The snow has arrived and it’s time to hit the road and become winter nomads again. We’ll be following our usual route to the American Southwest with some usual stops and some new ones, too. Our first stop is Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This is a park we visit often because we have a lot of friends in the area. It’s also a great state park. it’s one of our favorites. Instead of me telling you all about it, you can read about a previous visit along with some other stops here. It hasn’t changed much.
Moving On
Buccaneer State Park
Instead of primarily boondocking and dry camping this year, we thought we’d mix in some visits to more state parks. Our first park to visit as we push our way west is Buccaneer State Park near Waveland, MS, just west of Gulfport. This gets high marks mostly because of its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and the beach. The park is set among Live oaks draped with Spanish moss and marshlands. There is a 4.5-acre waterpark, a nature trail, a disc golf course, and several picnic pavilions. The campsites are generally pretty well spaced but rather open. There are some down across the street from the gulf but it seems like it would be a bit noisier down there.
When visiting an area for the first time, I like to dig into the history of the area. The park and the general area has a fascinating past. There’s a reason for the name Buccaneer State Park. The French pirate Jean Lafitte used the old Pirate House a short distance from the park as his base for his smuggling and pirating activities along the Gulf Coast. Another interesting tidbit is that Andrew Jackson used the park site as a base for his military operations during the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson later returned to this area and built a house on land that is now Buccaneer State Park. Finally, Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, Jerome, and his followers landed somewhere near Waveland. They hid in the marshes and swamps along the Pearl River waiting for aides to escort them to New Orleans. He came to America seeking help and funding to free Napoleon from exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba. He didn’t find much support and returned home empty-handed.
All in all, Buccaneer State Park is worth a visit.
Palmetto Island State Park
As we drove to our next stop on our journey, we noticed a lot of flooded fields and thought they had gotten a lot of rain. It turns out that the fields were rice paddies. Louisiana is the third largest rice producing state, with 425,000 acres of rice planted on 823 farms. Nearby Crowley has one of the largest rice mills in the state. Judging from all the flooded fields, they don’t have a shortage of product to mill.
On to Palmetto Island State Park. The park is located on the Vermillion River west of New Orleans and directly south of Lafayette. According to the brochure and web site, ‘Palmetto Island State Park offers a real south Louisiana outdoors experience.’ Having never stopped in Louisiana before, I’ll have to take their word for it. There is a boat launch providing access to the river for fishing and boating. The interior lagoons provide canoers and kayakers a chance to take a gander at the native plant and animal life. The lagoons and river have all been linked together by canals so there is a vast area to explore by water. There’s a splash pad for kids and numerous hiking and biking trails. And for those not into the whole RV and camping thing, there’s 8 cabins on the river to rent. The best part for us is that all the sites are pretty well spaced apart with plenty of trees and palmetto plants for privacy.
Things To Do
If you do one thing in this area, make the drive to Avery Island and tour the TABASCO®factory where the world famous hot sauce is made. The Avery Island Fan Experience includes a self-guided tour of the TABASCO® Museum, Pepper Greenhouse, Barrel Warehouse, and more. And as is the case with any tour, the final stop is the TABASCO Country Store®. Here you can sample some of the hot sauces and buy the whatever TABASCO® related product your heart desires. And if you get hungry after all that self-guided touring, stop in to the TABASCO® Restaurant 1868 for a bite.
Another part of the tour is the 170-acre Jungle Gardens. E.A. (Ned) McIlhenny, the son of founder Edmund, had a love of nature and a dedication to conservation. Ned originally started the jungle as a private bird sanctuary to protect the endangered snowy egret. In the 1920s, Ned converted his private Avery Island estate into the Jungle Gardens. He decorated it with exotic botanical specimens from around the world, gradually expanding the Gardens until it reached its present size of more than 170 acres. After many years spent transforming the landscape, Ned opened Jungle Gardens to the public in 1935.
One of the more unique items in the gardens is a 900 year old Buddha statue. Family friends sent the statue from a Manhattan warehouse where it sat unclaimed for an undetermined amount of time. Some speculate it was sent to New York by a Chinese warlord. Whatever the story, there it sits on one of the ‘Seven Hills of Knowledge’ in the park.
Cajun Cookin’
You might be hungry after a day at the TABASCO® factory. If so, stop in Abbeville on the way back and grab a bite at Dupuy’s Seafood and Steak. The staff at the park suggested we give them a try. Are we glad we did! The food was amazing! Joseph Dupuy established his restaurant in 1869. Mr. Dupuy harvested his own oysters and sold them for 5 cents a dozen. Over 146 years later, Dupuy’s is still going strong. Today, the menu has items ranging from fried alligator to bayou tuna pasta. Of course you can get some Gulf oysters. It’s worth a return trip to the area just to eat here. There’s very limited parking but it’s worth the hassle.
Heading West
It’s time to make the trek to the American southwest. We really aren’t looking forward to the long drive across Texas. And running into the freezing temperatures predicted for along the way aren’t inspiring, either. But the forecast for when we get to Arizona will make it all worth while. Stay tuned for more episodes of Winter Nomads Again.
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