Part 1 of our Viking Mississippi Delta Explorer Adventure – Louisiana
The Mighty Mississipi River runs through ten states and is the second longest river in the United States (the Missouri is slightly longer). During our RV travels Henry and I crossed the Mississippi River many times, stopped to explore many places along the river, and camped in campgrounds next to the river so we could sit and watch the barges go by.
It had been a while since we had seen the Mississippi River so we recently took a Mississippi River Cruise from New Orleans to Memphis. We learned a lot about the history of the river and the area, ate delicious local foods, visited historical homes and battlefields, and enjoyed fantastic music from the region.
New Orleans, Louisiana
“Laissez les bons temps rouler” (Let the Good Times Roll)
Our trip started with a long travel day to New Orleans. Somewhere between home and New Orleans I managed to twist my right knee and was limited in the amount of standing and walking I could do. But, I was not about to let my bum knee keep me from having fun.
We arrived on a Thursday night less than two weeks before Fat Tuesday’s big Mardi Gras celebration. We learned that in New Orleans many people begin celebrating Mardi Gras right after New Year’s Eve. Some people leave their tree up until Mardi Gras, replacing the Christmas ornaments with Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green.
We enjoyed drinks and delicious crawfish etouffee and gumbo at Daisy Dukes Express near our hotel on Thursday night. On Friday we explored the French Quarter around Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. The day was cold and windy. Beignets and hot chocolate at the famous Cafe Du Monde warmed us up.
People were in a festive mood and many had on their Mardi Gras colors. Balconies and businesses were sporting Mardi Gras flags and decorations. As shown in my header image, even the bridges over the Mississippi River at the Port of New Orleans were lit up in Mardi Gras purple. The following gallery shows a few of the highlights from the day.
First night on the Viking Mississippi
Saturday morning we took an Uber to the Port of New Orleans and boarded the Viking Mississippi, our home for the week. While we waited for our stateroom to be ready we explored the ship and I walked around the port. The ship was docked on the Mississippi River underneath two bridges.
The Mother River statue at the Port of New Orleans.
Jazz musician Wendell Brunious (he has led the Preservation Hall Jazz Band since 1978) and his Swedish wife Caroline performed a Tribute to Louis Armstrong that evening on the ship. It was the first of several wonderful music performances we enjoyed while sailing up the river.
Darrow, Louisiana and a Cajun Swamp Tour in the rain
A series of levees have been constructed along the banks of the lower Mississippi to prevent flooding. The ship docked next to the levees and passengers had the option of walking up the levee or taking a golf cart ride to the top.
The rain was coming down hard when we took a golf cart ride to the top of the levee at Darrow. We were dropped off in the parking lot of the beautiful Houmas House and Gardens where we boarded our tour bus. Our local Cajun tour guide kept us entertained with stories about the history and culture of the Cajun people during the 30 minute ride to LaPlace, Louisiana for a Cajun Swamp Tour through the Manchac swamp.
It was still raining when we boarded our covered pontoon boat and Captain Brian took us into the swamp. As we rode along he pointed out the different trees and plants and we learned about the folklore and history of the swamp. We learned that cemeteries were always on high ground because of flooding. We passed by a lone grave which is allegedly the burial place of Julia Brown, a medicine woman who died in 1915. Her ghost is believed to still be in the swamp.
Alligators were once almost extinct but now there is a large population thanks to licensed alligator farms. It was the wrong time of year to see many alligators in the wild but we got to meet Louie, a 2 1/2 year old alligator who will one day be released into the wild. Everyone on the boat got to meet Louie.
When we returned from our excursion we had hoped to tour the historic Houmas House and gardens but the rain was still coming down and we opted to spend the rest of the afternoon on the ship.
St. Francisville, Louisiana – tour of Rosedown Plantation
The ship was docked next to the levee in St. Francisville, Louisiana. This levee was pretty steep and we were glad to ride the golf cart to the top.
Our local guide was a former school teacher who loved history. As we traveled to the site we learned about about the history of the area and of the Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site. We passed through sugar cane fields and crossed the Mississippi River before arriving at the beautiful home and gardens. Daniel and Martha Turnbull began construction on the main house at Rosedown in 1834 and furnished it with furnishings brought from Europe. Many of the original pieces are still on display at Rosedown.
Entertainment that night was Cajun and Zydeco music by Bruce Daigrepont. He told us their costumes were “Country Mardis Gras” costumes. The music was fun and he was a great story teller.
I posted about some of our previous travels along Mississippi River at A River Runs Through It.
Next up – More of our adventure on the Big Muddy in the state of Mississippi.
Wandering Dawgs 