Zoo & Aquarium

We woke up to hard rain, wind and thunder!  It was crazy!  I was actually a little nervous at times with how strong it was!

Today was our kid day!  We had planned to go to the aquarium and zoo and have it all be about the kidlets!

Once we got downtown, which was no small feat because of the weather, we headed to the aquarium.  We got there shortly after it opened and so there wasn't too many people there yet.  We started off by going to their theater and watching a short movie about predators.  

Then we headed for the exhibits.  It was so much fun and the kiddos had a great time looking at everything.  Jacob was especially interested in everything.  Sarah was definitely a lot more interested in climbing on EVERYTHING.  She wanted to climb on all of the rock displays, which were definitely not meant to be climbed on!

Jacob had fun petting the sting rays and the kids were so lucky to get so much attention from all of the animals!  It seemed like everything was giving them special attention - and we weren't complaining!

We had a great time and Benjamin even got his alligator souvenir!

Afterwards, we headed back outside to the rain to get some lunch.  We knew this was our last chance to try some Louisiana grub.  We found this hole-in-the-wall place which was actually kind of perfect.  We were all soaked!  But Mark and I got the New Orleans Platter which included: crawfish, gumbo, red beans, green tomatoes and a bisuit.  I am so not a fish person and after seeing the crawfish in a giant bucket on our swamp tour earlier it wasn't high up on my list of things to eat.  But I did try it and then Mark gobbled it up!  It worked out well!

We then headed back out into the wet and drove over to the zoo.  We got there and it felt completely deserted.  When we got there the lady at the ticket counter was trying to talk us out of it saying that all of the big animals were inside and we wouldn't be able to see them.  We had nothing else to do and decided to take our chances.  Plus the rain had stopped and so we were hopeful they might come out.  

Mark kept commenting on how it felt like walking through an abandoned park.  I think we saw two other couples the ENTIRE time we were there.  No workers - nothing!  But the zoo did not disappoint.  As soon as we got there they started letting the animals out so it actually ended up being great because they were really active.  It was so much fun and, again, the kids got so much attention from the animals!  We had a blast!

Another great, albeit WET, day in Louisiana!

Swimming

After our hot day in the French Quarter we headed back to the hotel to cool off in the pool!  This was Benjamin's first time in the pool - he had more fun than it seems!

Serenity now...serenity now...

I love these little rascals.  

French Quarter

Wednesday was our day in the French Quarter.  You definitely can't do Louisiana without doing the French Quarter of New Orleans.  

When we first got there we went into the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park in the French Quarter.  We had to get our stamps in our passport!

We then walked over to Jackson Square!  This was quite easily my favorite part of the French Quarter.  It's such a beautiful square centered right in front of this beautiful cathedral.  Bit of trivia - it is the oldest cathedral still in use in the United States.  It's beautiful and it was neat to show the kids all of the beautiful stained glass windows inside.  

We then headed over to Cafe du Monde for some beignets.  These are pastries absolutely covered in powdered sugar.  The floor is just littered with sugar and I think that Jacob's nearly burst when he saw them come to the table!  They were delicious! 

This shot makes me laugh every time!  It's a winner - in SO many ways!

We then walked down to the old U.S. Mint where they have the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park.  It was a really neat building and they had some fun things to look at.  

Afterwards, we headed to the French Market.  It was hot and the kiddos were definitely getting a little hangry!  They were not really interested in anything except food and getting out of the heat.  But we did pick up some shirts for everyone and Sarah picked out a mask that was adorable.  

We were then on the hunt for some food.  We had planned on going to one of the restaurants just off of Jackson Square but it was WAY too fancy for the kiddos!  I had packed some sandwiches and so we decided to just eat them in the square and we would find some food later.  

We were all hot and tired and felt like we had seen all that we wanted to.  Mark felt like we needed to at least walk down Bourbin street a little though - just to say we did.  Let's just say - I was not that impressed.  We only walked about two blocks and that was definitely enough.  It was dirty and gross and pretty much smelled like a combination of cigar smoke, urine, and trash.  Yuck.  

We headed back to the car to go and relax at the hotel!

Oak Alley Plantation

After our swamp tour we grabbed some lunch and headed over to Oak Alley Plantation.  

This was definitely an activity I planned for me.  I knew it wasn't high up on Mark's list to do (and I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't on the kiddos!) but I really wanted to go and see one of the plantations.  I did a lot of research and each one looked so interesting (and I love learning the history of an area) but, if we are being honest, I strictly picked this one because it is BEA-UTIFUL!

I completely fell in love with the trees and the house.  One thing we quickly learned this day is that is is SO HOT in Louisiana!  Oh my stars!  We were all dripping.  And everyone kept commenting on how we were so lucky to come when the weather was still so pleasant.  What?!  This is pleasant?!!!  Humidity and heat is no bueno for the Berning family.  But do you want to know who hates it most?  BENJAMIN!  This little guy was one unhappy camper.  In his defense, it dawned on me that he has never experienced heat.  We are still in the 40's in Garden City (which actually is feeling pretty good) so to then go to 80's must have been quite a shock to his system.  He was not a fan.  He was so fussy anytime we weren't in an air-conditioned space.  We feel you, buddy, we feel you.  

We started by taking a tour of the "Big House".  It was beautiful although we weren't able to hear as much as I would have liked as Benjamin was not too thrilled and so I kept trying to hide away in hallways to not disturb other people.  But it was still really interesting what we were able to hear.  

The contraption above the table is a giant FAN!  Have I mentioned the heat yet?!  This was a job for one of the young child slaves to perform during meals - to steadily pull the cord to fan the table.  

The bulk of the house is actually on the outside - there is a huge wrap around porch on both levels!  There are 28 trees lining the pathway to the home and they used that number in many things.  28 columns surrounding the home and 28 doors leading to the outside - LOTS of cross breeze!

These were some of the slave cabins still on site.  

The backside of the "Big House"

I loved these roots at the bottom of the trees!

Me: "Isn't is beautiful?"
Jacob:  "I think it's handsome."

We DEFINITELY bribed the kiddos with ice cream to get through the tour!  They had a lovely ice cream parlor and we all loved a refreshing, cool treat!

After the plantation, we drove back into New Orleans and ate at Mother's Restaurant.  We had some po'boys and lemonade.  A great first day in Louisiana!