New Orleans

When most people think about visiting New Orleans, they tend to picture bar-hopping on Bourbon St, but the city has so much more to offer!  This happens to be one of our favorite cities.  We have very good friends who live there and we have visited many times.  Here is a look at what our last trip was like

Abita Springs Mystery House

On the way to New Orleans, just across Lake Pontchartrain, lies the best place you will ever visit.  I had seen a couple of pictures of this place online and I knew we had to make time for it on the trip.  The thing that really sold me was the dogigator that they had on display.  Was it a dog?  Was it an Alligator?  No one knows, but his name is Darrel and now I have a shirt with his picture on it.  The only problem was the dogs.  It was way to hot to leave them in the van, even just for a minute.  We called when we a few hours away and said that were traveling with four dogs, would they possibly be allowed in with us?  They said "Of course, as long as they didn't eat the cat roaming around."  We have been quite amazed with how many places will allow the dogs in with us, really all you have to do is politely ask and then make sure that they behave nicely once inside.  Anyway, back to the Mystery House.  It was so weird, but in a good way.  There was an entire hallway, floor to ceiling, of old paint by number paintings and very type of alligator/animal combination you could think of.  There was so much to look at and it's something that you really need to see for yourself.  And say "hi" to Darrel for us!

St. Roch Cemetery

The Cemeteries in New Orleans are all so beautiful and so much different than the cemeteries in other parts of the county.  Because of the frequent flooding, the dead are buried above ground, which gives all of the cemeteries such a unique look, but this one really stands out.  It is free and open to the public to explore!

The French Quarter

Obviously, no trip to New Orleans would be complete with out exploring the French Quarter.  We were a little nervous about this because our beagle, Denim, is the newest addition to our family and although he has come a long way, he is still very shy with strangers and scared of loud noises.  We decided to go for it though and leave if it became to much for him.  He handled it like a champ!  I think there were too many smells for him to sniff for him to even realize there might be scary stuff happening.  The French Quarter is fun and there is a lot to look at, but we like things at a bit of a slower pace.  So we go, grab some food, check out the art and then head back to the quieter side town, but that's just us!

Lake Pontchartrain/The Mississippi River

It's always nice to find nice quite places to walk the dogs near lakes and rivers.  We found two great places here.  One great path that took you right next to the Mississippi River and one that took us right down to a boat dock on Lake Pontchartrain.  These always make for the best moments.  When you are away from the busyness of the city and can just sit back and really enjoy how pretty everything is.

Creole Gardens Bed and Breakfast

So, there were two activities that we really wanted to do, but we couldn't bring the dogs along.  We got a room at the Creole Gardens Bed and Breakfast and it was perfect.  The rooms were bungalow style with a large outdoor patio garden in the center.  It was perfect for what we needed and very dog-friendly!  It claimed to be one of the most haunted properties in the city, which sold us even more, but unfortunately we did not have any ghostly encounters.  This is a really cute place though and I would recommend it to anyone visiting New Orleans, with or without a dog!  Bonus: there is a restaurant across the street called Seed, that offers vegan beignets and outdoor seating, yay!

 

Villalobos Rescue Center

If you are a dog lover, chances are you have seen Pit Bulls and Parolees.  Being as though Lauren and I had both worked in animal shelters for years, this show is extra special to us.  We have felt the emotional and physical toll that shelter work takes on you and we truly appreciate what this group is doing.  We wanted to get a chance to meet some of the dogs that we have seen for years on TV and see the facility first hand.  Obviously, this was something that our own dogs had to stay at the hotel for.  It was really cool seeing this place in person.  We were given a tour by Sui, one of our favorite parolees and he was just as nice as you would expect.  It was a great experience and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to do something so special!

The Barataria Preserve

This is the other place that we went that we could not bring the dogs.  This was for their own safety.  This trail is part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.  We came to see the alligators and boy did we!  We started our hike early in the morning, which proved to be a good time, as we were the only ones on the trail and gators were out.  As we started the trail we saw a very large gator in basically a large puddle on the side of the trail.  It was very close and a bit startling at first, but it wanted nothing to do with us.  As we continued, we saw gators of all sizes, even some pretty small ones right off the boardwalk.  There were also a lot of snakes and lizards, as well.  The hike itself was just gorgeous, definitely one of the most memorable hikes we've ever been on!

Another great place to take the dogs for a walk is City Park.  It's huge and there is a lot to see, we definitely recommend spending an afternoon here!