Driving in the South Part 1: A Tour From Atlanta to the Great Smoky Mountains, Nashville and Memphis which can be found here.

Memphis to New Orleans via Vicksburg : From Tennessee to Mississippi to Louisiana

Driving directly from Memphis to New Orleans is a 650 km ride on the I-55. It takes about 6 hours. The route is far east off the Mississippi River, the only town you cross is Mississippi’s capital Jackson. A long ride for a single day but possible, anyways it makes an entire day of your holiday only sitting in the car and driving, nothing else.
A bit further west, you can drive in close distance to the Mississippi River and see the Mississippi Delta occasionally.

Vicksburg is an option to stop (see Article on Vicksburg). The first part of the route from Memphis to Vicksburg has several options to stop, all of them smaller towns: Greenwood (Mississippi Delta) and Indianola (B.B. King Museum) can both be reached on highway 49 and 278 (Northern and Southern Route) and highway 82. Greenwood is one hour from Memphis (75 km), Indianola is on the way to Greenwood (about 1/3 of the distance). Driving from north to south on the highway route takes 45 minutes more than the interstate route (anyways it’s even a few km less). Taking the detour to Indianola and Greenwood will cost you two more hours. You cannot avoid taking the same route back and forth and need to calculate an extra 2 hours for this.

For this part of the route, we decided to take the interstate to have more time in Vicksburg. Also considering the next day, we did not feel like driving an extra 2 hours.
The following day, the route leads from Vicksburg to New Orleans. A direct route is available on interstate 55 (330 km, 3 ¼ hours). Anyways, this second part of the route offers so many options; you would miss a lot on the interstate.

South of Vicksburg, a town called Natchez is worth a stop (1 ½ hours, 120 km). Natchez is a former trade hub and enclave for millionaires with many beautiful, well-preserved antebellum mansions. (more information about Natchez here).

Once you have decided to go Natchez, it’s best to stay on the highway for another 120 km. The interstate is far east of Natchez, driving to the interstate would mean driving unnecessarily east although you are indeed heading south.

Once you’ve reached Natchez, you can go back to the interstate. You go east to I-55 and stay on it until you reach New Orleans. Choosing this option means, it takes 4 ½ hours (400 km) to drive from Vicksburg to New Orleans. If you decide to stay on the scenic route, take highway 61 after Natchez till Louisiana’s capital Baton Rouge. This is a good place to stop for a coffee or food.

Baton Rouge is one hour from New Orleans (I-10). On this route, the next stop is Vacherie with its big plantations (see Plantations in the South). Vacherie is easy to reach (exit 187, highway 6, just follow the signs that say Oak Alley Plantation, ca. 15 minutes). I would highly recommend this stop. It’s close to the main route and you should have seen at least one of the big Vacherie plantations.

This is how we did it. We managed to fit everything in a day; it is doable but a tight schedule. We had enough time for the final stop, the Oak Alley Plantation and also for the first stop Natchez. Anyways, you need to leave early on this day. Driving along highway 61 takes a while. Even though it is very little traffic, it’s slow-moving. Anyways, I would do it exactly like this again. I would not want to miss Natchez or Vacherie.

There is another option for this route:
In Natchez, you can go further west (west of the Mississippi river) (highway 15, 105 and interstate 49). This is a way to reach Lafayette and Avery Island 50 km south of Lafayette. Avery Island is the home of Tabasco (the spicy sauce). Moreover, there are tropical gardens in Lafayette. It is the cultural capital of the Acadian Scene (Cajun and Creole). To see this, you need to take another detour. Anyways, this detour will make your route too long for a single day. It makes an 8-hour-route of 700 km (from Vicksburg to New Orleans with stops in Natchez, Lafayette, Avery Island, Baton Rouge and Vacherie). A mere driving time of 8 hours means, we would not have had enough time to see the attractions on the route properly. One option is to shorten the route (leave out Natchez or Lafayette) or stay a night somewhere on the route (maybe Lafayette).

We chose to leave out Lafayette, because it would have taken the longest detour. Vacherie can be reached easily and we did not want to leave out Natchez.

East of Lafayette (close to West Texas), there are a few nature protection areas. If you have the time and decide to stay another night, you can think about visiting these as well.

From New Orleans to Pensacola: Going from Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida

After a couple of days in New Orleans, we are now heading to Florida. This article only deals with the route to the Florida border. Just to get a rough impression of what we are talking about: the entire route is as long as 800 kilometers, starting in New Orleans, driving east along the coast till Jacksonville.

I only describe the first 300 kilometers of this route. The rest can be found in the Article on North Florida.

On interstate 10, it takes 3 hours (320 km) to go from New Orleans to Pensacola. The interstate stays close (almost parallel) to the coast all the time (5 to 10 km inbound). Because the interstate is so close to the coast, you can always alternate between interstate and highway 90, which is the coast highway. Pass Christian and Gulfport are spots to enter and exit the interstate. It is also possible to stay on the coast highway (highway 90) the entire time. For this, you need to plan an extra hour (compared to the interstate route). The latest point to go back to the interstate is Mobile in Alabama; you need to go north to Mobile anyways. There is only one bridge leading over the bay. Because you already are on the interstate, you can stay there.

On this route, there are several environmental protected areas: Gulf Island National Seashore and Mississippi Gulf Park in Alabama and Perdido Key in Florida (information about Perdido Key here). Try to stop in at least one of these parks. The ones that can be reached easily are Gulf Island and Perdido Key. You can also think about spending the night in Perdido Key instead of going to Pensacola for that. The former fishing village Mobile is also an option to spend the night.

We drove along the coast highway from Pass Christian until Biloxi, in Biloxi we took the interstate till Pensacola and did Perdido Key the following morning. On this route, there are many beaches, restaurants and coffee shops for lunch, a coffee or dinner are everywhere. Also, you pass by many veterans’ homes. It was a beautiful, cozy day along the coast.

More Information on this tour can be found in part 1 and part 3:

Driving in the South Part 1: A Tour From Atlanta to the Great Smoky Mountains, Nashville and Memphis

Driving in the South Part 3: From Florida’s Capital Tallahassee on the Georgia Coast to the Carolinas and Charleston

A Tour in the Panhandle/Northern Florida can be found here.

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Far Away From Everything Else: The Forgotten Coast and its Protected Areas

In Panama City, you reach the end of the Emerald Coast. Highway 98 continues along the coastline. Florida’s Forgotten Coast starts in Port St. Joe. Coming from the west, you can change routes and reach the interstate 10 up north in Panama City (highway 231) or Port St. Joe (highway 71). This is the option to drive directly to Tallahassee on the Interstate. On this northern route on I-10 and the little village Marianna, you can reach the Florida Caver State Park. These are the only cavers in Florida that are open to tourists. It only makes sense to do these caverns when you decide to stay on I-10 because you are now too far from the coast highway.

If you decide to not do that route, you can take the beautiful coastal highway 98 until St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. No matter how nice these coast routes are, you always need to consider that you cannot move fast at all. To do the entire route from New Orleans to Jacksonville on the coast highways, you need to plan several nights on the route. You can go from New Orleans to Jacksonville on the interstate in one or two days but you do not see get to see more than an interstate.

I liked all the retirement homes at the coast along that route, in particular for veteran homes. Spending your retirement like that is a dream, usually good weather and no cold winters.

There are many protected areas on route east of Panama City. For example the St. Marks I mentioned above (as the end point of the route) but also St. Joseph Bay and St. Vincent Wildlife Refuge. Further north, there is Walkulla Spring Park, a recreational area and common holiday destination for Americans with lots of flora and fauna. In Walkulla, the Tarzan Movie from 1938 was shot.

Tallahassee as a Stop

Floridas capital Tallahassee is now close. Tallahassee is not one of the most spectacular cities I have ever seen. But it makes sense as a stop after several days at the coast. Tallahassee it the biggest city in Florida’s North (180,000 people) and has many hotel options. Interesting for tourists are two places: Goodwood Plantation and Museum (a former cotton plantation) and the Knott House Museum, that shows an exhibit about Florida’s history.

In Tallahassee you have temporarily left the coastline. You now have three options to continue your route.

You can go east to Jacksonville and the Atlantic Coast. Again on I-10, it takes 3 hours. You can continue your route further south from here.

A second option is to go north from Jacksonville to Savannah and Charleston.

See Georgia Island

We chose a third option which is to go from Tallahassee to the Okefenokee Swamp and to Savannah after that. We did not do Jacksonville at all to have more time in Okefenokee.

See Okefenokee Swamp

Some Information about the Panhandle

Don’t underestimate these routes. One example: driving along the southern peak of the forgotten coast (on highway 98 from Panama City to St. Joseph and St. Marks till Tallahassee) you need 5 to 6 hours for only 300 kilometers. The fastest route (highway 213, 20, and interstate 10) takes only 2 ¼ hours (180 km). That makes quite a difference. For these costal roads, you need time, rushing along these routes is pointless. You need to pick a few places that are important to you and decide what you want to do and what you can omit.

Anyone who enjoys crusing, stopping every now and then, seeing various nature preserve areas, watching birds or walking along a beach, has found the right place on earth in the Panhandle. Camping option are available and stopping is always possible. You can easily spend two weeks at the coast just doing that.

If you have less time, you are not able to see everything. You need to use the interstate 10 occasionally, just to make miles and drive a bit faster. Otherwise you would be spending your entire day in the car and you only have time for very shorts stops.
I prefer to mix these two options. In this case, that means: spending time outside, see the countryside, beaches and islands, with no rush there but also moving forward. I recommend this tour:

• Start in New Orleans
• First night somewhere between Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach. Depending on time and interest – 1 or 2 nights. Definitely stop in Perdido Key State Park. You can also camp here (or any other location from the Gulf Island National Seashore). Nature lovers and whoever wants to have more time for the countryside should plan to stay an additional 1- 2 nights
• If you like shopping – plan some time for the Silver Sands Premium Outlet in Destin. Depending on what you prefer – you can easily spend an entire day here; Drive to Panama City Beach – on the route you need some time to stop at beaches and swim if you feel like it. Two nights in Panama City to see the city and spend some time on the beach
• Next stop is Port St. Joe. Book a hotel somewhere close to the state parks. Now you have time to visit St. Joseph and St. Vincent and St. George Island
• Next Stop is Tallahassee – if you have time you can visit Walkulla Spring State Park on the way.

Is this the Right Holiday Destination For Me?

If you enjoy nature, like to be somewhere off the main tourist routes and don’t mind driving a bit longer, this is the right place for you. You find nature, coast, beaches and tranquility. Action and Entertainment are somewhere else, Orlando and Miami. I do like nature; it definitely looks different from everything I know from home. Bigger towns are everywhere; there you can get anything you need. You can visit these towns, but it’s not really necessary. Hotels and motels are everywhere, you always have many options. But you definitely need your own car and have to drive 2 – 3 hours per day. Depending a lot, of course, how much time you have and what you want to see. If you don’t mind that, the Panhandle is the perfect place for you.

This is Part 2.

Part 1 of this article can be found here:

The Panhandle: The Part of Florida Most People Have Not Even Heard Of – Part 1: Panama City, Emerald Coast and Information About the Climate

Der Beitrag The Panhandle: The Area of Florida Most People Have Not Even Heard Of – Part 2: The Forgotten Coast, Tallahassee and Route Options erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

From New Orleans To Jacksonville

Southern Florida is famous for its main tourist attractions in Orlando and Miami as well as its beaches and coasts. The so-called Panhandle, Florida’s Northwest is much less known. It’s called panhandle because its shape on the map resembles a panhandle. To locate it roughly, you can pick New Orleans as the starting point and depending on what you like Jacksonville or Tampa as the end point of your route. Of course, New Orleans is not in Florida, on this route you reach Florida after a little less than 3 hours driving (320 km). The total distance from New Orleans to Jacksonville is 880 km (to Tampa 1050 km). This is too much for a short field trip; you need to spend a couple of days in this area.

More Information on New Orleans can be found here.

The Panhandle as a Winter Destination and Year-Round Holiday Destination?

Is the Panhandle a good Year-Round Holiday Destination? Can I spend my winter holiday there and take a sunbath at the beach? Unfortunately, the answer is no. To find perfect beach weather, you need to go further south in Florida. The Panhandle is warm but not warm enough to take a sunbath and swim in the ocean. I was there in November in off-season. The plus side is obvious: very few visitors, the hotels were cheap and the weather was perfect to do some sightseeing in the cities. For a beach holiday, it was not warm enough. I did some walking along the beaches; it’s even warm enough to sit at the beach on midday. But it was not enough for sunbathing and swimming. To me, this is “T-Shirt-weather”, just like a nice, sunny spring day in Germany.

The only difference is that it starts raining all of a sudden. The residents always say weather at the coastline can change within minutes. That’s definitely true, we could see that all the time. Also, it’s quite windy, of course it is, we are near the ocean. Many Kitesurfers are here, we could see them regularly. This area is particularily interesting for them, we saw many residents kite surfing.

Emerald Coast: Gulf Island National Seashore, Pensacola and Panama City

Why would I want to go to the Panhandle anyways? The westernmost point of Florida is Pensacola. You can already experience the character of the Panhandle here: everything is more quiet, laid-back and less touristic. There is lots of pristine nature, long-stretched beaches and calmness. Some areas are protected, but this usually only means that you need to pay a fee (10 to 15 dollar entrance per car) and are only allowed to move within the designated areas. These nature protection areas are extremely important to flora and fauna and need support.

One example is the Gulf Island National Seashore (close to Biloxi). It has a 15 dollar entrance fee. There are beaches, you can go hiking, watch birds, kayak and enjoy the nature. Parts of the park are reachable by car. One of its islands is Perdido Key.
Gulf Island National Seashore is a coastal area, 160 miles long. It’s partly in Mississippi and Florida and consists of 12 different units. A car with less than 15 people in it costs 15 dollars. There are three visitor centers.

More information on: https://www.nps.gov/guis/index.htm

I would have liked to spend more time in that recreational area. We could not do that, but I’d really like to come back some day. Just spending 2 days in that protected area, leave the car somewhere and do some walking all day long, spend time at the beach and simply relax and unwind.

Something quite remarkable is the transition from sea to fresh water in the swamps. You can see this very well in Perdido Key State Park. Many of the typical Florida alligator live in this protected area. More Information on Perdido Key can be found here.

The most important connecting street is interstate 10. But the interstate leaves the coastline quickly and is located a bit further upcountry. You should leave the I-10 as soon as possible and rather take the coast highways. There, you can enjoy the view and cruise very American-like along the coast. You can stop as you like and take a walk at the beach or simply have coffee or enjoy lunch.

The US-army has a base in Pensacola which makes the cities well-known nationwide.
The coastal area between Pensacola and Panama City is called Emerald Coast – named after the precious stone. This name describes the beauty of the area quite nicely. The ocean shimmers in many different colors, the beaches are huge and most of them are totally deserted, the nature protection areas are gorgeous.

Between Pensacola and Panama City (near Fort Walton) is a little town called Destin. For anyone who wants to go shopping, the outlet mall Silver Sands Premium Outlet in Destin is a huge shopping-lovers paradise. You cannot miss the mall. You only need to drive along coast street 98 (the main road). Signs are everywhere at the highway.

After Destin, you reach a little town called Seaside. Seaside is so picturesque; Hollywood used it as the hometown in “The Truman Show” with Jim Carrey. It’s only a little town, but very nice and a good place to stop on the route.

Grayton Beach State Park and St. Andrews State Park: Best Beach of America

Two beaches on the Panhandle need some special attention. Both of them were called the Best Beach in America in different years. Dr. Beach (a geology professor in Florida) picks a winner every year and has a Top 10 list.

Grayton Beach State Park, right between Destin and Panama City, only a few kilometers from Seaside, was number one in 1994 and regularly appears in the Top Ten, 2016 as number 6.

St. Andrews Beach State Park was topping the list in 1995 and is also a regular Top Ten Guest. St. Andrews is another 55 km further east, close to Panama City.

Both beaches are part of a protected area (both state parks). That means you need to pay to go there. The list of activities includes: hiking, nature watching, animal watching, fishing, cycling, camping and of course spending time at the beach, swimming and sunbathing.

This Article continues in Part 2:

The Panhandle: The Part of Florida Most People Have Not Even Heard Of – Part 2: The Forgotten Coast, Tallahassee and Route Options

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New Orleans City Park

The City Park is at the other end of the city. New Orleans’ City Park is double the size of Ne York’s Central Park. It has a botanical garden, a sculpture garden, a light railway and a collection of old oak trees, the oldest one being 800 years old. Moreover playing tennis or golf is possible.

The Park is north of the French Quarter. You will be driving a bit off the tourist routes to go there. Information on how to reach the park can be found here:

http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/city-park-map

We could only go there for a very short time. Even though the driving instructions sound a bit difficult, it was not difficult. Signs were everywhere and parking was easy to find. If you have a rental car anyways, come here. We went there on the last morning and after that left New Orleans heading to Florida.

http://neworleanscitypark.com/

Steamboat Mississippi Tour

The tour on the Mississippi Steam Boat starts right at Jackson Square (Steamboat Natchez Tour). Because of New Orleans’ unique atmosphere and history, these tours somehow fit into the city and match its character. Don’t expect anything very spectacular. You enter the steamboat, can walk up and down on it and drive down the river a bit. The steamboat makes a turn and goes to same way back. You get to see some of New Orleans’ houses a bit later a sugar cane factory and all the other traffic on the river.

The tour is sold in several varieties: brunch tour, jazz tour, diner tour etc. We did the regular afternoon tour (at 2.30 pm, another one is at 11.30 am). The lunch buffet was offered for an additional 10 dollars. The tickets are sold directly at the port, the booths are very visible and easy to find.

The food at the lunch buffet was ok, you do not need to leave hungry. Neither food nor variety is outstanding. It’s in general ok, not more and not less.
All other things on the boat are a matter of taste. A band is there: they play for a very short period of time (very loud but not very good, literally all street bands were better). The tour is full-narrated (like so many tours in the US): that means someone has a mike and tells all kind of information about the tour and the area. I have to say, what they were telling was not even that interesting and the speaker sounded very repetitive and bored, almost to the point of rattling everything.

The only interesting thing was the engine room where you can see the steamboat engine.

It was a nice trip after all. The world always looks different from the water. I would not call this trip a must-do in New Orleans but it was still good.

More information about the tour: http://www.steamboatnatchez.com/

There is also a second tour option: http://www.creolequeen.com/

Streamboatnatchez says they are the original. Creole Queen does not use a steamboat at all. I don’t know it that’s right but it’s what they said at Steamboatnatchez.

Further Activities in New Orleans

New Orleans has many guided tours, most of them themed voodoo or ghost. Some of them only in the evenings when it’s dark. There are also Airboat and Kayak Tours to swamp areas of New Orleans (I wrote something about Airboat in the Everglades Article). A second larger park is the Jean Lafitte Preserve. Highway 1 and 23 are the southern end of the city (not really in the city but already far outside) and end in the ocean. At the very end of highway 23, there is Pass A Loutre State Park (only reachable per boat), the highways ends shortly before the park. At the end of highway 1, there is Grand Isle and a little protected area. Both tours need at least 1 ½ hours one way. I cannot say anything about that, we did not do them.

What is a Must-Do in New Orleans?

Definitely French Quarter, bring enough time to enjoy its atmosphere. Also walk along the Mississippi River, and to Jackson Square. You should definitely listen to some live music, either on the roads in French Quarter or in one of the bars. Also visit Garden District, maybe for lunch or dinner. Last but not least at least one of the Vacherie plantations (see Plantations in the South).

Safety in New Orleans

Safety has always been an issue in New Orleans; Americans call it “a dangerous city”. That means, you always need to be a bit careful where you go. French Quarter and Garden District are safe and not dangerous at all. The easiest thing is just to stay here in the evenings after sunset. All hotels are nearby and like that you do not take an unnecessary risk.

All standard tourist routes are safe, all booked tours of course as well. Everything else, unusual areas and routes, should be checked in advance. That does not mean that you cannot go there. But US cities have ghettos which mean that sometimes one side of the street is safe and the other one is not. At some bus stops, you can only walk left, never right or something like that. These invisible borders in cities are real. Every city has some blocks that you should better avoid.

I don’t know anything like that from Germany. I would recommend asking the hotel staff or a cop for advice. In the US, people are in general very kind and helpful and always answer friendly. Things like that change quickly and I think asking for updated information is the best.

New Orleans definitely has a poverty problem. We saw many people living under car bridges. Between French Quarter and Garden State, some of the larger roads have entrances and exits on big ramps. People were living there in tents, in the middle of that traffic mess.

Parking in New Orleans

Parking in New Orleans is – there is no nice way to put it – a pain in the ass. Our hotel charged 38 dollars for one day. For three nights (= four days) that was too much for us. Our hotel was not an exception; all hotels in the French Quarter have these kinds of parking fees.

You can use one of the parking decks or parking spaces in the French Quarter. Signs about them are everywhere. The thing is: the closer you are to French Quarter, the more expensive. We found a parking deck in advance on google. We were there but that did not work at all (the parking deck was either full or closed or we did it wrong, I don’t know). Anyways, it did not work for us. The second try was better: it was a parking space charging 10 dollars per day. Still a lot but better than 38 per day. We had to walk there twice and buy a new parking tickets (I was one of these “buy it and put it on the dash” systems). Of course, that wasn’t a perfect solution. A regular parking deck ticket with a total in the end would have been easier and better. But it was ok. It was just a daily walk from the hotel to the car.

Some advice: French Quarter and its many little roads were a bit confusing to us in the first evening. It was only a 2 km walk from the car to the hotel but finding the right way wasn’t easy. Our parking space was somewhere at North Rampart Street. Definitely take a map and a GPS phone with you to avoid walking the wrong way.

If you don’t mind walking, this could be the right option for you. If you do, find a parking garage or pay the hotel’s fee.

You don’t need a car in the French Quarter. It’s better to walk here. We used to car only for trips outside the French Quarter. We left our luggage in the hotel; one person of the group was watching it until the car was there. While looking for parking, always consider New Orleans’ safety issues and don’t park too far from the French Quarter.

Resumee New Orleans

New Orleans is a unique city, a place like no other. One of my all-time-highlights, I could have stayed much longer!

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French Quarter: Bourbon Street and Jackson Square

The French Quarter buildings mostly date back to the 19th century, some are even older, a few from the 20th century. Most of them have been protected buildings for 100 years.

In the French Quarter, Bourbon Street is the central street. The street is not that busy on the day but wakes up in the evenings: it gets blocked for traffic, pedestrians take over. Bourbon Street has all kinds of bars, restaurants and nightlife. Apart from that, a bit unnecessary, many cheesy stores sell the usual tourist junk.

Bourbon Street is located in the center of the French Quarter. It’s a five-block-distance to the river and a three-block-walk opposite direction. All these little streets make the unique New Orleans character. It doesn’t really matter where exactly you walk in the French Quarter, you will definitely find a spot to take a good picture. This is how you can spend quite some time: just lingering around in the French Quarter.

Jackson Square, a one-block-square is located right next to the river. There you find the President Andrew Jackson statue, a Cathedral, the Presbytère and the Cabildo (former home of the government, now a museum). From here you can go to the river promenade. In the North you find the New Orleans Flew Market, a bit further south the river’s port for steam boat tours, after that the New Orleans Aquarium and even farther south a shopping mall.

At Jackson Square, the horse carriages wait for guest. The Aquarium is next to Canal Street (an intersecting east/west street). Canal Street (upriver) is the Southern end of the French Quarter. The shopping mall starts here, so kind of at the outskirts of the French Quarter.

French Quarter: How to Reach and How to Move There

The French Quarter is not that big. You can easily walk anywhere. Walking and strolling along its streets is quite something. The entire area has no American chain restaurants like McDonalds, Starbucks or Pizza Hut. There are many restaurants and bars but they don’t have big neon lights and signs. This is how the French Quarter’s maintains its unique atmosphere.

Driving a car there is not a nice thing to do. The roads are very narrow, on the day, trucks are everywhere. There is almost no space anywhere. Most roads are one-way-streets. Often, it is necessary to take a detour and drive the long way even though walking distance would be rather short. The last two kilometers to the hotel took a long time, easily as long as it would have taken to walk. Because of all these detours, you definitely need a GPS. Without a GPS, finding your hotel is probably difficult.

Canal Street

Canal Street is the southern end of French Quarter. If you are into theater, ballet and opera, this is the right place to go to. You find all of that on this street (in the direction of Rampart Street crossroad, western end of the French Quarter). Canal Street is a big six lane road you can and you can also see the stylish New Orleans Cable Car here.

Some five-star hotels and hotels from the well-known chains are south of Canal Street. Moreover, you find the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and a World War Two Museum here. On the east (right next to the river) is an Outlet Shopping Mall.

At Canal Street and a few steps further south, you find some cheaper restaurants: Ihop, Hard Rock Café and many other chains (CVS Pharmacy, Saks, etc.). Southern end of this quarter is the Pontchartrain Expressway.

Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery

Moving up north along the river leads to the Garden District. The Garden District was originally built because US-American wanted to separate themselves from the Creoles in the French Quarter. Nowadays, it’s mainly a living area for well-off people. The quarter has many beautiful houses, totally different from the ones in the French Quarter. The area is remarkably larger than the French Quarter; you need a ride to go there, either your own car or the bus. When you are in New Orleans, you should definitely visit this area. This is also where you find the famous Lafayette Cemetery.

Magazine Street in the Garden District has many restaurants and cafés, again no big chains. A very nice place to stop for a coffee.

According to Wikipedia, many celebrities live here: Sandra Bullock, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, John Goodman, Nicolas Cage. We did not see anything about that. A big hit for tourists was the Manning House (don’t know if Eli’s or Peyton’s). They both live in French Quarter and all Americans were super happy to stand in front of their house.

The graves at Lafayette Cemetery have many rock constructions, looking quite monumental. Some graves are very old, other a bit younger. If you are in Garden District anyways, come here to see the cemetery. Parking is easy: we found a spot at the street in front of it.

This is part 1 of New Orleans.

This article continues in part 2:

New Orleans – The Big Easy: Part 2 Mississippi Steamboat Tour, City Park, Safety Issues and the Parking Situation

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Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant, Charleston, South Carolina

The Boone Hall Plantation is a little outside Charleston (18 km) and is one of the largest plantations on the list. The plantation appeared prominently on the TV show “North against South”. Of all the plantations we saw, this one had the largest crowd of visitors.
Many signs point to the plantation, from Charleston, Boone Hall is easy to find. The cashier is right in front of the Oak Alley. After buying a ticket, visitors proceed right through the Oak Alley in their cars. The street is an unpaved dirt road (a paved road would destroy the atmosphere) but the road is even, stable and dry. Driving on it works well, even larger vehicles like RVs could drive there without any problems. Traffic was heavy on the Oak Alley, the parking lot follows right after the Oak Alley.

Main attraction is the mansion with its regular tours. There are many chairs in front of the mansion, also canopies that offer shade if you need to wait and the sun is too strong. The plantation dates back till 1681; anyways the mansion is a replica from the 1930s. Originally, Boone Hall was a cotton plantation. Nowadays, farming focuses on strawberries and tomatoes.

The mansion tour mostly has stories about the original farm owners (in this case a Boone family), when the plantation was sold, what these new owners did about the plantation and how the plantation finally became accessible to public. Because of the many visitors, the tour is a bit of a run through all the rooms, tour guides figuratively push their groups to the next room. Once you leave a room, the next group walks right in. You get to see many different rooms of the plantation. Photography inside the mansion is not allowed. That is why I cannot show you any pics. Just in case you want to know how it looks inside the mansion: exactly like in “North against South”. It feels like being on the movie set.

In front of the mansion, there are several smaller red-brick buildings, where some of the slaves lived. It was an exception to build these cabins in front of the mansion; usually they were hidden behind the mansion. There is also a tour through these cabins; anyways it’s much less visited than the mansion tour. I would definitely recommend to do the slave cabin tour. The slaves’ history needs to be told and heard, it’s definitely as interesting as the mansion itself. A common problem here is that there is no written record about their history. Reconstructing their history and life story was only possible for a few single people, for example, the story of a female cook who spent her entire life at Boone Hall.

The third part of the plantation is its huge garden that can be seen on a walking tour. It has the typical face of a southern garden: many old trees, Spanish Moss everywhere and swamp areas nearby. You should definitely take that walking tour in order to feel the atmosphere of the plantation properly.

On plantations website it says they also have a bus tour through the entire land of the plantation, almost 300 hectares of land. When we were there, the busses were not. That is why we could not do that tour but we did everything else. The café was closed as well.

Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana

The Oak Alley Plantation is in a little town called Vacherie, 60 km from New Orleans. (see New Orleans). The Plantation dates back to the early 19th century, its famous Oak Alley is considerably older. Its oaks are from the early 18th century and were probably the reason why the plantation itself was built at exactly that spot. In its early years, the plantation was a sugar cane farm. Two female residents have mainly influenced the plantation and its appearance. Celina, wife of the first owner Jacques Roman was actually the reason why he built the farm in the first place: he needed to make a nice home for his New-Orleans-born fiancée. Jacques died at a young age and Celina took over: she managed the plantation the following years. In the next generations, the family fell into financial problems and had to sell the plantation. The plantation started to decay. In 1925, Andrew Steward bought the house for his wife Josephine. She was the one who put the plantation back in good shape. Josephine had the house fixed and modernized and brought the farm back to its original purpose: making sugar cane. She stayed until her death and gave the farm to a foundation. Thanks to that, the farm is now open to public.

A guided tour in the mansion is very different from the one in Boone Hall. Photography is allowed, as long as no flash is used. All tour guides wear original, traditional clothing and show both floors to their visitors. We did get a lot of information what was done to fight the heat in the building. Small architectural secrets are supposed to help create a bit of ventilation in the rooms.

Big highlight of the tour is the huge balcony on the second floor: the balcony is located right at the center of the Oak Alley and offers a spectacular view. In this plantation, the Oak Alley is behind the mansion, not in front of it. Looking from that balcony to the oak alley is absolutely stunning; it’s worth visiting the plantation only for this. But even her, the tour guides are in a rush and the group has to hurry. We barely had enough time to take pics from the balcony. You can only walk along the oak alley, driving is not possible, there is no street and no other way to reach the alley, only a walking path. The alley is a ¾ mile long (1.2 km). Walking until its very end is worth it, even though very few visitors do that. This is a very nice spot to take pictures; you should definitely take time to do that. The plantation ends at the very end of that alley, a public street is right behind. You can go there to see the oak alley and take pics without having to buy an day pass for the plantation. Anyways, you only see the alley. From this spot the mansion is far in the background and barely visible.

In the opposite direction (from the mansion) there is a restaurant. Right next to it an exhibit and rebuild of the slaves’ homes tells their story. Again, it’s difficult to trace their stories back, only a few written records are available. A gardener who developed a new way to plant pecan nuts is mentioned in particular. At the end of the so called slave-alley are several overnight cottages. Cottages sounds like a simple, basic place to stay. Anyway, these cottages are the complete opposite. If you have always wanted to spend the night at a Southern plantation, this is an opportunity to do so.

A couple of smaller attractions can be found on the plantation as well: a theater that tells the story of planting sugar cane, an exhibit about how blacksmith work was done in the past and a smaller garden that Josephine, the last owner, started.

The Oak Alley Plantation appeared in several movies, the most important one is “Interview with a Vampire”. Also Beyoncé’s video “Déjà Vu” was shot here.

Vacherie has more plantations right next to Oak Alley: Laura Plantation, St. Joseph Plantation and San Francisco Plantation.

Belle Meade Plantation, Nashville, Tennessee

The Belle Meade Plantation is 10 km outside of Nashville. The farm was built by the Harding family in the early 19th century. From the beginning, the plantation operated on several levels: blacksmith work, lumber mill but also cattle breeding and making gin. Over the years, horse breeding became more and more important. Even after the civil war, the family tried to keep the farm running, but after a while this was no longer profitable. The plantation had two owner families: a Harding family and a Jackson family. There is quite some information available about the slaves of the plantation. Some of them had gone through a kind of apprenticeship and were professionals in their jobs: as blacksmith, as a jockey or in horse breeding. They were highly qualified and could even continue to work in these jobs after the Civil War. This is not supposed to euphemize slavery, it’s only a story that shows how different these plantation were and how they did business in different fields of work.

This plantation does not have an oak alley. Its mansion and the guided tour is the main attraction. A cottage, a replica of a slave home was reconstructed. There are some more, smaller buildings: a horse stable, a stable of carriages, a garden and a vinery. The tour includes a free wine tasting at the end. We had lunch at the plantation’s restaurant, the food was surprisingly good, prices were reasonable.

There was a little play at the lawn in front of the mansion: some guys, dressed as soldiers were busy working on old cannons. In the end, they indeed fired a cannonball. Our tour had already started; we were inside the mansion and only heard the detonation.

The plantation also sells several special culinary tours.

Compared to the two larger plantations Boone Hall and Oak Alley, Belle Meade is a bit smaller but in no ways boring. This plantation has an entirely different story and history than the other two.

Wormsloe Plantation, Savannah, Georgia

The Wormsloe Plantation is a 20 minutes-drive outside Savannah. The plantation is basically no longer a plantation. All the buildings are destroyed, only their ruins are left. The Wormsloe Plantation is very old, from the early 18h century. The building from these days does not exist anymore. A newer building from the 19th century is privately owned and cannot be visited.

But there is a beautiful old oak alley and several smaller walking paths in the forest and along a swamp. Basically, you take a nice walk in the area. At the entrance, there is an exhibit about the history of the plantation and its owner families.

Some ruins and traces from the early settlement of the US are still there. Over the years and centuries, several forms of agriculture were done here (fruits, vegetables, grain, etc.). It is remarkable that the Wormsloe Plantation has been owned by the same family since the 1730s. The area is a bit older and wilder than all the other plantations, mainly for two reasons. The old buildings are no longer there, only its ruins, and the plantation is in the middle of a forest and a swamp that borders the forest. The panorama her is nice and offers a nice view.

The plantation charges only 10 Dollars, less the half of what the others charge. Anyways, you need to be aware of the fact that you only see gardens, a forest, ruins and the oak alley. On the plus side: the plantation is not as crowded as the other ones.

Melrose Site, Natchez, Mississippi

Of all the plantations, this is the least known. It is in Natchez, Mississippi, at little town 120 km south of Vicksburg. You can go to Natchez on the way from Memphis to New Orleans or from Vicksburg to Baton Rouge. Natchez is anyways worth a stop. You can also do this little unknown plantation with its very few visitors.

The Melrose Plantation is smaller than the other ones on this list. You reach it by driving through a park. Originally, the plantation was built a little bit outside of Natchez, but now it is in the middle of the suburbs. Several signs lead to the plantation; it’s easy to find the park (reachable via highway 61 and Melrose Avenue). The plantation is from the mid 19th century.

The original owner family McMurran sold the farm as an entire unit: including furniture and dishes. Even during subsequent sales, the plantation’s interior remained the same. Because Natchez was not hit hard by the destruction of the Civil War, many original items survived and can still be seen today.

The plantation consists of a mansion and several smaller houses in the garden. The guided tour shows the entire house, also the second floor and the view from the balcony. The tour was not crowded at all, we were the only ones. The tour guide was called only for us. This was our first private tour, the only farm where we were not pushed from one room to the other in a larger group. Stables, carriages and all the small buildings are not part of the tour but can only be seen in a self-guided tour.

The garden is quite nice too and can be seen in a walking tour. The typical southern Spanish moss is everywhere; we also saw several air roots or trees that grow close to the water.

Important: Do Not Only Visit the Mansion

All plantations usually offer tours in the slave homes or replica of the slave houses. The history of their slaves is told as thoroughly as possible. Boone Hall had tours in the mansion every 15 minutes; about 20 – 30 people were guided through the house. Only about 10 people did the slave alley tour, even though the tour takes place much less frequently. That is such a pity! You should definitely listen to that part as well. Also do the walking tour in all the gardens and oak alleys, these are important parts of the plantation and define their image. You get to see many plants that do not exist in Germany. In Oak Alley Plantation, the oak alley is more than one km long. You should really walk until its very end, the view worth it.

Which plantation is the best, which should I visit?

All plantations are interesting and have their own history. The two larger plantations Oak Alley and Boone Hall are absolutely stunning, spectacular and a real highlight. Many people have found that out, both plantations have many visitors, in the main season they are probably too crowded. All tour guides are nice and provide loads of information. They talk about history and the plantations and their owner families. That is very interesting. But, you feel a bit pushed, sometimes it feels like they are trying to get rid of the group as soon as possible because the next one is already waiting. For example, tour guides leave their story unfinished because the next group is already close and it is time to leave the room. It is a rigid system that guides you from one room to the next one. One more negative thing: these plantations are expensive. They charge more than 20 bucks usually. But that is an individual decision if you want to pay these 20 plus dollars or not. In Vacherie we decided to not do the other two plantations because of that. I think it’s best to compromise here. You cannot see all plantation but a few are worth paying all that money.

All oak alleys are a highlight, in particular Oak Alley Plantation because you get to see the oak alley from the second floor. The oak alley in Wormsloe is beautiful as well, even though a mansion is missing. I think, if you have seen the Oak Alley Plantation (or another plantation with an oak alley) you can omit Wormsloe. Except you are very interested to see leftovers of the very early settlement, than you should do Wormsloe.
Some plantations do not show all their rooms or don’t let the tour groups go to the first floor. They have various reasons: sometimes it is because of safety issues, sometimes because the owner family still uses the plantation as a holiday home. That’s a pity, but nothing to do about that.

Photography rules are different everywhere: Boone Hall does not allow any photography inside the house, Oak Alley allows photography but without flash.

The two smaller plantations Wormsloe and Melrose place have a huge plus: very few people are there and you have more silence and less chaos and hectic there. The larger plantations are more impressive, but I would still recommend doing at least one smaller one. Plus, these small plantations cost much less.

Whoever plans to stay overnight in a plantation, you can do that in Belle Meade or Oak Alley.

It is difficult to recommend something in general. I suggest doing at least more than one plantation. An oak alley should be part of one of the plantations. The best thing is to plan accordingly to the rest of your tour. If I ever come back to New Orleans, I want to see some of the other plantations in Vacherie.

Der Beitrag Southern Beauties: Plantations in the American South and Their History erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.