Summer Road Trip 2011

For the past seven years since Jeremy and I started teaching together we have made it a priority to take a special road trip during our summer breaks.

Our goal was to eventually visit all 50 states together, and so far we have checked 25 of them off our list. Wahoo! Some of them we've repeat visited. :) And over the years we got a little wild-n-crazy and took off to see a couple of other countries... Canada, England and France.

This year we were blessed to be able to make a fun family road trip down south to Louisiana. Since Brenda and Monte were coming down to New Orleans from Tennessee on business for a few days we decided to met up with them. We had the best time hanging out together, exploring the sites and eating great food (using up every moment of their free time, of course).

(Note: I took a ton of pictures, as always.... so I tried to condense a little for this post by using some collages. However, it's still a long post, enjoy)

Day 1: Greeted by Nana and Papa at the hotel just before Papa had to head out for work. 

We were immediately lovin' the 80 degree weather and overcast skies (enjoyed a nice bit of rain throughout the week)

Hung out at the children's museum & had a blast with all the interactive exhibits... sooo cool, I think some of them we were more into than the kids were.

Went out for a yummy NOLA style dinner.

Jeremy and I had a date walking the French Quarter, going down Bourbon St. and checking out the casino while the kiddos were at the hotel with Nana and Papa. And Bourbon Street definitely lived up to its' reputation! Was shocked to see people with their kids down there... but that's a whole other post.

 The girls had fun blowing bubbles in the hotel room & swimming in the pool. Zoe decided to use the stationery to write a letter. In the bottom right pic you can see our sweet ride..... the minivan (and a very sleepy passenger being carried in by daddy after a long day of sight seeing).

Day 2: We toured two local plantation homes not far from New Orleans. One was the Houmas House and the other was the Nottoway Plantation. Both had incredible grounds with beautiful plants and trees, a photographer's paradise. The tours were so interesting, I've always found it fascinating to see these homes and hear about their history and the people who lived in them.

It rained off and on today and it was so appreciated..... wish the rain would head to Texas too.

Lunch today was a special treat at a local place called The Cabin. It didn't look like much from the road but it was probably the best meal we had our entire trip. Nestled in the country, part of the restaurant was in an old building that used to be slave quarters with the big stone fireplace in the middle and old newspapers plastered up on the walls with flour and water used as a kind of insulation. The rest of the restaurant was part in a large round silo type structure and part in an old general store. They had the best cornbread, crab claws, stuffed crab, fried aligator, catfish, gumbo...... oh and sweet tea served in mason jars sweetened with local cane sugar....mmmmm good!

Day 3 & 4: Sights from New Orleans, French Quarter & French Market. Had scattered rain & a couple of downpours both days. Took the girls to the Aquarium while Brenda & Monte had to work. It was the only place I didn't take my camera, but that's ok.

Walked a Lot! So much to see.

 Tried on hats & masks and browsed through local shops. Rode the trolly cars.

 Took a carriage ride through the French Quarter.... very interesting history and a few ghost stories too.
No wonder so many books and movies are set in this area. It just oozes with all kinds of juicy, mysterious and scandalous tales to be told.

 Day 5: Last day, we got up and enjoyed our last amazing full service breakfast bar at the Hampton Inn & Suites and headed out to take a steam boat cruize down the Mississippi River on the Natchez.

It was like stepping back in time. The sights, sounds and smells all took us back to another place in history as we made our way down the river. Music from the calliope (a traditional steam organ long associated with steamboats) marked the start of our venture. We explored the boat seeing the steam engine room, visiting all three levels to check out the view, and eating local cuisine in a beautiful dining room on the second level.... it truly looked and felt like we had gone back in time; at least for a moment..... then I looked around and noticed all the other tourists on board.

Finally, we took our time driving home from our summer road trip, and when we got back we all walked into our home and crashed on the couch.... we were tired.

Wonderful memories were made that will always be cherished. Thank you Nana and Papa. It was so fantastic that we were able to meet up with you and enjoy some great times together. Love you.