During our cross country road trip in the summer of 2022, we traveled with the truck and trailer…read morefrom Los Angeles to Key West and back. My wife booked a few nights in Tickfaw state park, sight unseen, to be more or less in the vicinity of New Orleans, a plantation tour, and a swamp boat tour that we had booked months in advance. As it turned out, we actually enjoyed this state park stay more than our visit to New Orleans! The state park entrance is actually at the back of a neighborhood of sorts, on a narrow two-lane road that cuts away from the highway at a weird angle. Once inside the park proper, visitors are treated to beautiful swamps, complete with cypress trees, Spanish moss, and all the critters you would expect to find here. The campground we enjoyed had full hook ups, a small wooden deck, and a long back-in pad for our trailer. There was also a resident raccoon who kept us honest about locking things up at night, and securing coolers and food. Tickfaw state park features long boardwalks with railings, that afford visitors beautiful hikes in different parts of the park through different kinds of trees and plants. Unfortunately, many of these were still damaged in the summer of 2022 from the previous year's Hurricane Ida that blew through southern Louisiana and surrounding areas. The only trail that was not affected by this was the one without a boardwalk, so we enjoyed a hike through beautiful pines that went down to the river. Despite most of the trails being closed and damaged, we still enjoyed ourselves here, and had a good time. In the evening, I enjoyed casting topwater lures in on the cypress knees and trees, and caught & released several big bowfin... A fish that is sort of a cross between a catfish a bass, and a pit bull I suppose. I'm not sure when we will be back through this part of the world, but Tickfaw State Park is definitely a place that I would stay again: off the beaten path but close enough to where you want to be, peaceful and quiet, and the kind of southern serene that helps a SoCal guy like me to slow down and enjoy life a little bit.

$3 per person at the gate gets you in. The park has a lot of trails, camp sites, kayaking and…read moreplenty of things to do. The nature center has a lot to read about the area and the things you will see in the area. The guy working was friendly, very informative. Everything seemed well organized.

Nice park for kids. Splash pad clean and bonus covered area with picnic tables for parents.read more

Great little summer secret I found for my grandson. There is a very cool splash pad at the sports…read morepark and it even supplies you with sunblock. My grandson loved the splash pad and I loved that it was free.

This is a lovely state run park that has tent camping and hookups for RV and travel trailers. It…read morealso has fishing, a boat launch and the Otis house that you can tour. Evidently the last owner of the house donated the house and some of the land to the state for a park which is great. It saves the land for use. I came to tour the house. You have to pay at the gate to drive on the premises, and pay for the tour. Then drive around and park near the house. Everything was quite lovely. I did not use any of the other facilities.

For a state park campground, this facility is above average in my experience. The campsites up…read morefront are spread out. There is a lot of open ground between the rows of slips giving you a sense of open space. There is another campground section in the back where the boat ramp is with some space to park your vehicles with boat trailers. The facilities are well maintained. For example, the site directly across from me has a brand new picnic table which are more expensive than your average table since the entire frame is made from tubular metal to ward off termites. Each gender has three separate shower rooms available to them. Each room is lockable and comes with a toilet, a sink vanity, and a very large shower stall. The rooms are spacious so that parents can help their young children. There two sets of washers and dryers in that same centrally located building for the front campground. The rear campground has their own building with restrooms and showers. The dump station has a hand soap dispenser which is the first time I've seen that at a public campground. I camped in slip #26 which is located at the end of the row and has partial shade over half the slip all day long. The end of the row is next to the park boundary and on the other side is an old cemetery which makes for a quiet area buffer from any residences. After my first weekend, almost everyone else checked out and I had my row to myself. Located within the park is the historical Old Mill House Museum but tours were not available (mid June 2023) as they were currently doing repair work. There is a swamp trail boardwalk available for walking/hiking with periodic benches and a river view at one point. They have provided playground equipment and swings for the children. There are about 80 RV slips and all have water and power hook ups. There a half dozen or so with sewer hook ups. There is also a large tent camping area with no power hook ups. There are plenty of restaurants and grocery stores within just a few miles of the park in both Madisonville and Mandeville.

What is not to love about dining a historic park that offers 2,800 acres and beautiful views of…read moreLake Pontchartrain. This place did not disappoint and what a lovely day to explore. Established in 1942, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the most-visited park in Louisiana has nature trails, a sandy beach, a new, all-inclusive playground, a splash pad, and the ruins of an 1829 sugar mill situated among towering oaks. Love there is An all-terrain track wheelchair is available for use by visitors with limited mobility. Win win for everyone.

Huge beautiful park! A real treasure find for this Alaskan!…read more Took the Sugar Mill trail which is a nice, wide gravel trail. Very easy to traverse for just about anyone. Some walked while some biked. Sugar Mill is a looping trail about a mile long. The alligator boardwalk trail was closed, likely due to damage from Ida and hasn't been repaired yet. There was another trail, but we did not take it. The massive cypress are just awesome! The Spanish moss slowly wavering in the air as you walk underneath these giants is just captivating to me! We did not encounter any creatures except squirrels and a male Orchard Orbweaver and his impressive web. Sooo much space and things to do here we didn't even do all of it. There's big open fields for playing, a playground, tons of parking available. I did see the pier and water of Lake Pontchartrain in the distance, but we were too hungry to keep exploring lol $3 per person to enter the park - 100% worth it

This place is amazing and kids go crazy over it. Highly recommended for kids between 1 and 10. You…read morecould spend at least an hour or more here with the amount of different things they have. The children's center is next door and they have plenty of shade. I wish they had this type of park near me.

This is the best free playground I've ever been to. Almost Everything is wheelchair accessible!…read moreAlmost everything is under sun shades! There's a water mister for during the summer! There's separate areas for 2-5 and 5-12 years old. There's a metal fence around the entire thing and every gate has a yellow flower lock up top. The park is open Monday 1100- dusk and Tuesday-Saturday 0800- dusk. It is right next to the st. Tammany Trace bike trail and the st. Tammany Children's museum. I would LOVE to have a playground like this near my home town.

Great facility for practically any outdoor activity; running, soccer, baseball, softball, tee ball,…read moreracket sports, basketball, volleyball, etc.; indoor venues also ideal for expositions and other group activities.

Many times I had heard reference to Pelican Park during the years I had worked on the Northshore,…read morebut had never visited the place. Then our grandson played a lacrosse tournament there. I was amazed at the size of the park. The soccer fields had been converted to lacrosse (basically smaller nets and slightly different dimensions). I was impressed with the amount of parking that was available. We didn't explore much of the facility, but when they have to post signs directing you around, it is big. Reading the reviews, I wished I had spent some time just driving around and gawking at the place. I'm sure I'll be back for future lacrosse tournaments.

So much fun to visit City Park in New Orleans on the first day of Spring. (It's actually one of the…read moreplaces that I visit almost every trip to New Orleans.) The park is sprawling. Covering 1300 acres, it is one of the largest urban parks in the US. Bike trails, walking trails, museums, restaurants, sculpture gardens, botanicals gardens and an amusement park for kids. What more could you want? Love art? Check out NOMA. This is often on my agenda. Love the rotating exhibits, Newcomb pottery and collection of impressionist paintings. I use my Graycliff annual pass for reciprocal admission fees. Bonus: One of my besties works here! Want art outdoors? The newly expanded sculpture garden is so beautiful and free to explore. Frank Stella. Yaacov Agam. Beverly Pepper. Take a photo with LOVE by Robert Indiana. Don't sit on Bear with Us by Frank Gehry. Feel free to walk across the Mississippi Meaders Bridge. Take a selfie in the Mirrors Labyrinth. Love to talk a walk here. Sorry, GiGi. No dogs allowed. Love flowers? If you are lucky, you may see tulips or wildflowers. Or visit the New Orleans Botanic Garden. It's also included on the Graycliff Martin annual reciprocal pass. The garden is filled with azaleas, camellias and beds of roses. Love the native Louisiana raised vegetable beds and the butterfly garden. Sit under the oaks on a park bench or a swing to take a rest. Like art? Explore the large collection of Enrique Alfarez sculptures spread throughout the garden. Hungry? Thirsty? This is the best place to visit Cafe du Monde. No lines and the parking is free and so much easier than the quarter. Order a cafe au lait or a hot chocolate with a plate of beignets. Then grab a table with a green umbrella outside to enjoy the sunshine and the famous oak trees in the park. City Park has one of the largest collections of Live Oak trees in the world. Have a kid? Or just feel like a kid? Storyland is so cute! Created by Mardi Gras float makers, it is a New Orleans classic full of whimsy. Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Mother Goose. It is filled with fairy tale and nursery rhyme classics. Fun fact: New Orleans City Park is one of the largest parks in the US. At 1,300 square acres it is almost twice as large as New York's Central Park which is just a little over 800 square acres and does not make the top twenty for size. (But Central Park is still amazing, too!) Parking is free. Or come by streetcar. It stops near NOMA. Thanks for the free flowers on the first day of spring.

I'd recommend City Park to anyone. It's a great spot for walking, running, photo shoots, picnics,…read moreand just enjoying some fresh air. It's very relaxing and a huge plus that you don't have to go far to feel surrounded by nature. There's always plenty of space and you can easily find a place to sit and unwind. I come out here a few times a week for walks and usually on Saturdays with my run club. It's one of my favorite places in the city to reset and stay active.

I came to this playground with my family and the kids loved it. It's a beautiful playground with…read moreducks to feed, a lake to fish in, splash pad, slides, swings, and plenty of play equipment for kids of all ages. My 11 month old had plenty to do! The ground is very very soft too. I highly recommend this Park! Check their website for info on sports teams for kids and adults, as well as movie nights. I saw information on football, baseball, soccer, cheer, and rugby. Also kids camps and adults sports leagues. We need more places like this in Louisiana!

I play volleyball at Coquille and it's always fun! The park itself is awesome and there's a lot to…read moredo! It's awesome they are expanding and it will only make it better and better!

Simple yet clean dog park. Not a lot of seating area or anything fancy but it's a very large…read moreenclosed field with lots of space for the dogs to run. Poop stations are readily available and supplied with good quality poop bags (none of those cheap poop bags that easily tear), several trash cans are conveniently located within the park, there's a kiddie pool with faucet within the park and a wash station outside the park too. There's also a paved walking path around the outside of the dog park. Felt like a safe and fun park for the pups to play. Be careful post rain though, some areas within the park get a little muddy and slippery, especially around the pavilion area.

This is a neat little roadside park you've probably never noticed or even heard about…read more Now you have. You're welcome. In South Louisiana you're never far from the swamp. That fact is quite evident when you're driving along I-55 through St. John the Baptist (my patron saint) Parish. Though I've driven this road before, I've been driving it more often and started to pay attention. One of the neat facts about this roadway is that unlike many elevated interstates in LA, there is an old state road that runs below the highway. That's how I discovered this park. This park, located at the foot of the old Manchac bridge, has a beautiful view of I-55 above and of Lake Maurepas. There are picnic tables, a gravel parking lot, and a sign that let me know this was a real park. It's a great spot to stop and ponder your place in the world, eat lunch, or just stare out at the lake looking for alligators. If you're headed down 51 and see me sitting there, please don't bother me. If you're headed down 51 and notice it's empty (every time I've seen it), feel free to stop for a bit and enjoy the view.