Louisiana Vacation Recap - Part 1

It's back to realty today, after a week long trip to Louisiana! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to travel to Louisiana with my mom to visit family and experience Mardi Gras for the first time. I want to do a full recap of my trip, but don't want to overload one post, so I'm breaking it up in to a few posts.

We left on Thursday, February 4 and flew to Baton Rouge, LA. My cousin picked us up from the airport around 5:00 pm and then we headed to her house...but first we had to stop and pick up the first of many frozen daiquiris that we would consume during our visit. We hung out and chatted Thursday night, since we were a little tired from our day of traveling.

Friday we got up and I experienced my first King Cake. It did not disappoint! I can't believe I've never seen these in Michigan. We are definitely missing out! If you've never had one, they can come in many different flavors, but the "traditional" kind is cinnamon. The one we had was cherry filled. It's kind of light and flakey (not like a cake doughnut) and has frosting on top. SO GOOD! And there is a baby hidden in each one :)

After eating cake for breakfast, we headed toward New Orleans. We stopped at a place called The Cabin for lunch. I couldn't wait to eat all of the seafood and Cajun food during our vacation. And The Cabin was a great way to start. I got gumbo, jambalaya, and black eyed peas. My mom got a sampler that included alligator, catfish, crab, crawfish, onion rings, and shrimp. I ate until I couldn't eat any more. That was pretty much what I did the entire trip--eat all of the food!

Mom's sampler platter

gumbo

jambalaya and black eyed peas

My cousin Kristen, her husband Donnie, and me outside The Cabin.

We had to take a picture of the bathrooms in the restaurant--so cool!

After stuffing our faces, we headed out for a swamp tour! We went out in a boat with a guide to look for alligators and other wildlife. Since it's winter, there aren't many gators out. We did see one, and some other fun creatures. And we got hold a baby alligator!

After the swamp tour, we headed back to my cousin's house and Donnie grilled us dinner. It was so nice to be able to be outside and enjoy it! The weather was in the 50s-60s while we were there. Although it was cold to them, it was warm to us, because when we got home, the highs were in the teens.

The next day we got up early and headed to New Orleans for some Mardi Gras fun! Bourbon Street, parades, beads, and beignets...stay tuned!

You can find Part 2 HERE and Part 3 HERE.