Road Trip part 2 New Orleans

My husband and I took a week long trip while my kids were visiting with my parents.  We decided to visit New Orleans as it was a place neither of us had been and both wanted to explore.  My husband for the music and me for the architecture!

Our first stop was Bourbon street.  We wanted to hear some good music and have always heard this was the place to go in New Orleans.  I have to say I was disappointed as it was very seedy and filled with sex shops and sex clubs:(  not at all what I expected.  Although we did find a few gems in the area

Catholic cathedral

Louisiana state museum which is the historical  building in which  it was the site for the transfer of the Louisiana  purchase took place in 1803

Lots of street museums, fortune tellers and art sold throughout the area

I loved the old building 

many balconies had unique markings and some had amazing gardens on their balconies which I would think gave the owners some privacy

Bourbon street and the streets off to the sides definitely had some interesting sites to see

We stopped at a voodoo museum where I was surprise to see how closely related to Catholicism it was 

ON day 2 we visited the WWII museum which was huge.  We got their when it opened and stayed until it closed!  Lots of great exhibits and I wish the kids could have gone with us to see this!

We took a behind the scenes tour of a PT boat that the museum is renovating.

Day 3 we took a boat tour of a swamp and had an excellent guide who explained the swamp and the importance of it to the state

We saw lots of wildlife...the tour guide feed the alligators

We also saw snakes, birds, turtles...only thing we didn't see were the wild pigs we kept hearing about in the swamps

Saw how crawfish are caught 

Saw a swamp village and learned how these folks lived

At one time it was a thriving community of about 400 now less than 80 families live in the area

One evening we stumbled upon a music in the park where we heard Erma Thomas who is known as the soul Queen of New Orleans!

Day 4 we took a ground of the garden district, which I absolutely loved!

We visited Lafayette cemtary and learned the burial customs of the area

We toured and saw some of the amazing houses in the area and learned where some of the rich and famous lived!

Day 5 we visited a Plantation outside of the New Orleans area 

This plantation is where 12 years a slave was filmed 

no pictures were allowed inside the home

and of course we eat lots of the cuisine from the area...I especially enjoyed the chicken and shrimp gumbo!

and the beignets which are found everywhere!

My husband and I had a lovely get away and continue to love traveling together and learning about this great country!  While we would have loved to share the trip with the children we knew they were having a grand time with their grandparents instead!