Airboat Tour
What a crazy day we had in Louisiana! Our first adventure in the Big Easy was an airboat tour through the swamps in Lafitte, LA (about 30 min south of French Quarter). Skylar had experienced an airboat tour in Florida and was looking forward to taking me on one here in Louisiana. They packed 20 people on a stadium-seating style airboat, and immediately the guide passed out ear muffs to each person because the boat is LOUD! We went up and down the marshes of the South Louisiana Bayou, looking at the beautiful scenery and wildlife. The most exciting, of course, were the alligators. In one particular cove, the guide threw a few marshmallows into the water and the gators swam up to gobble them up. He then pulled out a baby gator and let us hold him! We enjoyed the tour very much, and if anyone finds themselves in New Orleans, we highly recommend Airboat Adventures.
French Quarter
After returning from the airboat tour, we took a bus from our hotel into the French Quarter. You can buy an all-day bus pass for $3, which works for the streetcars as well. We walked through the French Quarter a bit, including the infamous Bourbon Street. We averted our eyes from the unfavorable images and instead enjoyed the lively street music, bright colors, and historic architecture.
We booked a historic New Orleans tour through Magic Tours (we bought a Groupon deal) and it turned out that we were the only ones on the tour. We got an informative, private, 2-hour tour of the French Quarter. We learned the difference between Creole and Cajun, the French and Spanish rule of New Orleans until 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase, and the different architecture styles found in the French Quarter. It was a great way to see and learn about the unique city.
Louisiana Cuisine
The best part of the day might have been the food! We first checked out Felix’s Oyster Bar and Restaurant at my mom’s recommendation. We enjoyed char-grilled oysters, jambalaya, gumbo, and a fish po’boy. Yum!! It all tasted very good but I was pleasantly surprised by the oysters. Skylar and I have both had some unfavorable past experiences with oysters but figured we had to give it another try in New Orleans, and we are glad we did!
At Disneyland, Cafe Orleans serves a remarkable Monte Cristo Sandwich that is one of our favorite meals of all time. Therefore, we wanted to taste an authentic Monte Cristo from the French Quarter. We were a bit disappointed to find out that the Monte Cristo is NOT one of staple sandwiches of the area; we enjoy it much more than the po’boy. Since Felix’s did not serve a Monte Cristo, we looked around for a restaurant that did. So our next stop was Café Soulé to share a powdered, deep-fried ham & cheese sandwich. It was just as delicious as Disneyland’s Cafe Orleans.
We rode on the streetcar a bit along the riverfront and then ended our adventure at Cafe Du Monde for their world famous beignets. Mmmmm….. I could only finish one because of all the good eats that were still sitting in my stomach but it sure was the perfect ending to a fun-filled day.
I wish we could spend more time here to explore more of the city, but the expedition must move on.