Nicola Burke
takes to the road with her family, to
explore the Pelican State of Louisiana, where she
soaks up everything from feeding gators in the
swamps to boogieing at the Cajun Music Festival.
T
he inspiration for our
annual US family road trip
usually comes from food.
After watching a TV food
show filmed in New Orleans featuring
enticing local delights such as
‘beignets’ and gumbo, we knew that
Louisiana had to be our next stop.
We are seasoned US roadtrippers,
having ticked off California, Oregon,
Washington, Texas, Colorado and
New Mexico over the past six years
(all with our young daughters in tow).
These roadtrips aren’t necessarily
the easiest family vacation option,
but they are always the most fun.
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of
a long flight, coupled with multiple
destinations. If you plan well and pre-
book most of your accommodation
then you will be ready for an
unforgettable vacation.
We started our Louisiana roadtrip
in ‘The Big Easy’ aka New Orleans
and the largest city in Louisiana.
To get there from Hong Kong, we
flew to Los Angeles, spent a night
at an airport hotel, and then took a
three and a half hour domestic flight.
After such a long journey, we treated
ourselves to the only luxury hotel of
our stay, the glorious Windsor Court.
Our hotel was walking distance
from the French Quarter, the oldest
neighbourhood of New Orleans. This
was a convenient, family-friendly
option as the French Quarter itself
can become pretty rowdy at night,
especially towards Bourbon Street.
New Orleans is exactly as you’d
picture it: raucous and vibrant, with
live music on every street corner.
At night, it all kicks off on the
aforementioned Bourbon Street.
Although there’s a strict age policy
in the jazz bars, the live music spills
out through the windows for all
to enjoy. Whilst you may consider
New Orleans as a playground for
adults, there’s plenty on offer for kids.
We had a great time exploring the
Children’s Museum, Audobon Zoo
Hit the road,
Jack!
January 2016
47
