Coushatta Casino RV Park

It was a short drive of about 80 miles to the Coushatta Casino. Looked like rain, but we lucked out on the trip to here.

Our site

Each site has a picnic table.

Look at that sky. Ever couple of sites there is an  enclosed trash container. We are in the middle.

Scary looking sky, as this area has been getting some bad weather.

We did stay a couple of extra nights because of rain and strong winds. We were comped for all but two nights of our stay. Unfortunately   for us they were weekend nights which were higher in price. I believe it was $45. a night.

     The casino/Rv park is just of route 190 and about 20 miles from I10 The RV Park has all paved roads and fairly level very long pull thru sites. The check in area is very big(the biggest we have ever seen). All big rig friendly. There is a gas station as you enter. The sites are full hookups with 50 amp electric, cable TV. Wifi, but don't know how good it worked. Very little shade. No privacy between sites. About 100 sites. There are about 50 chalet style cabins. Just think the more cabins the less RV sites, so I don't look at them as a asset.  Great lighting at night. Pick up at your site to take you to the casino, just give them a call. There is a big pool and a big rec room. Enclosed trash container every couple of sites. Security patrols the park. Pet friendly. Small lake. Saw some people fishing. There is also a small water park at the hotel you can use. Nice buffet and restaurant in casino. Great friendly service from the check in to the shuttle drivers to the casino. It was a pleasure to stay here.

Bayou Teche Brewery and the Burning Crawfish festival

         Well here we are at some  of the last things we did from Poches RV Park. It has been a busy week. We attended the burning crawfish festival at the Bayou Teche Brewery. It is a take off of the burning man event. Good food and good music along with a tour of the brewery.

The crawfish to be burnt 

There was music

And crawfish

And a brewery tour, this  is the original building.

Now inside the present large brew house.

We spent a very very busy week here at Poches RV Park. Bob hardly got a chance to fish. But it was a super fun week. Great food, great music, great history, and a great time, here at Breaux Bridge Louisiana.

Buck and Johnnies abd Bont Breaux restaurants

A few other restaurants we ate at while at Poches RV Park. We did an awful lot while staying here,

Buck and Johnnies, number 2 on Trip Adviser

This was a car dealership

Neat lights made from oil cans

Keeping with the theme

Another night it was Pont Breaux Cajun restaurant

The band

Add music, and then the dancers

Food, music and dancing

Some famous guest, our name wasn't added to list yet.

St Martinsville Louisiana, St John's resturant, Evangeline statue and oak

     We  visited ST Martinsville LA. from Poches RV Park, to find ST John Restaurant. We were told by a person at the visitor’s center and a tour guide that they had the best crab cakes. Linda agreed, saying it was the best crab cake she ever had except for her mother's.  Bob had a seafood platter and a cup of crab bisque which was the best he ever had. It’s a BYOB place if so inclined. 

Nothing fancy outside, but the food is delicious

Inside the restaurant, an old warehouse of some sort, not sure of its original use. 

Bob's super crab bisque and his fresh seafood platter

Linda's super crab cake, a lot bigger then it looks.

With our bellies full we the visited Longfellow Evangeline State Historic Site, and the Evangeline Oak.

The plaque on the statue and the oak tree in the upper corner

 

We also toured the Church of ST Marin de Tours. We  walked the historic town to check out some of the old buildings, and then did a driving tour around town. 

All the street signs are in English and French

Shows the church influence at the time

The church

        While in the area we figured we were so close to Avery Island it was worth another visit. We were here several years ago. We again toured the Jungle Gardens and of course the Tabasco factory which helped put Avery island on the map.

Opelousas Louisiana

     We also visited the town of Opelousas while staying at Poches RV Park.  Opelousas has a  great visitors center where these pictures where taken. The pictures tell the story.

At the visitors center we met a fellow. He has a brick in the sidewalk with his name on it. He played on the "Colored High School" football team pictured below. I believe he said he was in school in the late 50'sThe school still stands. Not sure which one of the pictured players he was in the picture.

 At the victors center we got a walking and driving tour brochure . There are many neat old buildings and homes in the town

 

There are many street corners with neatly decorated stringed instruments.

The Jim Bowie tree was quite impressive. Its right in the middle of town.

This is part of a very large mural.

 

A part of history  many have forgotten  about. There is some very interesting reading about the Orphan Trains on line.  Seeing this small museum made me search out more information.   

 

 

 

  

 

 

A dog named Lilly

     We took a swamp tour with Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours. A super tour that had Linda taking hundreds of photos.   But first, a  dog named Lilly that acted just like our beloved lilly that we lost several years ago. We offered to take lilly home with us, but they had an attachment  to her like we had with our lilly.  We thought she was our lilly incarnated. But on with the tour, even if we had tears in our eyes. Other pet lovers know what we mean.

 

 

Tour in our next blog update

Poches RV Park, Breaux Bridge LA, and Poche market and restaurant

Trying to catch up on our 2016 western tour. We are only several months behind.  We are 113 days into our trip.

     Picking up where we left off. After leaving Abita Springs we traveled a short distance to Breaux Bridge LA to one of our favorite campgrounds. That would be Poches RV Park. While there we visited several great LA restaurants.  One, our number one was Poche Market and Restaurant. It was super and the reason why it is rated number one on Trip Advisor. We also visited several other cities from here and other attractions plus other eateries which we will list in a follow up blog.   

Bob's BBQ pork steak

Linda's catfish platter

Look how thick it is

For our friends from Louisiana

Nothing fancy, this is the menu

Part of their meat selection

Poches RV Park

 

 

 

 

We really enjoy this park. Fishing at the back of your site. Passport America Sunday to Thursday  then Good Sam the rest of the week. There are about 5 or 6 large stocked ponds with great fishing. The roads have been paved since we were here last. Sites are full hook up with 30/50 amp electric. Back in cement pad.  2 or 3 pull thrus sites. There is a small pool. There is a small clean laundry. Clean restrooms and showers. Few OTA TV channels. Great people work at the check in. Over all the park is very clean and well kept. The only thing missing is cable TV. The park is nice and quiet. There is shopping near by.  The roads getting to the park were really bad coming from I10, I mean very very bad. This should not detract from the park rating. The lady in the office told us about an easy way to get to I49 and the roads were much much better.

Abita Springs, New Orleans

While in Abita Springs, we also visited the Abita Mystery house at the UCM museum. UCM- you –see –um. I didn’t get it the first time either. It has been featured on many TV shows on national networks, according to their brochure. The owner told us Mike and Frank from the   "Pickers" hit  TV show were there, and did do some picking. It is just 5 miles off I 12 in LA. With a very low $3 admission it is a great deal. No parking for RV’s  See  www.abitamysteryhouse.com. 

The entrance

Made of computer hard drives

 The 30 foot alligator

The shard house

  We had no intention of going to New Orleans, but what the heck we may never get the chance again. It was about 40 + miles from the RV park, over the longest bridge in the US. It is 24 miles long. There is just a $3 toll going into New Orleans   no toll coming out. We did this twice each day parking at the Basin Street Visitor Center for just $5. a day. The reason for parking there was to get on the Hop On Hop Off bus. The bus was $44 each for a 3 day pass. We had been to New Orleans several times, but never did the bus. The double deck buses depart every 30 minutes.  It did take us to neighborhoods we would not have seen by just walking on our own. The live guide narrations were great. It gave us a much better in site into New Orleans. There are 18 stops along the way. We do recommend the bus. Do not miss the National WWII Museum. This can take from a half day to a whole day + to tour. There were many other things to see . The tour guide pointed out the old warehouses where NCIS New Orleans TV show is shot. See   www.citysiteseeingnew Orleans.com. We had delicious beignets at Café Du Monde, at the French market among all the other great food.

New Orleans in sight

The Superdome

The place were many scenes from the TV show CSI New Orleans are filed

Linda's tour guide, note the poncho, slight rain,  provided by the bus tour

The world famous beignets

So many corners had street bands

Can't go to New Orleans without trying a po'boy

The iconic wrought iron rails.

The Marti Gras museum

Thanks for following along