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Finally got my Louisiana swamp tour
By: MIKE PROBST, Editor & Publisher
I turned 50 last Friday and got to do two things I always enjoy and one thing I’ve always wanted to do.
I spent the big weekend with my family in New Orleans, the city in which I was born. Well, technically, I wasn’t born in New Orleans, but rather “rural” Jefferson Parish. Oschner Foundation Hospital wasn’t located inside any city limits back in 1959.
So, there are two things I always enjoy - traveling with my family, and a trip to the Big Easy.
The one thing I’ve always wanted to do is take one of those swamp tours. That was accomplished Saturday afternoon. It was a little cool, but nice just the same.
I’ve made many trips back to New Orleans since moving away in 1964. I didn’t realize it as we walked around the French Quarter, but it was the only real visit to the Crescent City (okay, enough of the nicknames!) with my wife and daughters. We swung through New Orleans at the end of a vacation when the kids were a lot younger, but we were having car trouble and I wasn’t really in the mood to enjoy the short visit. My wife and I have made several trips there, including one in 1993 on our ninth wedding anniversary.
A couple of years ago my wife and I joined my parents and other family members in New Orleans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the church at which my father served as pastor.
Believe it or not, I’ve never been back during Mardi Gras, Halloween, or any other “wild time” in New Orleans.
This trip included a stroll down Bourbon Street Halloween night. Let’s just say it was quite a scene, considering my party days are well behind me.
I have to say, however, I now have some ideas for “unique” Halloween costumes if there ever is the need!
On each of the aforementioned trips I saw brochures advertising swamp tours. It seems as though someone who was born there, or who has lived there some appreciable amount of time, should go on a swamp tour. It’s kind of like seeing whooping cranes if you’ve lived in the Rockport-Fulton area for a while.
When the “fam,” as my daughters call our family (I guess the abbreviated term is derived from the “texting” generation), asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday the answer was easy. I wanted to go somewhere with the “fam.”
My wife reminded me about my desire to take a swamp tour and suggested New Orleans. Being my birthplace (almost) it made sense.
The tour was really unique and I recommend it to anyone. The tour we took was the Honey Island Swamp Tour (985-641-4769). The main thing I wanted to see up close was the swamp itself. I’ve seen a lot of alligators, I raised hundreds of turtles, caught tons of snakes (yes, even the venomous variety), and, of course, have seen more than my share of blue herons.
I would suggest taking the tour during the warmer months if your primary desire is to see such wildlife. It also helps if one takes the tour when the rivers are low. When the water is high the alligators tend to move further away from where the boats run.
When the temperature starts to drop the alligators also think it’s time to think about hibernating.
I learned a lot of things about alligators, swamp life, etc., so the tour was a success in my book, even without an abundance of wildlife.
One good thing about going on the tour at this time of the year is the leaves on all the trees are changing colors. During the spring and summer I suspect everything is green and brown - including the water!
The guide/captain said alligators lay about 30 eggs, of which only a small percentage actually hatch. An even smaller percentage survive to adulthood.
Baby alligators, I learned, are pretty low on the food chain in the swamp, but they move up the chain rather rapidly as they grow.
“Paybacks are hell,” the guide said.
Another tidbit of information I either never knew, or forgot, is reptiles can be “farm-raised” and released into the wild at any time and have a great chance of survival because they’re born with the instincts needed to survive, but lose them. Mammals, on the other hand, don’t have a very high survival rate if domesticated and then put out in the wild.
The bottom line is you’re in another world when you’re in a swamp ... even if Interstate 10 is only a few miles away.
One other suggestion if you make a trip to New Orleans is to savor the food. Don’t eat at a chain restaurant.
Our taxi driver is 71 years old and his mother makes the “best fried chicken in New Orleans,” according to her proud son. He gave us his number so we can call him on our next trip for a meal at his mother’s restaurant. I can’t wait.
In the mean time, we enjoyed our “we have to eat there every trip” meal at Mother’s Restaurant on Poydras, one block from Harrah’s casino, and tried some new food at Acme’s Oyster House in the French Quarter. I highly recommend the grilled oysters.
If you’re eating at Acme’s with your family I’d suggest grabbing your share of grilled oysters quickly. Apparently saying, even loudly, “It’s my birthday,” doesn’t mean much to the “fam” when the Cajun food hits the table.
New Orleans is a special place.
I spent the big weekend with my family in New Orleans, the city in which I was born. Well, technically, I wasn’t born in New Orleans, but rather “rural” Jefferson Parish. Oschner Foundation Hospital wasn’t located inside any city limits back in 1959.
So, there are two things I always enjoy - traveling with my family, and a trip to the Big Easy.
The one thing I’ve always wanted to do is take one of those swamp tours. That was accomplished Saturday afternoon. It was a little cool, but nice just the same.
I’ve made many trips back to New Orleans since moving away in 1964. I didn’t realize it as we walked around the French Quarter, but it was the only real visit to the Crescent City (okay, enough of the nicknames!) with my wife and daughters. We swung through New Orleans at the end of a vacation when the kids were a lot younger, but we were having car trouble and I wasn’t really in the mood to enjoy the short visit. My wife and I have made several trips there, including one in 1993 on our ninth wedding anniversary.
A couple of years ago my wife and I joined my parents and other family members in New Orleans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the church at which my father served as pastor.
Believe it or not, I’ve never been back during Mardi Gras, Halloween, or any other “wild time” in New Orleans.
This trip included a stroll down Bourbon Street Halloween night. Let’s just say it was quite a scene, considering my party days are well behind me.
I have to say, however, I now have some ideas for “unique” Halloween costumes if there ever is the need!
On each of the aforementioned trips I saw brochures advertising swamp tours. It seems as though someone who was born there, or who has lived there some appreciable amount of time, should go on a swamp tour. It’s kind of like seeing whooping cranes if you’ve lived in the Rockport-Fulton area for a while.
When the “fam,” as my daughters call our family (I guess the abbreviated term is derived from the “texting” generation), asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday the answer was easy. I wanted to go somewhere with the “fam.”
My wife reminded me about my desire to take a swamp tour and suggested New Orleans. Being my birthplace (almost) it made sense.
The tour was really unique and I recommend it to anyone. The tour we took was the Honey Island Swamp Tour (985-641-4769). The main thing I wanted to see up close was the swamp itself. I’ve seen a lot of alligators, I raised hundreds of turtles, caught tons of snakes (yes, even the venomous variety), and, of course, have seen more than my share of blue herons.
I would suggest taking the tour during the warmer months if your primary desire is to see such wildlife. It also helps if one takes the tour when the rivers are low. When the water is high the alligators tend to move further away from where the boats run.
When the temperature starts to drop the alligators also think it’s time to think about hibernating.
I learned a lot of things about alligators, swamp life, etc., so the tour was a success in my book, even without an abundance of wildlife.
One good thing about going on the tour at this time of the year is the leaves on all the trees are changing colors. During the spring and summer I suspect everything is green and brown - including the water!
The guide/captain said alligators lay about 30 eggs, of which only a small percentage actually hatch. An even smaller percentage survive to adulthood.
Baby alligators, I learned, are pretty low on the food chain in the swamp, but they move up the chain rather rapidly as they grow.
“Paybacks are hell,” the guide said.
Another tidbit of information I either never knew, or forgot, is reptiles can be “farm-raised” and released into the wild at any time and have a great chance of survival because they’re born with the instincts needed to survive, but lose them. Mammals, on the other hand, don’t have a very high survival rate if domesticated and then put out in the wild.
The bottom line is you’re in another world when you’re in a swamp ... even if Interstate 10 is only a few miles away.
One other suggestion if you make a trip to New Orleans is to savor the food. Don’t eat at a chain restaurant.
Our taxi driver is 71 years old and his mother makes the “best fried chicken in New Orleans,” according to her proud son. He gave us his number so we can call him on our next trip for a meal at his mother’s restaurant. I can’t wait.
In the mean time, we enjoyed our “we have to eat there every trip” meal at Mother’s Restaurant on Poydras, one block from Harrah’s casino, and tried some new food at Acme’s Oyster House in the French Quarter. I highly recommend the grilled oysters.
If you’re eating at Acme’s with your family I’d suggest grabbing your share of grilled oysters quickly. Apparently saying, even loudly, “It’s my birthday,” doesn’t mean much to the “fam” when the Cajun food hits the table.
New Orleans is a special place.
Until next week, have a good week.
Send me your messages and/or letters to the editor by email to publisher@rockportpilot.com. Remember to include your name and a daytime phone number for verification or your letter will not be considered for publication.
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edmond bates wrote on Nov 11, 2009 9:14 PM:
As for good local food, if Berdoo's still exists in Old Algiers under the originall span of the Mississippi River Bridge, then you should give it a try. It was good food at a decent price 36 years ago. "