Road trip along Gulf coast from FL to TX

[EllisWyatt]

Other restaraunts in Lafayette area i've enjoyed:

Lafayette is really the heart of Acadiana, so there are lots of good cajun and creole restaraunts in the area.
Cafe Vermilionville: in old Inn, very nice. More upscale, but good food.
Landry's and Don's: both restaraunts ok, have some local favorites, but not awesome.
Prejeans: moderate cost, good music, good cajun food.
Further east along I-10 is a small place called "Boudin King" in Jennins, La. (Boudin is a rice based sausage). Not as spicy as some other places, but Goooood.

[HawkeyeNFO]

If you have time to do it, I recommend a deep-sea fishing trip for one of your days. I did it a couple of times from Venice, Louisiana, about 70 miles south of NOLA (route 23 to the end of the world). I never was too big of a seafood fan until I lived in New Orleans. A grilled tuna steak from a fish that you catch that day and haven't frozen can challenge a good filet mignon; it's that good.

Some of the restaurants we liked were a bit off the beaten path, but NOLA has so many, that in 3 years we didn't have time to hit them all (then again I'm still working). Send me a note if you need some recommendations. And if it's hot, make sure you stop for a snowball.

Naval Aviation Museum in P'cola is excellent also.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grasshopper As savage as it may sound southern folks would keep a snapping turtle in a barrel, and fatten the turtle up with table scraps.

No more savage than keeping a hog ouside the kitchen and throwing scraps, clabber, etc to it. In fact, unless one is a vegan, I can't see any objection.

Ha

[sanfanciscotreat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Ah - so that's where I-10 comes from!

I 10 sometimes; I 20 sometimes, especially through Alabama and Mississippi.

[grasshopper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha No more savage than keeping a hog ouside the kitchen and throwing scraps, clabber, etc to it. In fact, unless one is a vegan, I can't see any objection. Ha

I agree, as a veggie, I do equate this practice with keeping laying hens packed so tight that they are unable to move. I equate the practice to penning veal calves up as so they can't turn around. I equate the practice to birthing pens used to immobile sows when giving birth.

"The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals."

~Mohandas Gandhi

[MDJO]

Check out Seaside, where the Truman Show was filmed, and the museum at Eglin AFB

[mickeyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Here you go. The best looking turtle soup I could find in Google images has a little spilled on the side of the cup, unfortunately, but imagine that the spilled soup wasn't there. Now, imagine pouring a teaspoon or tablespoon of sherry from a crystal decanter on top of the soup. Finally, imagine sipping hot turtle soup. Hits the spot, doesn't it? You are now in heaven.

That looks great. In Philadelphia (Bookbinders?) they serve what they call "snapper soup." I initially thought that it was made with red snapper (fish) but soon learned that they use snapping turtle. Wonderful stuff.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Nice and timely thread, as my next RV trip will be along this part of the Gulf Coast. It's just part of the itinerary that will go through Armadillo Amarillo, TX, and will eventually end up in Anchorage. And I just happened to also think of Tabasco and its garden and just mark them down as a stop.

Avery Island - Definitely worth it, we really enjoyed the factory tour. Unfortunately it was raining too hard when we got done, so we missed the gardens. Avery Island is famous for having helped preserve the Egrets in the early 1900s, when they were the target of feather hunters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound We have been to NO once several years ago, but recently read somewhere that Lafayette and Baton Rouge are perhaps better places for Creole cuisine. Please recommend more places to eat.

The Breaux Bridge area has several good ones. The lunch at Poches' Market is a real treat. Coincidently they run an RV park as well which seems to be getting increasingly popular. Downtown Breaux Bridge has several good restaurants

[Htown Harry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyd If you have a lot of travel time and are a fan of history you might enjoy taking the Old Spanish Trail (OST) which extends from St. Augistine to San Diego.

I agree, because I like taking back roads on long road trips. However, I would not blindly follow the map but without checking the big urban areas very closely.

For example, in the stretch of the Old Spanish Trail extending 20+ miles either direction from Houston, the roads labeled Hwy 90, 90-A (for alternate) or O.S.T. are not appealing to the tourist. There is no natural scenery to speak of, as 100+ years of development (and steady decline that followed in some areas) has created a thoroughly urban landscape. The once-quaint "travel court" from the early days of automobile travel is often a modern-day flop house.

Houston itself has some interesting big-city attractions: very good museums, Rockets games, the Williams Tower water wall, etc. The NBA all-star game will be here February 17th, with open-to-the public street parties an a convention center "experience".

By coincidence, while in Austin this weekend I saw a TV travelogue for day trips outside Houston. It listed some options along the bay between Houston and Galveston. Space Center Houston and several restaurants are included.
Video: Kemah, TX | Watch The Daytripper Online | KLRU Video

I see they have other shows on South Padre Island and the Beaumont area, but I couldn't get them to load. The one from Beaumont area had headlines suggesting it was heavy on nature exploration at Caddo Lake or in the Big Thicket Nature Preserve. I think early March would be the perfect time weather-wise to see a swamp / bayou environment from a boat, if that interests you. Sadly, it's a bit too early for storm chasing: Extreme Tornado Tours)

This travel guide was written by a well-respected Houston journalist who hosted a long-running TV travelogue called The Eyes of Texas. It's dated for restaurants and attractions, but would be very good for natural or historic places. Cheap, too. Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Ray Miller's Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Houston/Gulf Coast

[mickeyd]

Quote:

For example, in the stretch of the Old Spanish Trail extending 20+ miles either direction from Houston, the roads labeled Hwy 90, 90-A (for alternate) or O.S.T. are not appealing to the tourist.

I disagree. I just drove from Eagle Lake to Sequin on 90A and it was a pleasant change from I-10 and all the truck traffic. (Come to think of it, that's outside of your 20 mile limit no?) Of course, we did encounter a bit of Eagle Ford shale oil patch traffic around Gonzales. We were also able to purchase a big load of pecans in Wharton pecan warehouse.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grasshopper I agree, as a veggie, I do equate this practice with keeping laying hens packed so tight that they are unable to move. I equate the practice to penning veal calves up as so they can't turn around. I equate the practice to birthing pens used to immobile sows when giving birth. "The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals." ~Mohandas Gandhi

Unless this turtle is quite a bit bigger than any I have ever seen, he should have more than enough room to turn around in a barrel. Turtles are not exactly dolphins or tuna.

Ha

[Htown Harry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyd I disagree. I just drove from Eagle Lake to Sequin on 90A and it was a pleasant change from I-10 and all the truck traffic. (Come to think of it, that's outside of your 20 mile limit no?) Of course, we did encounter a bit of Eagle Ford shale oil patch traffic around Gonzales. We were also able to purchase a big load of pecans in Wharton pecan warehouse.

I like that stretch of U.S. 90, too, Mickey. It's the stretch between Richmond and Crosby that I can't recommend.

[Htown Harry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Unless this turtle is quite a bit bigger than any I have ever seen, he should have more than enough room to turn around in a barrel. Turtles are not exactly dolphins or tuna. Ha

Ha, Grasshopper:

I think you guys may be on opposite sides of a hypothetical argument.

Turtles used for food (or as aquarium pets) are predominately raised in man-made ponds. Like catfish farming, it's another form of aquaculture.


Speaking of catfish, the OP should be sure to sample some on the trip.

[JakeBrake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Unless this turtle is quite a bit bigger than any I have ever seen, he should have more than enough room to turn around in a barrel. Turtles are not exactly dolphins or tuna. Ha

Perhaps you have not seen an alligator snapping turlle. They are fairly common around here and you definitely do not want even a small one to snap you.

Alligator snapping turtle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeBrake Perhaps you have not seen an alligator snapping turlle. They are fairly common around here and you definitely do not want even a small one to snap you. Alligator snapping turtle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No, definitely have not seen this guy. When I was a boy there were much more modestly sized snapping turtles that cruised around lakes with their heads a bit raised. My relatives dredged them wih flour and deep fried them. And agree, even these smaller ones were treated with great respect.

Ha

[Htown Harry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Htown Harry Houston itself has some interesting big-city attractions: very good museums, Rockets games, the Williams Tower water wall, etc. The NBA all-star game will be here February 17th, with open-to-the public street parties an a convention center "experience".

I must have had a brain freeze when I wrote this, overlooking the biggest Houston event of the year, the RODEO!

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs from Feb 25 - March 16. Like you would for a state fair, plan on spending the whole day. I like to go the week that the 4H and FFA kids from around the state are exhibiting. There is a big midway, lots of commercial exhibits and different animal showings through the day. The rodeo and concert is an all-evening event in the football stadium. Tickets to the show run about $25, which I believe gets you free admission to the livestock show and midway.
Concerts

Houston hotel rooms and RV spots are in short supply during this time, so plan ahead. Parking at the event site is an expensive hassle - plan on taking a bus shuttle or the METRORail train.

Best of all? The food. Chicken-fried bacon, pulled pork sundaes...basically anything the ER.org member could want in the way of fine dining.

If you're in Texas in February, the San Antonio rodeo is couple of week earlier:
Entertainers

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Nice and timely thread, as my next RV trip will be along this part of the Gulf Coast. It's just part of the itinerary that will go through Armadillo Amarillo, TX, and will eventually end up in Anchorage.

I have resisted involvement in this thread because everything I have to offer is RV specific. Do we really want to hijack this (so far) excellent discussion?

(It is one of my favorite parts of the U.S.)

[NW-Bound]

The RV part is just incidental. I just couldn't help bringing in the armadillo from another thread.

Where to eat and what to see are the same for all modes of transportation. Turtle soup and other creole dishes are definitely in my plan.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeBrake Perhaps you have not seen an alligator snapping turlle. They are fairly common around here and you definitely do not want even a small one to snap you.

And they move so fast you never hear them coming. You may have heard them referred to as Mach turtles.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister You may have heard them referred to as Mach turtles.

<rimshot!>