Hidden New Orleans If you're looking for attractions that give you an insider's view of New Orleans, without a lot of crowds, then read on! In this article, we'll explore the untapped secrets of the Big Easy, from the Voodoo Museum and secret sandwich shops to side trips into the bayou. So climb aboard the Saint Charles Streetcar for an overview tour of the city, then get ready to visit some New Orleans back roads.
Mardi Gras only comes once a year, but you can whip up some of that colorful spirit any time of year with a visit to Mardi Gras World on Newton Street. There, you'll see how Mardi Gras floats are made, see the giant props from past parades, and learn about the history of this celebration. See the carpentry shops, the paint shops, and learn about the krewes that decorate the floats. You can even try on some Mardi Gras carnival costumes!
Youíll take a step back in time when you ride aboard the New Orleans Creole Queen Paddlewheeler or the replica riverboat, the Cajun Queen. You can groove to jazz music, enjoy a sumptuous Creole buffet, and sip a cocktail while you admire the New Orleans skyline, traveling in old-fashioned style.
On Dumaine Street in the French Quarter, you'll find the historic Voodoo Museum. This dark and dusky exhibit hall offers a wide range of occult items from all over the world, including some that may have belonged to the legendary Marie Laveau. There, you can have a reading done by a voodoo priestess, study the exhibits, or ask for a tour from the museum staff. If this only whets your appetite for more voodoo information, then head to Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo on Bourbon Street, where you'll find a shop filled with voodoo merchandise. Marie Laveau was a famous voodoo practitioner who lived in the French Quarter during the 1800s.
For dining New Orleans-style, try a muffuletta sandwich or a traditional Po-boy. A muffuletta is made of meat, cheese, pickles, and olive salad stuffed in a thick bun. The Po-Boy can be made of fried oysters, roast beef and gravy, or soft-shell crab served on a French bread roll. You can try crawfish etouffe at the Olde N'Awlins Cookery on Conti Street, red beans and rice at Mother's on Poydras Street, or stuffed sandwiches at Cafe Maspero on Decatur Street. And if you'd like to learn to cook like a local, try a class with the New Orleans School of Cooking & Louisiana General Store (St Louis Street) or the Cookin' Cajun Cooking School (Poydras Street).
The nearby town of Jean Lafitte makes a fun day trip. Nestled in bayou waters that were once the hideaway of the famous pirate Jean Lafitte, this marshy wonderland is filled with history, Cajun music, and great food. The Bayou Barataria Basin is also home to some of the best fishing in Louisiana. You can head to the public fishing pier for a day of casting your line, sample shrimp, oysters, and crab from the local restaurants, or watch for wildlife in these incredible bayou ecosystems.
Visitors to New Orleans may think Mardi Gras is the only festival in the city, but in fact you'll find something going on during every month of the year. You can visit in April for the French Quarter Festival, in August for the African Heritage Festival International, or in October for Bridge City's Gumbo Festival. Celebrate a Creole Christmas or enjoy the French Quarter's St. Patrick's Day parade. New Orleans is so rich with activity, you're sure to find something exciting happening whenever you find the time to visit. Just be sure to explore the back roads and get a taste for the true N'awlins experience.
Skagit Valley, Washington
Nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the blue waters of Puget Sound, the Skagit Valley exemplifies the best aspects of northwestern Washington state: stunning views, amazing outdoor adventures, and memorable local festivals. With historic cities like Mount Vernon, Bellingham, and Anacortes (the gateway to the San Juan Islands), youíll find plenty of fun shops and restaurants to explore. Take a ferry ride to the islands or to Vancouver, B.C. to watch for orca whales and bald eagles. Then pay a visit to dramatic Deception Pass and the ever-popular Washington Park along Rosario Strait.
The Skagit Valley offers unparalleled water sports like kayaking, canoeing, sailing, power boating, fishing, and whale watching. You can go hiking and mountain biking on local trails, do some golfing at one of the many golf courses, or pack a picnic lunch and enjoy a day of bird watching or beach combing on the sand.
In April, don't miss the incredible fields of color during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, held in an area that stretches between Mount Vernon, Burlington, Conway , and LaConner (about four miles from Anacortes). Follow the festival map to tour the iris fields, more than a dozen tulip fields, and fourteen daffodil fields. If you like, bring your bike and take the bike path from field to field. See unusual flowers and new tulip colors, take home gardening tips, and get great deals on bulbs and cut flowers.
The Skagit Valley is also home to a number of natural organic farms and vineyards. Youíll find apple orchards, wineries, shellfish farms, and dairy farms. Stop by an Anacortes dairy farm for farmstead cheeses and fresh milk from the creamery or head to Sakuma Brothers to see a family farm that grows fresh berries, vegetables, fruit, and seven varieties of tea leaves. Youíll find organic coffee at Larkspur Farm, taste amazing produce at Hedlin Family Farms, and visit Slough Farms for incredible artisan cheese, chocolates, and wines.
Special events like arts & craft fairs, wine tastings, bulb classes, and guided bike tours take place throughout March and April. You can take a sculpture tour through historic LaConner, see artists giving watercolor demonstrations, or take the kids to see the alpacas as the Alpaca Ranch. The area is filled with u-pick gardens offering great deals, as well as local artists and craftspeople selling their wares.
The Skagit Valley has a number of fascinating museums, from the Skagit County Historical Museum to the Harey Tale ìMuseumî at Bunnies By the Bay, a quaint gift shop for kids and adults. You can stop by the Tulip Office and Museum, see the Childrenís Museum, or shop for tulips, hyacinths, dahlias, and beautiful flower artwork at stands all along the tulip route.
Whether you come for the spring flower festivals, for the summer sunshine, or for the October Festival of Family Farms, youíll find plenty of fun awaiting you in Washingtonís Skagit Valley. With its welcoming atmosphere and deep connection with nature, this area is a true gem.
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Arkansas Hot Springs The area surrounding Hot Springs National Park in central Arkansas is a must-visit spot for amazing fishing, water sports, incredible restaurants, and relaxation. Head to this region, just south and west of Little Rock, for a stunning tour through a land of shining lakes, sun-dappled forests, and natural hot springs.
You can focus your visit on the park itself, beginning in the historic Fordyce Bathhouse, learning about the history of these curative baths. You might be surprised to find out that spas arenít a modern invention after all! Since Hot Springs National Park was set aside by Congress in 1831 ñ making it the oldest park in the national park system ñ visitors have enjoyed hiking the 26 miles of trails and touring the many historic buildings. You can take your own bath in the restorative waters (at the Fordyce Bathhouse), drive the scenic roads, or stroll along the Grand Promenade. The park celebrates its 175th anniversary in 2007, so if you visit this summer, be sure to check out the many special events and activities going on.
Once youíve let the warmth of the hot springs soothe your aching muscles, youíll be ready for a trip to nearby Little Rock, capital of the ënatural state.í Youíll find fun outdoor adventures in this vibrant city like superb golf courses, walking trails, mountain climbs, tennis courts, and grassy fields for games. Take your dog for a walk in one of the many parks or head to the zoo to see some exotic animals. Wrap it all up with a trip to the Clinton Library, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center & Park, or a visit to see beautiful old neighborhoods and homes like Villa Marre.
If a fishing trip is what youíre after, then head south or west of Hot Springs National Park to stunning Lake Ouachita State Park or De Gray Resort State Park. 40,000-acre Lake Ouachita is nestled in the woods of the Ouachita National Forest, a great place for hiking, mountain biking, and wildlife viewing. With tree-topped islands dotting the water, Lake Ouachita is a scenic place to enjoy water sports like fishing, scuba diving, water-skiing, boating, and swimming. Set your fishing rod for bream, crappie, catfish, stripers and largemouth bass, or just settle back and relax on the lake's 975 miles of shoreline. This gorgeous man-made lake is known as one of the cleanest in the country.
De Gray Resort State Park is set on the northern side of De Gray Lake, a 13,800-acre paradise. The park offers excellent fishing for hybrid striped bass, and great angling for bass, crappie, bream, and catfish. Spend some time kayaking or boating around the lake, making use of the marina and boat slips. Rental boats are also available. And on land you can go golfing at the challenging 18-hole golf course, a set of links with stunning scenery. Donít forget to watch for birds and wildlife as you enjoy the views of the Ouachita Mountains.
If you have the time, be sure to plan a side trip to Arkadelphia on the Caddo and Arkadelphia rivers. You can go boating on the rivers, fishing for smallmouth bass, or see historic buildings on the homes tour, like the Captain Henderson House. This is a fantastic place to slow down, settle back, and let the quiet flow of country life put you at ease. And donít forget to sample the wares at the incredible restaurants!
Calistoga, California The beautiful rolling hills, lush vineyards, and luxurious amenities of Calistoga, California form the perfect setting for your next get-away or camping vacation. Set in the northern part of the Napa Valley, between Napa and Sonoma counties, Calistoga is a world-famous destination with a relaxed, small-town feel. You'll find wineries, hiking and biking trails, superb spas, ballooning expeditions, and incredible restaurants.
Calistoga first rose to fame during the late 1800s, when the railway brought thousands of visitors to relax in the town's natural hot springs. People have continued to visit Calistoga to 'take the waters' for more than a hundred years. Not surprisingly, a delightful community has grown up around this natural wonder, providing all the elegance of Napa Valley wine country together with the relaxed attitude of Northern California.
You'll find more than a dozen spas in Calistoga that offer a range of treatments from massage, facials, and mud baths to fitness classes, yoga, Pilates, and specially tailored sessions. The town also offers a number of antique shops, arts and crafts stores, and specialty gift shops. You can spend lazy afternoons wandering through the charming downtown or do some early gift shopping in these unique stores. Local artisans create and sell hand-made pottery, custom jewelry, paintings, and home furnishings.
More than thirty vineyards and wineries lie in the area surrounding Calistoga. You can put together your own vineyard tour or plan a bike trip down country roads that wind through this idyllic landscape. You'll also find a number of other unusual attractions in the Calistoga area. You might enjoy a romantic carriage ride through town or a family trip to Safari West, a 400-acre park that is home to over 400 exotic mammals and birds. This wildlife preserve offers year-round safaris, allowing visitors to see these amazing animals in their natural habitat.
Two of the best attractions of Calistoga are the Napa Valley Wine Train and Old Faithful Geyser of California. This geyser is one of only three in the world that blow with enough regularity to be called 'old faithfuls.' Every 20-30 minutes, this all-natural geyser sends a blast of water as high as 75 feet in the air. This is a great attraction for the whole family. The geyser park also features the famous Tennessee fainting goats, Jacob's four-horn sheep, guard llamas, and a petting zoo.
The Napa Valley Wine Train carries you through the rolling hills and fields in fine style with a glass-topped Pullman dome dining car, cocktail service, and sumptuous meals. Rated as one of the twenty best rail experiences in the country, the train service offers special expeditions like the Moonlight Escapade, the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, and the Vista Dome & Vintners Luncheons.
Wine connoisseurs will enjoy a trip to the American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, a facility that brings together vintners, chefs, gardeners, and artists. You can spend a night out at the Napa Valley Symphony or pay a visit to the Sharpsteen Museum, viewing dioramas that depict the development of this Napa Valley hot springs resort area.
Northern California has everything an outdoor-lover needs for a fabulous trip -- perfect weather, stunning scenery, and winding trails. At the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, you'll find deep forests of redwood trees, tanoak, madrone, and Douglas fir. Take a hike through Ritchey Canyon, past creek beds and ferns, or go horseback riding on the Redwood Trail. You can swim in the pool or go mountain biking on the rugged slopes. At the Petrified Forest, you can hike through the petrified redwood trees, admiring views of Mount St. Helena and learning about local geology.
Campgrounds near Calistoga, California:
Wine Country RV Park Sonoma Grove
Rohnert Park CA
Wine Country RV Park Sonoma Grove
Saratoga Springs
Saratoga CA
Saratoga Springs
Tall Trees Mobile and RV Park
Vallejo CA
Tall Trees Mobile and RV Park
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Camping Gems
