{Vacation Recap // New Orleans Day 3}


On Day 3 in Nola our group split up for a while. Ty and Michelle wanted to tour the WWII museum and we wanted to visit the aquarium. We weren't sure that the museum would keep Mason's attention, so we went with the safe place. The aquarium was beautiful, but fairly small. I couldn't figure out my camera settings inside and it was far too crowded to put much effort into it, so iPhone pictures it was!












          
When we came out of the aquarium it came a downpour! We found some covered seating and camped out until the storm passed. We had to go through a mall to get to our parking garage, so we walked around a bit. Mason doesn't remember ever going to a mall {country boy!} and wanted to check it out. We made a quick swipe and it was enough for all of us! We decided on Barcadia for lunch. The sweet lady from Brick and Spoon had recommended it to us the day before. We were under the impression that it was like a Dave and Busters, but we were wrong. It was a small restaurant with old time arcade games. The boys had fun playing the games, but the food was not that great. We were disappointed.
We left the restaurant and decided to walk around for a bit. We had paid for 4 hour parking and wanted to make the most of it. It was $25 to park and we had only been there a little over an hour. We accidentally found the Louisiana Children's Museum during our walk. From the outside it looked really neat, so we decided to check it out. Mason had a complete blast. His favorite was shopping at Winn Dixie, but my favorite was seeing him play eye doctor!

              
















After the museum we all met back at the RV resort for some swimming and fishing! It was the perfect last night in New Orleans.

           













And that wraps up our time spent in Nola. And because everyone has been asking, I wanted to share our thoughts on New Orleans and what we liked/didn't like about it.

Didn't like:
- narrow roads and tons of bridges that are jankity and look like they might fall at any moment. This was frightening when pulling a huge 42 foot travel trailer.
- New Orleans seems really dirty and trashy in so many parts of the city.
- The French Quarter was neat, but it was also really dirty. Nathan and I were both worried about Mason the entire time we were walking around. It just didn't seem kid friendly. And so many places reeked of urine.
- We saw a man dressed as a clown passing out balloon animals. A family had stopped and the clown basically threw himself into a photo with a little girl. When the family left without paying him for the picture he yelled at them! Like really loud with a few choice cuss words. How scary!
- It's so hot and muggy there! You will be drenched in sweat the moment you step outside. And because it's so hot it makes you not even want to deal with your camera and taking pictures. You just want to get to the next place {that hopefully has AC} as quick as you can.
- people working the shops weren't very friendly

Did like:
- The Garden District! It's so much cleaner and nicer and just so pretty,
- the history and the beautiful architecture
- the food
- Pontchartrain Landing RV Resort - so nice! I'd definitely recommend it if you're camping in Nola.
- The swamp tour was a blast and feels so far removed from the hustle and bustle of Nola.

I truly think Nathan and I would have enjoyed Nola more if we didn't have Mason. We spent most of our time worrying about him and trying to protect him from the busy city!

Up next on our vacation wrap-up...Panama City Beach, Florida!!

13 comments

  1. Your pictures are always so great! Thanks for being so honest about the city. To be honest, Luke & I both have no interest in going there whatsoever. Can't wait to hear about the beach recaps!

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  2. You guys sure have lived it up this summer. I can understand being worried about how busy the city is, but I'd say you did a great job keeping your boy safe and letting him have some fun. The aquarium looks like fun. My kiddos love seeing the fish and ocean animals. Love that you had so much quality family time this summer.

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  3. I can totally see how that place wouldn't be super kid friendly, but at least you found some great things to do with Mason. I keep meaning to look and see if there is an aquarium close by to wear we are going on vacation but I think we may just end up doing a Dolphin Cruise instead. Can't wait to see the beach part of your trip!

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  4. Perfect pics as always, love the ones of Mason fishing. I always had it in my mind that it would be dirty and kind of scary there's but the looks like you guys did have a good time!

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  5. I love how you found the joy in a situation that was ideal. Your photos are top-notch, too!

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  6. Oh I feel you on taking photos in the aquarium... That lighting is so tough! Good thing we always have our phones on us. And thank you for the honest review... I think I will move New Orleans further down the list until Noah is older or we can (or want to) go on a vacation without Noah!

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  7. The aquarium looked like fun - even your iPhone photos came out amazing! The children’s museum looked like a blast too - it’s always nice to find a place with hands on activities of kids! Tim was in NOLA a few years ago for NBA All Star and he mentioned that he didn’t like the dirty/trashy areas either. I thought it was just the time of year he went (All Star plus Mardi Gras). Sad to hear that it wasn’t. But, at the same time, you got some great photos of the beautiful areas NOLA had to offer! Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

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  8. I've always wanted to go to NOLA! You guys are having such a blast! Aquarium photos are tough!

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  9. I love the jellyfish pictures! Thanks for summing up New Orleans - I think I'll have to go there without kids some day!

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  10. If I ever go to New Orleans I know what blog to look at ;) You pictures, like always, are gorgeous. Mason looked so cute playing eye doctor and those tiny shopping carts are adorable. My Mase would love them!

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  11. Mason doesn't remember going to a mall?! HA!!
    How cool that you just kind of stumbled upon the children's museum. It looks like Mason had a blast there!

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  12. We love NOLA and can't wait to introduce Dustin to the city, but definitely agree. Too busy for little babes. The history, the food, and the buildings are just amazing. I am glad yall got to experience it a little. It looks like Mase has a great time and as always looks adorable! Your pictures always look amazing, no matter what device you use to take them. Love you, friend!

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  13. Big cities all have their quirks don't they? Sometimes you just don't know!

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Thanks for the comments! Hope you are having an amazing day!!