** New Orleans: PHOTO journal @ Western Caribbean & NOLA post-cruise (Sept. 2012) **

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VIDEO (gator chewing a marshmallow @ the Manchac Swamp):

 

 

Our experienced swamp tour guide pointed out alligator nests and even

little baby alligators still sporting their stripped camouflage.

 

They look cute but will grow to be very large and dangerous predators.

 

 

 

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The birds wade through the shallows, gingerly stepping through grassy mud,

darting back and forth between the drifting gators.

 

The mysteriously dark beauty that gives a swamp its character also adds to its macabre undertones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exploring a world of mysterious secrets and extraordinary beauty

hidden deep within the swamps of Louisiana!

 

 

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VIDEO (the cabin @ the Manchac Swamp):

 

 

 

 

 

 

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VIDEO (the gator & marshmallows @ the Manchac Swamp):

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exploring a world of extraordinary beauty hidden deep within the swamps of Louisiana!

 

 

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Alligators @ the privately owned wildlife refuge area (the Manchac Swamp)

 

 

 

 

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Exploring a world of extraordinary beauty hidden deep within the swamps of Louisiana

 

 

 

 

 

 

The deep understanding and close relationship that Louisiana’s Cajuns have with the swamps, marshes and

nature around them help keep disastrous encounters with large alligators to a minimum, we were told.

 

 

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Louisiana's wild alligator population is estimated at roughly 1.5 million animals;

another 500,000 live on alligator farms.

 

 

 

 

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The goal of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries' alligator program, we were told by our tour guide,

is to manage and conserve Louisiana's alligators as part of the state's wetland ecosystem

 

while providing benefits to the species, its habitat and other species associated with alligators as well as

economic benefits to landowners, alligator farmers and alligator hunters.

 

 

 

 

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From the smell of the swamp waters teeming with life and thick with vegetation to the sounds of water birds

calling to their mates as they fly overhead,

 

our day tour into the Louisiana swamps brought us as close to nature as possible

without leaving the comfort and safety of our tour boat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIDEO (white egrets and a funny, knowledgeable tour guide @ the Manchac Swamp):

 

 

 

 

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Louisiana alligators are the predominant predator in the swamps and our boat Captain and tour guide never

hesitated to point out an alligator sunning on the bank of a bayou or swimming menacingly toward our tour boat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIDEO (giant, lazy alligator @ the Manchac Swamp):

 

 

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VIDEO (tour guide Allen feeding the alligators @ the Manchac Swamp):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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While slowly cruising through the swamps, we had the chance to see armadillos,

raccoons, white egrets and numerous Louisiana alligators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our boat Captain and tour guide, Allen, proved to be very entertaining and knowledgeable

making this Louisiana swamp tour adventure a memorable one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Flat bottom skiffs and airboats are the most common watercraft used for Louisiana swamp tours.

 

The Cajun style skiffs hold 12 to 24 passengers and offer a slower more relaxed tour of the swamps.

 

They are often covered and with cushioned seats that provide maximum comfort for the passengers.

 

Their slower pace allows passengers to get much closer to the wildlife

and provide for a more intimate experience with the swamp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airboats are fast and loud but allow passengers to see more territory and provide an amusement park thrill.

 

Airboats usually carry 6 to 12 passengers over large areas of swamp and marsh.

 

They have the ability to pass over marsh grasses and go places that other boats cannot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Louisiana's wild alligator population is estimated at roughly 1.5 million animals;

another 500,000 live on alligator farms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Allen, our swamp tour guide and boat Captain, took us deeper into the hidden backwaters of Louisiana,

as we passed through ancient swamps, hidden lakes and meandering bayous.

 

 

 

 

We found Allen, our Louisiana swamp tour guide, to be very friendly with a great sense of humor.

 

VIDEO (entertaining tour guide Allen @ the Manchac Swamp):

 

 

He was also a great story-teller and we got to hear humorous Cajun stories and numerous jokes along the way.

 

 

 

 

For two (2) full hours, we had the fortune to explore a world of mysterious secrets and extraordinary beauty

hidden deep within the swamps of Louisiana!...

 

 

 

 

Louisiana swamps are home to giant snapping turtles that can bite off a man’s finger like it was a pretzel stick

and dozens of species of snakes, some very poisonous.

 

(so we made sure our hands were kept out of the water during our swamp tour!)

 

 

 

 

This swamp tour was FUN and informative at the same time!

 

We passed by moss draped cypress trees, fascinating subtropical plant life and the animals that make the swamp their home.

 

Swamp vegetation with its Spanish moss, protruding cypress knees and tropical palmettos creates landscapes unlike any other.

 

(In the spring, we were told, water hyacinths and native irises bring huge blooms of purples and blues to the swamp)

 

 

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On Tuesday, October 2nd 2012 we spent two (2) full hours

exploring the privately owned wildlife refuge area @ the Manchac Swamp.

 

 

 

 

Great FUN, excellent tour guide and comfortable transportation provided

by the vendor (Cajun Pride Swamp Tours) at a reasonable price!

 

 

 

 

As we returned to the original departure point, a new driver was waiting for us to

complete the second part of our COMBO TOUR that day: a visit to a local plantation.

 

 

 

 

Off we go!

 

(driving to the Laura Plantation & Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana, outside New Orleans)

 

 

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The new driver taking us to the plantations was a fantastic individual!

 

He loves New Orleans and he knew every movie that was ever made in the area!

 

In addition, he was very knowledgeable about various statistics involving Louisiana

and pretty much all the local flora, fauna or architecture!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Take the top two most popular and most visited historic attractions in Louisiana and locate them

in the heart of New Orleans Plantation Country, less than an hour away from the French Quarter.

 

 

 

 

 

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Louisiana Plantation tours are very popular for those of us visiting New Orleans (pre or post-cruise).

 

There are many Louisiana Plantations and a number of them are within easy driving distance of New Orleans.

 

The elaborate plantation homes line the banks of the Mississippi River along the River Road.

 

They were once the mainstays of the Southern way of life.

 

Many of those plantations are now open to the public and offer windows into the by gone past of the Old South.

 

If you are interested in Old South history or architecture, a visit to these magnificent plantation homes is a must!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Since we opted for the Combo Tour, we had a choice of plantation and

we decided for the Oak Alley Plantation.

 

 

 

 

However, some other passengers in our van were choosing the LAURA Plantation,

so our first stop was there to drop them off!

 

 

 

 

Laura Plantation is west of New Orleans, about 50 miles from the French Quarter,

on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

 

(located at 2247 River Road - Vacherie, LA 70090)

 

 

 

 

Laura Plantation - best know for the "Best History Tour" and its slave quarters

 

 

 

 

Here, on the banks of the Mississippi River, in the middle of New Orleans Plantation Country,

at one historic farm, surrounded by fields of sugar cane,

we found the difference that exemplifies Creole Louisiana!

 

 

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Since our friends visited LAURA Plantation earlier that day (as part of their Combo Tour split over 2 days),

below are some images that they took during their own plantation tour:

 

 

 

 

The admission (included on our combo tour fare) covers the following:

- A guided tour based on Laura Locoul's Memories of the Old Plantation Home.

 

- A guided tour of the newly restored Big House, its raised basement and galleries,

men's and women's parlors, service rooms and common rooms.

 

- A guided tour of the 200-year-old sugar plantation homestead with a visit into the 3 gardens:

Jardin Français, the kitchen potager & BananaLand grove.

 

- A guided tour inside one of the slave cabins, built in 1840, where the ancient west-African tales of

Compair Lapin, better known in English as "Br'er Rabbit," were recorded.

 

On the grounds are 12 buildings on the National Register,

including animal barns, overseers' cottages and the 1829 Maison de Reprise.

 

- Free parking and entrance to the Laura Plantation Store.

 

 

 

 

 

Insider's TIPS for this plantation tour:

 

* Photography is allowed inside and out.

(Video-photography is not allowed)

 

* Cell phones must be muted for the duration of the tour.

 

* Laura is a smoke-free attraction.

(Cigarettes, cigars and pipe smoking are not permitted on-site)

 

* Allow at least 60-90 minutes for your visit

(including time for restrooms, refreshments and the Laura Plantation Store)

 

* This plantation tour is partly an outdoor experience so, dress for the weather with comfortable shoes.

 

 

 

 

The guided tour is based upon 5,000 pages of documents related to this plantation discovered in the Archives Nationales

in Paris, with the major stories coming from Laura Locoul Gore's own Memories of the Old Plantation Home.

 

 

 

(M&E's pictures)

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The guided tour starts with a visit through the Maison Principale, built in 1805,

 

into its raised basement and galleries, and into men's and women's chambers & offices,

service rooms and common rooms.

 

 

 

 

Even though you will see Laura's family heirlooms and their Creole furnishings,

this portion of the tour spotlights the charmed but tragic lives of the plantation's inhabitants.

 

Visitors are introduced to age-old Creole traditions and mores and to the skilled workmanship of enslaved artisans.

 

 

 

 

After touring the Maison Principale, the visit moves onto the grounds, surrounded by sugarcane fields

and 12 buildings on the National Register, winding into the plantation gardens:

 

the formal Jardin Français, the kitchen garden and Laura's new BananaLand.

 

 

 

 

This part of the tour places visitors at the exact locations where

stories recalling the sobering events of human slavery happened.

 

 

 

(M&E's pictures)

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The tour @ LAURA Plantation concludes in one of the 1840s slave cabins where sugarcane workers lived until 1977

and where the ancient west-African folktales of Compair Lapin were recorded.

(better known as the legendary rascal Br'er Rabbit)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(M&E's pictures)

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The grounds of the LAURA Plantation are beautiful as

huge Cyprus trees seem to frame and hug the historic buildings.

 

 

 

(M&E's pictures)