GREAT campgrounds in Louisiana

[emo59]

Hi all.

WE're planning a trip, and I'm looking for some outstanding campgrounds/camping spots/things to see/great places to eat in Louisiana. Even though we live just next door in Texas, I've only been there a few times, and none since we have had the trailer.

Thanks in advance, Jill

[thecatsandi]

Ther is a RV campground right next to the French Quarter in New Orleans. Kind of barren but it is close to the action.

[klattu]

South of New Orleans is where its really happening.
Try Grand Isle for camping.
For food, Houma, Raceland, Thibodaux.
Look for hand painted signs and lots of welding trucks.

May as well get your cajun food from New York City if you eat in Nawlins

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by klattu

South of New Orleans is where its really happening.
Try Grand Isle for camping.
For food, Houma, Raceland, Thibodaux.
Look for hand painted signs and lots of welding trucks.

May as well get your cajun food from New York City if you eat in Nawlins

I am from New Orleans, my mother was a Vidrine from Ville Platte and I have eaten cajun food my entire life. Klattu is not completely correct as New Orleans has some great Cajun food and some not so great Cajun food, it is all in knowing where to go. I have never stayed at the camp ground on the edge of the quarter but I can tell you I spoke to at least 2 attendees at the Can Opener who have stayed there and had high praise for it, they felt secure and were treated great, I was surprised.

Bayou Segenett State Park is on the Westbank of the Mississippi and about 20 minutes for the middle of the French Quarter. Several other state parks are in the area.
CRT - Louisiana State Parks Fees, Facilities and Activities

The link below is to Tom Fitzmorris's site who has the only drive time 5 day a week food show in the nation. The link will give you honest review of all the restaurants in the New Orleans area. Not all restaurants are Cajun food, many are other types of cuisine. Price range is from cheap to the top of the scale. I recommend Commanders Palace if you enjoy fine dinning and the best service available. If you look on the left of the page and scroll down a bit you will see an index which lists restaurants by cuisine. Klattu is correct you can find restaurants which will serve you dish water gumbo so study the reviews and recommendations closely.
The New Orleans Menu Red Bean Edition

Tom has his call in number listed you can alway call him on air and he will give you a list of restaurants while you wait.

Good luck and good eating.

[deauxrite]

We love to camp in Lousiania too. I posted a photo of a campground in Ruston at the Lincoln Parish Park. It is beautiful and Ruston is a very nice town.

We also love Fairview Riverside State Park. It is north of Lake Ponchatrain and is close to all of the things to see and do around New Orleans. We are on the road now and will be at the park on the 29th for a week. There are a million great places to eat around there too.

Have a good time and maybe we will see you around the bayou.

[fotochop]

Originally Posted by klattu

South of New Orleans is where its really happening.

May as well get your cajun food from New York City if you eat in Nawlins

Mais, klattu, that's because you ain't never ate at my house, right in the middle of New Orleans. but seriously, the terms "cajun" and "creole" are so often mis-used as to be legend. Most New Orleans food is "creole" not cajun, and I'd be surprised if Tom Fitzmorris' site didn't explain the difference.

and while there is some good camping, hunting, fishing SOUTH of New Orleans, a lot of action can also be had on the Cajun prairie of SOUTHWEST Louisiana between Beaumont TX and oh, maybe Breaux Bridge, LA. You may find Chicot State Park (north of Lafayette) to your liking, also Lake Valentine (outside Alexandria) was a very nice campground that I frequented in my college days quite a bit. If you can find a copy of the "Guide to Cajun Country" by Fry & Posner it will provide you with a wealth of cool places to see and things to do like the Sat. a.m. jam sessions at both Fred's Lounge in Mamou AND Savoy Music Center in Eunice, or the world best crawfish at Hawk's outside Church Point, or real live zydeco brunch at Cafe' Des Amis in Breaux Bridge etc etc etc....

and you can find some wonderful camping at the state parks in north LA like Lake Bisteneau and Lake Claiborne. hiking, biking, fishing, etc.

Although the climate does not agree with me I can't imaging actually living anywhere else....but Sout' Loozyana, chere..

[Overlander & Sea]

Originally Posted by fotochop

or real live zydeco brunch at Cafe' Des Amis in Breaux Bridge etc etc etc....

We've enjoyed going to Lake Fausse Point State Park south of Breaux Bridge in the Atchafalaya Basin. It's in the heart of Cajun country (it must be a different country, it has it's own language ). There's some excellent food in Breaux Bridge.

[munimula]

I stayed at NOLA Campground for the entire '07 Jazzfest. It was brand new and very save - locked gate. The French Quarter is a short 5-10 minute ride away.

See New Orleans Campground, Big Rig friendly RV Campground ,rv park ,Greater New Orleans la Region, close to French Quarter,Masur Museum Art,Mardi Gras,free cable and wifi,new clean facilities

--Dave

[creelcamping]

We Have Recently Stayed At Lake Fausse Point Sp In St Martinville, Lake Bruin Sp In St Joseph, And Are Making Our First Trip Back To Fontainbleau Sp In Mandeville Since Katrina. We Spent 2 Weeks Between North Toledo Bend Sp And South Toledo Bend Sp This Past Summer. We Loved South Toledo Bend Sp, Much Better Than North. It Is A Newer Park. We State Park Alot, Because My Husband Is Disabled And Had An America The Beautiful Access Pass, Which Entitles Us To Camp Half-price At The La State Parks.
Fontainbleau Was Our Favorite Pre-katrina. We Have Visited Several Times, To Check On The Progress, But Haven't Stayed. We Always Stayed On The "new" Side, Which Was The Hardest Hit. Apparently They Have Re-opened It This Week, Because We Have A Site For Next Week. It Is Camping, But You Are Close To Most Anything You Need, And The Causeway Bridge Is Very Close If You Want To Go To No,la.
Lake Fausse Point Is Beautiful, But Feels Like You Will Never Get There, It Is So Far Out! Cell Phones Do Not Work There. Just Have The Mosquito Repellant Very Handy! It Had Rained Alot Before We Got There, And There Was Water Standing Everywhere.
You Are In A Swamp.... Remember That You Are Amongst Friendly People...the Neighbors Needed To Borrow Some Mustard The Day We Got There, And That Night Repaid It With A Platter Of Boiled Crawfish!!!! They Had Boiled 4 Sacks That Night.
We Just Got Back From Lake Bruin, And We Loved It. We Had A Site On The Water, Right Next To The Fishing Pier. It Was Very Beautiful. While There, We Rode Up To Poverty Point Sp In Delhi, And It Was Nice. Not Much In The Way Of Shade, Though. It Is A New Park. Just Beware Of The Brown Bears...there Are Signs Everywhere.
We Haven't Been To Tickfaw Sp In Years, We Never Seem To Be Able To Get A Reservation.
We Also Like Lake Lincoln Sp In Wesson Mississippi, Little Black Creek In Lumberton, Ms, And Flint Creek In Wiggins, Ms. Flint Creek Had Alot Of Damage From Katrina Also, They Lost Alot Of Trees.
Hope This Helps You Find New Places, And Revisit Old Ones!

[nilesrob]

It looks like this thread hasn't been updated in a while, just checking to see if there are any updates. We are looking for a campground in Louisiana towards the end of February. We need to work during the week, but are looking for a campground that has Verizon service, but could be (preferred) a state park - something with a place for hikes and kayaking in our off time. I'll look at some of the campgrounds mentioned in this thread, but any other or more current suggestions gratefully welcomed!

[SilverRanger]

If you're going to be near NOLA, I recommend Bayou Segnette State Park. As a previous poster said, it's only about 20 minutes from The French Quarter. We've been there twice, and love it. They offer water an electric, WiFi, free use of the laundry, all for $18 per night. At least that was the price a year ago when we were there on New Years Eve. The Verizon (3G aircard and phone) service was excellent also. The WiFi was a bit slow at peak times.

While we were there, we explored the small towns, parks, and wildlife areas just south of NOLA. It was a good location for us.

[Steve & Mary]

Where in the state are you going to be working? Nice campgrounds in both the north, central and south. I can speak more for the Texas side around Telodo Bend area and northern part East of Shreveport/Minden area.

[mgriffrus]

We've got a hidden gem in north Louisiana called Lincoln Parish park. It's five minutes north of the interstate in Ruston, La. There's around thirty sites, all full hook ups for $20/night. There's a lake/pond for kayaking and fishing. The swim beach is open Memorial Day to Labor Day and there's a nationally ranked mountain bike trail.

It's nothing too special, just a little parish (county) campground, but its quiet and peaceful. We camp there frequently on weekends, we live here, and regularly hear things like "I never knew this was here, why haven't I been here before" and we just smile. It's a great for a layover spot or just a quiet weekend.

[Lily&Me]

Several years ago we tried to do a caravan/rally through Louisiana but couldn't garner enough interest to pull it off.

There is a lot of information and pictures on this thread, which I will try to paste here. If it doesn't work, you can use the thread search tool for Louisiana Road Trip Caravan and Rally.

A beautiful state. Have a great time!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288...avan+road+trip


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by thecatsandi

There is a RV campground right next to the French Quarter in New Orleans. Kind of barren but it is close to the action.

Kind of barren? It's a parking lot for RVs (mostly Class A and 5th wheel whenever I drive by) with rigs shoehorned in, but with a wall around it and a reasonably secure gate. Reserve your space early; it fills up fast for any special event.

Originally Posted by klattu

For food, Houma, Raceland, Thibodaux.

Riverfront restaurant in Abbeville, LA, south of US-90.
Spahr's Seafood on US-90 in Des Allemands. Fried catfish is their specialty.
Satterfield's in New Roads (on the bank of False River, the most beautiful lake in Louisiana).
Christiano Ristorante in Houma.
Touristy, but right along I-10 around Henderson, there's Landry's Seafood. Some may say it's not "authentic" but I've never heard a complaint about the quality of the food.

Originally Posted by fotochop

Chicot State Park (north of Lafayette)

Closest town is Ville Platte. North of US-190 and west of I-49. I stayed there for New Year's weekend, and liked it. The south campground is better than the north campground, and closer to the State Arboretum (but farther from the lake). Fair warning, water hookups can be kind of far away from the asphalted parking (mine was 37 feet from my Interstate's water inlet), so make sure you've got plenty of water hose. Some of the electric hookups are curbside, too, rather than driver's side.

Originally Posted by nilesrob

We are looking for a campground in Louisiana towards the end of February. We need to work during the week, but are looking for a campground that has Verizon service, but could be (preferred) a state park - something with a place for hikes and kayaking in our off time.

The Bogue Chitto River is prone to flooding, which closes the bottomland campsites and shuts down the canoe/kayak rentals for the duration, but Bogue Chitto State Park near Franklinton, LA is pretty good. It's Louisiana's newest State Park. I stayed there for Mardi Gras 2012. About fourteen miles of hiking trails altogether. The upland campsites don't flood, have full hookups, and free WiFi. Good reception on my cell phone, too. Fair warning, all Louisiana State Parks aggressively filter their free WiFi service to block sites that are not 100% safe for work (including many sites that use "tailored" advertising based on your browsing history that they consider "spam" even if they're work-safe), so you may find yourself preferring to use your own wireless broadband rather than the park's.

If it's after Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl, you can also try Tickfaw State Park, Fountainbleu State Park, and Fairview-Riverside State Park, all on the north shore of Lake Pontchartain. The only one I personally stayed at (so far) was Fairview-Riverside, but I've been to the day-use area of Fountainbleu several times. Fairview-Riverside has a "guests only" boat launch that puts you into the Tchefuncte River only a mile or so from Lake Pontchartrain. But if you don't like fishing, boating, or leaving the park by car to explore the surrounding communities, the park hasn't got much to offer. The park is barely bigger than the campsites; the only hiking is a boardwalk through the swamp that's less than a half-mile long. On the other hand, being close to town and close to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Fairview-Riverside is convenient for visitors who want to come into New Orleans.

Bayou Segnette State Park is pretty decent, too. I've never stayed there, but have visited fellow Airstreamers who did. Some floodwall construction still going on in the area, but it's not too disruptive to camping; at worst you'll have to drive past construction equipment somewhere between the main gate and your campsite.

[Lily&Me]

The French Quarter RV Park is a beautiful and expensive RV park. It is walled, gated and very secure, but you want that near the Quarter. You really wouldn't want to be in anything else.

It is also very, very nice inside, paved, landscaped, a pool, laundry, etc.

What this place offers is a secure place to stay at the edge of the French Quarter. You can walk anywhere in the Quarter you want to from there, which can be very beneficial depending on what you want to do.

If one wants to participate in the nightlife, imbibe a bit, etc., this place can be walked back to or is a quick cab ride.

If you are a day-tripper, like we are, Bayou Segnette is perfect. A great state park and a 10-15 minute drive from the free Algiers Ferry which takes you across the river to the Quarter. Do what you like and go back when you are ready. There is a small parking lot at the ferry, someone is always there, and it is $5 on weekdays, $10 on Sat & Sun. We have parked there many times, never had any problems.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

The French Quarter RV Park is a beautiful and expensive RV park. It is walled, gated and very secure, but you want that near the Quarter. You really wouldn't want to be in anything else.

I stand corrected. The impression I get from driving by (from I-10 you can look right down into it) is more utilitarian and crowded than you describe (though beautifully paved), but I've never stayed there.

If you are a day-tripper, like we are, Bayou Segnette is perfect. A great state park and a 10-15 minute drive from the free Algiers Ferry which takes you across the river to the Quarter.

Ferry status and schedules can be found at: La DOTD - Ferry Status

[Lily&Me]

FQRV Park does not have spacious sites, but they are certainly adequate.

More a parking lot than a beautiful, rural state park or camground, etc., is, but it has its purposes.

Last I knew, they were also Passport America, where you can get your first night half-price. They also sometimes have specials off-season/event---buy two nights, get the third night free. Love those.

We have stayed there 4-5 times, with specials/discounts, and love being able to take our little dog and walk the Quarter.


Maggie

[nilesrob]

Thank you all!!! Great info and updates!

First, I don't think we have refined our thinking yet as to where in the state we want to be, but I don't think we are lured to be near the quarter; think our tastes for this trip may be more rural. I will review some of these suggestions later when I have more time, but thanks!!!

[Steve & Mary]

Brad....if you are looking for rural then you should consider Lake Claiborne SP out of Homer (NW part of the state) and North Toledo Bend SP out of Zwolle (mid-West side near Texas). These are two excellent parks if you are looking for a quiet setting and large secluded campsites. I cannot recall how well the cell phone signal is. We tend to turn ours off. Claiborne is off I-20, has a nice lake and new bath houses with laundry. It is very heavy woods and hilly. North Toledo Bend is more flat, right on the lake and also very heavy woods. I think fishing is great at both but it has been a number of years since we have done any fishing. South Toledo Bend SP is one of the newest but we have found the campsites to be too close to each other and not large enough to provide much privacy. But it also has a lot to offer. The thing about Louisiana campgrounds is you can find each one can be a bit different and offer you the enjoyment of what that part of the state has to offer. We just choose the quiet secluded areas. We get enough of the other on a day to day activity. Wish you well in your hunt............steve