendly and let us bring our two well-behaved dogs into the center.  My daughter really enjoyed seeing the snakes and turtles, though she was a bit young at the time to appreciate the biofacts. 

When we went, my daughter was about 2 1/2, and we brought her stroller.  We ended up doing two of the three hikes and saw many birds, a lizard, and a couple snakes. 

There are many opportunities for photography enthusiasts, and they have camps and other events throughout the year; but I've only gone to the swamp on regular days or dog days. It is definitely something to check out if you find yourself in Baton Rouge and want an quick adventure.
http://www.brec.org/index.cfm/park/detail/19/n/54

Cameron Prairie Pintail Wildlife Drive & Boardwalk

If you ever find yourself in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and you decide you want to get in tune with nature, head south on hwy. 27.  Not far inside Cameron Parish you will find the Cameron Prairie Wildlife Refuge on the right.  Stop in for an overview of the area, along with a cute anamatronic Cajun--it was broken the last time my daughter & I went, but I've seen it before and it's amusing.

Walk though the building to the rear raised walkway and you will find yourself faced with breathtaking views of the marsh.  It really is beautiful.

A couple miles down the road--if you get to the bridge, you've gone too far--look to the left and you will find the Pintail Wildlife Drive.  Here you can find many species of birds, especially if you go in the fall or winter.  We went during the spring and summer, so there were still quite a few birds, but what we wanted to see was the alligators, and there were plenty. 

The drive is nice, but--here's a tip--keep the windows up and sun roofs closed as this is prime mosquito hunting territory.  On the first quarter of the drive there's a place to pull over and stretch your legs.  The newish boardwalk does call for bug repellent.  Here we ran into more horseflies than mosquitos; but again, it may be the time of year we went. 

One of the best things about this trip to the boardwalk and wildlife drive was the family of river otters we ran into on the last leg of the walk before heading back to the car.  It was a great experience.
http://cameronparishtouristcommission.org/listing/pintail-wildlife-drive
http://www.creolenaturetrail.org/planning_your_adventure/Refuges_Sanctuaries/Cameron_Prairie_NWR/

Baton Rouge Zoo

Locate a few miles north of Baton Rouge, not far off I-110, is the Baton Rouge Zoo.

Walking though the entrance to the zoo, the first thing you see is a wooden bridge, and gates that reminded a bit of Jurassic Park. To the right of the entrance is the zoo's train, the Cypress Bayou Railroad, which takes you around the perimeter of the zoo. To the left of the entrance is where the zoo's gift shop is located.

The train ride is not to be missed. During the ride, the engineer (or driver) of the train gives a history of the zoo.  Depending on the engineer, this can be both very entertaining and informative.

After the train ride, we headed into the zoo, past a beautiful pond on the left.  My daughter liked seeing the brown pelicans and the turtles in this pond.  There was also a large number of migratory birds in this pond, which was pretty neat to see.

Just past the pond, we headed into the zoo's newest exhibit, the Realm of the Tiger.  The Baton Rouge Zoo has Malaysian and Sumatran tigers.  This exhibit was very impressive, and my daughter really enjoyed getting up close and personal (safely) with the tigers.  One of them even got in its pond, which my daughter absolutely loved.  Also in this exhibit is a koi pond, a family of Siamang Gibbons, and an aviary. 

My daughter's favorite animal had to come next...the elephant.  The Baton Rouge Zoo currently has two female Asian elephants.  As we learned on the train ride, elephants are especially important to this zoo, as it was started with two female Asian elephants.

We watched the elephant demonstration, where the keepers gave the girls their daily dose of exercise.  It, too, was very informative as well as entertaining.  We especially liked watching one of the elephants exercise her "ab muscles".  :-)

The Baton Rouge Zoo is not a large zoo, but the animals are not hard to find.  We saw white tail deer, bison, and elk before heading to the aquarium.  The aquarium houses only animals that are native to Louisiana, including fish, of course, but also venomous and non-venomous snakes and even a couple baby alligators and not far away, some river otters. 

Because of the zoo's size, we were able to see a large number of animals in a short time.  Even taking our time and stopping for snacks at the Flamingo Cafe, it didn't take long until we were in the children's area.  They have domestic farm animals, a few tortoises near a neat boardwalk, some Australian animals, including some adorable fruit bats, and my daughter's favorite, the prairie dog area, complete with a tunnel.  There is also a small petting zoo with goats and sheep.  The zoo provides brushes to use on the goats and sheep, and my daughter really enjoyed making use of the brushes. 

Near the entrance of the children's area, there is a small playground, that has equipment for toddlers and older children. 

All in all, the Baton Rouge Zoo was an enjoyable experience.  The zoo was pretty well shaded and not too hot when we went.  The zoo
offers a lot more than we experienced, but we had a lot of fun, and my little bit wasn't too tired when we left. www.brzoo.org

Exploring Louisiana

For awhile now, I've wanted to write a travel blog.  Because I like doing things with my dogs, my first thought was to do a canine-friendly travel blog.  However, now that I have a child, I have a slightly different perspective. 

So, first, a little about me.  I am a thirty-something married, mostly stay-at-home mom with a three-year-old daughter who lives in Louisiana.  Because we have some time on our hands, one  my favorite things to do with my daughter is to get out and explore the world around us. 

Enough about me...it's time for my first subject and one of my favorite places, the Baton Rouge Zoo.  Check out my blog about it. :-)