New Orleans, LA: Feb 12 – 16, 2017
We left Guntersville, AL mid-morning on Feb. 12th and drove 410 miles to New Orleans. It was a long day on the road in the RV but it was a beautiful day and since it was Sunday, there was not much traffic on the road.
We arrived at Pontchartrain Landing RV Resort & Marina shortly before sunset. We chose this resort due to its location on the outskirts of New Orleans, as we were planning on heading out in the morning to visit a couple of Plantations. The resort was very nice and quiet, except for when planes were departing from the nearby municipal airport.
Below are a couple of pictures from the resort. It is a Marina as well as a campground. The views across the water are nothing to write home about, as they are of industrialized businesses. Overall though, it is nice to be on the water.
In the morning we drove over to the Whitney Plantation. Our plan was to park the RV there, take a tour and then move down the road to another plantation. However, after we parked at the Whitney we discovered that we had a radiator coolant leak. We couldn’t find where it was originating from but the fluid level was quite low. We took the plantation tour and then addressed the leak.
The Whitney Plantation pays homage to slaves who lived in the South. They do a great job of gathering historic truths and presenting them to the visitors.
The plantation house itself is pretty basic. The owners had homes in New Orleans where they socialized.
The slave quarters were very basic, as expected. It is hard to comprehend the life they had to live.
The statues of children in the chapel make a strong impact.
Below is a structure which was used throughout the south to hold the slaves which were available for sale. They were crammed into the cells. Very sad.
Zoom into the pictures below to read stories which the Whitney has accumulated. They are very touching.
I found it interesting that the kitchen was located outside of the master’s house. It made sense, as it was done due to the risk of fire. However, I’m sure it made it difficult for the food to be transported between the building below and the main house.
The monument below was created to show the tragedy of sick and/or dead slaves being thrown off the transport ships and/or those who simply jumped to their death. The hands in the monument break through the water’s surface. Very tragic history.
After the tour we added 2 gallons of coolant to the radiator tank and then drove the RV down the road to a repair shop. Neither the mechanic nor us could see a leak at that time so we continued onward to the French Quarter, where we had reservations at the French Quarter RV Resort.
The resort is located just a couple blocks from the French Quarter. We loved the convenience of having the RV so close to the area we were touring. It allowed us to walk back during the day for a rest, lunch, nap, etc. They have a pool, hot tub and work out room but we were too busy to enjoy any of them.
A block away from the resort is the visitor’s center. It is a pretty neat building, with a train and music theme throughout.
One highlight of our stay for me was a cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. It was a hands-on course with a menu of Gumbo, Shrimp & Grits, Bananas Foster Crepes and Pralines. It was a lot of fun, especially since it included an open bar.
One evening we visited Preservation Hall for some great Jazz music.
We enjoyed beignets at Cafe du Monde on a few occasions.
After eating beignets we had to take a city tour to walk off the calories.
We enjoyed the unique architecture throughout the city. The town is preparing for Mardi Gras.
We enjoyed music in the streets, along with artisans and a few unique bums.
After 4 days in New Orleans we headed off to Houston. On the way there we stopped at the Houmas House Plantation for a tour and lunch. We really enjoyed a tour of the house and grounds.
We ended the day just outside Houston. Details on that visit coming shortly……..
2 thoughts on “New Orleans, LA: Feb 12 – 16, 2017”
Terrific pictures Kelly! I grew up on a tobacco farm in southwest Georgia where there were rows and rows of those shacks that were still utilized in the 60’s for farm “employees”.
Soooo wish I had been there for the cooking class!!! Can we be expecting pralines this summer 🙂
Great pictures, really give you a feel for how rough slavery must have been. Hope the radiator worked out ok.