Exploring Louisiana – Page 2

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New Orleans Cemeteries: Metairie Cemetery

Written by tepetravels February 3, 2021November 30, 2021

New Orleans is known for its above ground cemeteries. The water level is a lot higher here and if you dig too deep (even the standard 6 feet can be too deep!), the coffins can actually float up and escape the ground. The solution was above ground cemeteries. These cemeteries contain both simple wall vaults and elaborate family mausoleums. Because of the heat and humidity, after about 1 year, the body decomposes and can be placed in a special bag to make room for another family member. Some of the Catholic cemeteries also offer Perpetual Care, where you pay a lump sum and the interest of that amount is used to care for the plot even after your family line may die out. Some of these cemeteries are open to the public, but some like St. Louis No.1 require you to go with a tour guide. (They had a lot of vandalism.)

We had taken a tour of St. Louis No. 1 when we were here in 2017. We learned a lot and also saw Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau’s tomb and Nicholas Cage’s pyramid mausoleum. (The tour was definitely worth it, if you are in New Orleans.)

Due to COVID, St. Louis No. 1 tours were currently suspended, so we didn’t get an opportunity to take another tour. However, there are many other cemeteries in New Orleans where you can see the above ground tombs. It is so different than cemeteries back home. While we are here this time (2021), we did see the St. Roch cemetery and Metairie Cemetery. Metairie Cemetery is a bit of a drive from the French Quarter, but it’s not too far.

The cemetery was originally a horse race track! I read two different versions of the cemetery’s beginnings. One was simply that the race track was eventually closed and was later turned into a cemetery. The other story was that Mr. Charles Howard was denied membership to the Metairie Jockey Club and in revenge bought the race track and turned it into a cemetery.

They have some amazing statues and plots. We saw a pyramid with a sphinx, a weeping angel, a horse statue, an anvil, and even a bison. The owner of the Saint’s Tom Benson, Popeye’s Chicken Al Copeland, some Louisiana governors, New Orleans’ mayors, Civil war soldiers, etc. are buried here. The cemetery also has a newer section that is still in use.

Some different types of headstones and mausoleums. Horse and rider is the Army of Tennessee Louisiana Division (including Confederate General Beauregard).

#2 marker I believe is the Civil War Washington Artillery monument, in-ground stone, and a Bison?!

Weeping Angel/Angel of Grief, Chapman Hyams mausoleum

Brunswig pyramid mausoleum with sphinx. Gated plot.

We were curious as to how much these tombs/mausoleums could cost. According to the funeral home’s website a family/private stand alone starts at $50,000. A walk in mausoleum can cost $250,000 up to several million! Land prices, materials, decorations all effect the cost.

VIDEO: Driving Through Metairie Cemetery

Additional Reading On New Orleans Cemeteries:

Atlas Obscura: Metairie Cemetery

Cities of the Dead

New Orleans Cemeteries

Go Nola: Metairie

Exploring Louisiana

Oh the Difference Four Years Makes: Nick’s Blog Post

Written by tepetravels February 2, 2021November 30, 2021 4 Comments

I was 8 years old when I got to see New Orleans for the first time. Four years later there are a lot of differences.

One really big difference that I saw was the amount of people there are. The French Quarter has very few people and Bourbon Street has a little bit more in the day time. Café Du Monde has a big line in the morning but not as big as last time. The trolleys are close to empty. The most people I have seen is about 5 to 6 on the trolleys. There are a lot of stores closing or closed. Some stores are even boarded up.

There is lots of cool stuff to see still. Bourbon Street and the French Quarter are still fun to walk down. There are a lot of restaurants to go and check out. The parking is still hard and we can go to places that are harder to get to now because we have a car with us this time. We have walked to Café Du Monde and the French Quarter. Mardi Gras is not happening this year but they still are selling king cakes which is cool. They have different flavors here than back home where they only sell the cinnamon. Here they have fun flavors like chocolate or apple. They are having floats as well for Mardi Gras, but just in house form.

Café Du Monde still makes beignets and coffee. If you do not know what a beignet is it is a powdered donut.

That is my blog about what was different in New Orleans.

By: Nick

Exploring Louisiana, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, School, Sightseeing

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve: Chalmette Battleground and Cemetery

Written by tepetravels February 1, 2021November 30, 2021

Chalmette Battleground and Cemetery is another part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. When we were there, the Visitor Center was only open on the weekend. The park itself was open until 4:00 pm most days.

It is a battleground site. This was our first battleground visit on our trip. There is not a lot to see: a Visitor Center, the obelisk monument, a memorial urn statue, and a plantation house. If you climb the levy, you can look at the river. There is a nice paved walking trail around the monument to the house. There is also a driving path (I did see lots of people walking it too) that leads further back on the battlefield and to the cemetery.

The Rodriguez Plantation house is still on the property, although the second story staircase is gated off with a danger sign. We saw that the second story balcony was missing several boards.

The Park’s grounds also contain a National Cemetery, although only 4 from the War of 1812 are buried there. I didn’t know until after our visit, but there is also an audio tour available by calling on your cell phone (number is 504-799-0803 per their website) and there is also a virtual tour.

Cemetery: Can be accessed by walking or driving on the “self-guided driving” path

As a side note: Will saw one of the paintings featured on an informational plaque at the park in his history textbook. He thought it was pretty funny that the image included in his textbook had a National Park Service plaque memo that the image was inaccurate, as the river “was not crowded with ships during the battle”.

Exploring Louisiana, Sightseeing

New Orleans Cemeteries: St. Roch Cemetery

Written by tepetravels January 31, 2021November 30, 2021 2 Comments

We found this cemetery on Atlas Obscura. There was only on-street parking. The cemetery is on both sides of the street and is free to go through (unlike some of the older cemeteries close to the French Quarter).

The thing that makes this cemetery unique is the backstory. Yellow fever hit New Orleans hard due to the mosquitoes in the summer. In 1867, the Reverend in the parish prayed to St. Roch (patron saint of invalids) to spare his parishioners. If no one died, then the Reverend would build a shrine to St. Roch. The parish did not lose any of its members to yellow fever and the shrine was built. People who prayed to St. Roch and recovered from their illness would leave things at the shrine. The items left would be medical devices (dentures, crutches, prosthetics).

The St. Roch shrine was closed for repairs, so we could only see the outside and peer in through the windows. We could see a few of the items left.

Animal Sightings, Exploring Louisiana, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park: Barataria Preserve

Written by tepetravels January 30, 2021November 30, 2021 1 Comment

SUPER BONUS – Brought to you by the National Parks. Call (504) 799-0802 and learn about the Barataria Preserve.

We wanted to take a nice walk, so we headed to the Barataria Preserve (part of the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve).

Our first stop was at the Visitor Center at the Barataria Preserve (the Jean Lafitte Visitor Center in the French Quarter is currently closed due to COVID). Unfortunately, we went after work/school, so we didn’t get there until 4:30 and they closed the gates at 5:00pm. We took the shorter Visitor Center Trail, which took about 20 minutes. We really liked the park and decided to come back on the weekend when we had more time. There are several trails that were closed because of damage, so I would recommend stopping at the Visitor Center to see which ones are currently open.

Our second time there, Nick got his Junior Ranger Badge. We took the Bayou Coquille Trail and Marsh Overlook. The trail began as a dirt/gravel path and once you got to the marshy bayou, it switched to a wooden plank trail.

It was gorgeous. We didn’t see any alligators, although we did see lots of caution signs for them. It was probably too cold, as it was in the 60’s. We did see a turtle sunning on a rock, several great egrets, a nutria eating and swimming in the bayou, and a deer.

Part of the bayou was covered in a flotant, which is a floating mass of plants. It looks solid, but is not always strong enough to hold a human’s weight. It certainly looked like you could walk on it, it would be a huge surprise to find out it wasn’t solid and end up in the water!

Although I was disappointed we didn’t see any alligators, going in the cooler weather probably saved us from a few mosquito bites. And as a friend pointed out when they saw the pictures, probably from seeing a few snakes too. (I am glad we missed the snakes, especially since they have cottonmouths and copperheads down here.)

I could spend several days there. I loved seeing the Spanish Moss on the trees and hearing the different bird calls.

The park did a nice job with the informational signs around the trail as well. Several stops had an audio tour that was a great touch. You called a number from your phone and entered your stop number to hear the information. It was really neat (see beginning of this post to experience it for yourself).

There are a few other trails on the other side of the road by the Educational Center. We were told those trails are mostly dirt, so if it had rained recently they would be muddy. We didn’t have the shoes for mud, so we may go back another day.

VIDEO: Clips From Our Walk In Barataria Preserve in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Exploring Louisiana, Food, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

Sazerac House Tour

Written by tepetravels January 29, 2021November 30, 2021 1 Comment

While looking up things to do in New Orleans, I came across the Sazerac House. They offered several different types of events: tastings, demonstrations, virtual events, and even a free tour with a tasting. The free/complimentary tours were limited to 6 people of the same household, so we had our time slot all to ourselves.

It was honestly one of the best museum type of tours we have been on and it was FREE! They have been open about a year and have some cool technology in their exhibits.

We entered on the main floor and were given disposable gloves. They also had disposable masks available. All staff wore gloves and masks as well. After you had your gloves and mask on, you went to the temperature taking station. Once we were cleared, we headed over to the desk to check in with Tim (he was a fellow Ohioan!) and received a map of the facility, a wrist band for the adults (after checking ID’s), and a touch screen key.

Our tour guide was Kristine Lou. She did a great job during the tour and pointed things out the boys might like to try (the interactive exhibits).

We took the elevator up to the third floor to the history of “coffee shops”, which were apparently upscale bars where women were not allowed. Along one wall, there was a projection screen with a moving illustration of an 1800’s scene. There were history facts and displays along the wall.

We learned about bitters and moved on to the bitters tasting room. They also bottle the bitters here. Bitters are aromatics and seasonings steeped in alcohol, then filtered and added to cocktails. We tried three types: Hellfire (jalapeño), Xocolatl Mole (chocolate), and Peychaud’s bitters. They make bitters on-site and had several barrels of rum aging on-site as well. The bourbon gets shipped to Frankfurt, Kentucky for aging.

We moved onto another room where we learned about the official cocktail of New Orleans, the Sazerac. We also learned about Absinthe. It was in a lot of cocktails and was banned in 1912 for health concerns. A man recreated it and substituted the wormwood (the ingredient they thought was causing problems) and renamed it Herbsaint (used all the letters in Absinthe and added an R, according to our tour guide). This room also had information on Prohibition and how New Orleans kept the drinks coming. There were these really fun interactive tables here as well. There were three different shapes of coasters (round, square, hexagon). You placed your coaster on the table and it told a story based on the coaster shape. You tapped the table to go to the next information screen.

Video

We had our first drink tasting of a Sazerac and watched a short video. Our tour guide poured the boys a limeade, that they make on-site as well.

We walked down to the second floor and had fun “ordering” drinks from the interactive bar. There were four different stations/bar types. There was also an option to take a selfie with your bartender at the end!

Our second tasting was of a rum drink called Aku Aku and limeade again for the boys. This one was a nice mix of sweet and sour. We moved on to the Bourbon room where we learned about charring the barrels to release the sugars in the wood and to add color to the drink. There were some really cool displays with interactive glass windows. You could even tap over a bottle of their alcohol and have a recipe sent to you. (Here is the link to the drink I choose.) We walked through the Rum section, where we saw some barrels sitting to age. There was another short video to watch as well.

Interactive screen bottom right: getting a recipe sent via text

The tour ended with you back on the main floor to see the distillery, where we had our last tasting of straight Sazerac Rye Whiskey and got to see the equipment. After the distillery, you end up in the shop area, where you checked in. The bottle prices didn’t seem that outrageous compared to going to a liquor store.

Note: Kristine Lou had her mask on the whole time until the picture. We were the only ones there and maintained a 6+ foot social distance. Gotta love the zoom feature on cameras!

Everyone enjoyed the tour. It was a fun history lesson with lots of things to read for Will, tastings for the adults (although the limeade was good too!), and interactive screens and videos for those with a shorter attention span. Everything was super clean. I thought they did wonderful job with the tour and the museum. I would definitely recommend it!

DETAILS: *

TICKETS: Due to COVID, you need to make reservations online ahead of time. We took the Complimentary tour (free), but they do offer other tours and events ($30 and up).
HOURS: Tuesday to Saturday. Tour times vary (usually 11:00 am to 4:20 pm)
PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots
BATHROOM: Yes
TIME RECOMMENDED: Ours was about a 90 minute tour, others may vary
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Exploring Louisiana, Food

Eating in New Orleans: King Cakes

Written by tepetravels January 28, 2021November 30, 2021 1 Comment

We have King Cake back home in bakeries for Mardi Gras, but it’s all one kind (cinnamon filling). Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and we buy one every year. But, there are different kinds down here! We were surprised, and wanted to try some new flavors. We stopped at King Cake Hub, where they sell king cakes from a variety of local bakeries.

So many King Cakes! There’s even ice cream!

We added our Rouses King Cake to the samplings. This one was bought in a Rouses grocery store, not at the specialty King Cake Hub. They do offer several different types of king cake, and it was a nice change from the cinnamon filling we normally have. We picked the Cream Cheese Pecan Praline King Cake.

Sugar Love Bakery Bread Pudding: I am a sucker for bread pudding, so we had to give this one a try. Even Ben liked it, and he is not normally a bread pudding lover. It had a great taste, with maybe a slight rum aftertaste. I loved it.

Bittersweet Confections Chocolate. This king cake had a cocoa type of filling, but it wasn’t a strong taste. I think most of the chocolate flavor came from the icing on top. It was a nice soft bread and the chocolate crunchy balls on top add nice texture.

Cannata’s Rougagooey: Tough to say, but delicious to eat. This one was my favorite. It was baked really well. Day one, it had a sweet bread taste with icing that tasted like a cream cheese icing to me. The decorations were fun and the information card was a nice touch. The boys enjoyed reading it. This one was even better the second day! It didn’t make it to the third…

NOCCA Cake Cafe Apple Goat Cheese: We saw raves about this on Instagram and gave it a try. Ben liked it. It was okay, but not one that I would buy again. It was not an overly sweet filling. The apples were still slightly crunchy, with the peel on. The crunchy apples were nice. It could have been the one we got, but the bake wasn’t the best. I don’t know that I would buy this one again. #Soggybottom

We didn’t even really make a dent in the types of King Cakes offered! There was a coffee one I was interested in, and several types of fruit filled cakes as well. However, at an average price of $25-$30/King Cake, we probably won’t get through all of them. Plus the RV door is only 24 inches wide. Not sure which would lose first our bank account or our waist line, but we will show some restraint in the Big Easy…at least as far as king cakes go.

~Sarah and Ben (just the funny parts)

Exploring Louisiana, Food, Sightseeing

The World Of Beignets (According To Will)

Written by tepetravels January 27, 2021November 30, 2021 2 Comments

If you haven’t tried these delicious treats then I highly recommend it. You can buy them if you live in New Orleans in a lot of different places, but you can also get them in other places too! If you can’t find a place that makes them close by here are some recipes:

https://tasty.co/recipe/beignets

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7179/beignets/

Recipe 3

When my family and I stayed in New Orleans we were close to the French Quarter. My Mom loves beignets. So we obviously went to where all of the people who think of beignets go…Café Du Monde. The first time we were just driving carefully through the French Quarter at night trying to glimpse the crowds you usually see around here. Since we were close by, we decided to go to Café Du Monde and get some of their famous beignets! They are handling COVID pretty well and have opened outdoor pickup and have up to three different pickup stations. Since it was late there were only a few people in line so we got our food and went!

Beignets are delicious. I love them. They are a little chewy on the outside with a nice soft inside. For all of you people who have a sweet tooth, they are covered from head to toe in puffy, white, powdered sugar. The sugar tastes amazing and when it fades you get the delicious doughy texture and taste of the beignet itself. We have currently visited the Café Du Monde two times.

If you are worried about COVID the Café itself handles it pretty well. The city also handles it better than a lot of places I have gone before. Almost everyone wears masks and that makes it nice. The Cafés’ workers are all wearing masks and the line goes by a lot quicker than it used to, with three separate places to order. I heard a kid, who probably was visiting for his first time, whine about how long the line was. But we got through it in less than 5 minutes. That is a huge difference than before when we had to wait for at least 20 minutes, to just get SEATED! All-in-all I think that Café Du Monde is doing well in the face of the pandemic, as is the whole city of New Orleans.

Thank you for reading and this is Will signing off from the wonderful world of beignets.

Exploring Louisiana, Museums & Tours, Sightseeing

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

Written by tepetravels January 26, 2021November 30, 2021

We took a tour of the Pharmacy Museum. (Thanks Claire for the idea!)

The Pharmacy Museum was located in the French Quarter. It was $5/person to visit. Due to COVID, they were limiting admission to 15 people per hour, so reservations were required and could be made online. This limit gave it a nice open, non-rushed feel. It was currently a self guided tour over two floors and the courtyard. When you check in, you received a hand out that describes the exhibits on the main floor. The second floor also had a hand out. When we were there, the handout was on the counter in the first room you entered at the top of the stairs. The exhibits were well labeled and had interesting descriptions.

It was interesting and I think we each learned something new. I do think it is probably a one time event though.

DETAILS: *

TICKETS: $5/person, but increasing to $10/person starting 2/1/21. Due to COVID, they are limiting to 15 people per hour. Reservations/tickets required to be made online.
HOURS: Wednesday to Saturday at 12, 1, 2, 3, 4.
PARKING: Pay parking on street or nearby lots. There are a few spots of free parking in the Quarter, but they are taken quickly.
BATHROOM: Yes, downstairs in courtyard
TIME RECOMMENDED: 1-2 hours. With social distancing, the museum is asking for a 45 minute time limit.
*Details correct at the time of posting, but please double check before you go.

Exploring Louisiana, Food, Sightseeing

Eating In New Orleans: Toast

Written by tepetravels January 25, 2021November 30, 2021 1 Comment

We found this awesome breakfast place called Toast. It is by the French Market in the French Quarter, which gives it a nice view and the opportunity to people watch.

Everything was delicious. It was a chilly morning, so Ben and I started with coffee and we got the boys hot chocolate. We picked 4 items from the menu and shared between us, so everyone got to try the different foods. We ordered chicken and waffles (it came with a delicious container of Cajun butter), a savory Florentine crepe, Aebelskivers (puffed pancakes) with chocolate sauce, and coconut cream stuffed french toast.

The puffed pancakes were little round balls of fun, and tasted like…well, pancakes. The crepe had a lot of flavors going on and was the most savory out of the things we ordered. Chicken and waffles are always a hit with our family. The Cajun butter was a nice surprise, not very spicy, just enough to add flavor and cut down on the sweetness. I think they used white and dark meat for the chicken. The stuffed french toast was huge. The macadamia nuts added a nice crunch and texture. I enjoyed it even though I normally don’t like coconut. It was a very sweet dish though.

Our waitress even brought us to-go coffees, which was super nice on a chilly morning. I would definitely recommend eating here!

When we eventually get more storage room, I may give making the Aebleskivers (puffed pancakes) a try. There is a special pan for them and I found a couple of recipes online (Recipe 1, Recipe 2).

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