20251012_163042In the swamp (October 2025)

Whilst in New Orleans for an extended, three-day weekend, I also squeezed in time to take an afternoon excursion just a bit outside of the city. I headed to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, located about 16 miles (25.7 km) south of NOLA, or about a half-hour drive away. There, I visited the vast marshland of the Deep South, all the while navigating the bayou and even seeing alligators!

From the Garden District (where I had my lunch), the shuttle picked me up around 14h00 to take me over to Jean Lafitte. Funny enough, I was the only passenger on board, so I had a nice little chat with the driver about NOLA and the upcoming tour before I was dropped off at the dock about 45 minutes later. My bayou tour wasn’t until 16h00, so I hung out in the gift shop and in the waiting platform outdoors, where I got my first glimpse of the expansive blue of the water and marshy green in the distance.

Along with seven other passengers, we boarded an airboat with our tour guide, and we spent the next 90 minutes weaving through the intricate networks of canals on the water. I’d never rode in an airboat before, and it was quite the experience: it’s fast and extremely loud, which requires wearing noise-cancelling headsets. It was absolutely thrilling, and even though it was a bit harrowing at times, it was super fun!

20251012_161909On our way…

Our tour guide steered us through the water, all the while giving us information about Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and the swampland all around us. Named after the 19th century French pirate Jean Laffite (although places in the US spell it as “Lafitte”), the park covers a considerable amount of the Mississippi River Delta and is split into six different sites to visit. We only checked out one portion of it, and even that was a huge territory to explore!

20251012_165215Marshland (just below is water!!!)

Prior to visiting, I’d never considered swamps to be beautiful, but Jean Lafitte quickly changed my mind– there was something hypnotic about the silence of the bayou, the gentle water lapping against the boat and sunlight streaming through Spanish moss hanging overhead. It was truly quite stunning, almost like being in a painting, and now I have a different perspective on swamps!

20251012_172417I swear, this isn’t a painting!


20251012_163509Spanish moss scenic views

Besides giving us information about Jean Lafitte, our tour guide was a real character: he had a bawdy sense of humor, swearing good-naturedly and overall having just as much of a good time as we were. He took us into the nooks and crannies of the bayou, where we came across several alligators just literal inches from our boat! A bit terrifying, but our guide wasn’t scared at all, saying hello to them and feeding them marshmallows (which, of course, are a natural staple of an alligator’s diet).

20251012_164058Our tour guide beckoning an alligator

We got close with one of the alligators, and our tour guide said we could pet him!!! At first, we were all hesitant, but followed suit after our guide demonstrated first. The alligator was quite chill, so I stroked him briefly– it had the texture of avocado skin, bumpy and a bit glossy. Actually, I found him quite cute, as he resembled a puppy eagerly waiting for treats and pets– a bit deluded of me, I know, but it was a cool experience!

20251012_163801Hello, little guy…

Soon enough, it was time to return to the docks, and we concluded our tour at 17h30. From there, I caught the shuttle back into New Orleans, returning around 18h15. I decided to grab take-out for dinner, placing my order and wandering Bourbon Street a bit before picking it up. I picked up my food at a corner grocery, which in NOLA are sort of like bodegas that sell groceries and hot food.

20251012_185210Bourbon Street at night

Dinner secured, I headed back to my hotel, arriving back by 19h00. Along the way, I passed this gas station, which had was selling for under $3 USD/gallon! Outrageous, considering that in California, it’s at least double that these days (thanks to the war in Iran…).

20251012_191116In this economy?!

I dug into the food in my hotel room: I’d ordered a generous spread at just $18 USD, of rice and beans, fried catfish, and crawfish pie. The crawfish pie was just-okay, as it could’ve used more filling, but WOW, the fried catfish and rice and beans were fantastic: crispy, tender, and hearty, it was honestly the best meal I had in town, not to forget the most-affordable! As I’m writing this, I’m still dreaming about that meal, and I would highly recommend anyone who visits NOLA to get corner grocery food for the quality and affordability.

20251012_193039Rice and beans with fried catfish: best meal I had

Overall, I really enjoyed my afternoon at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. The tour had the right balance of adventure and relaxation, and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. While I question the tour guide feeding marshmallows to alligators (and how such animals have grown dependent on humans for food), it was still a fun time and worth experiencing the bayou culture at least once in your lifetime.

Thanks for reading, and the last of my posts in New Orleans will be up soon. Until then! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

36 thoughts on “Destination: Jean Lafitte National Park, Louisiana”

  2. You were lucky. Our school built a jungle lodge on the Tambopata River in the Peruvian Jungle and kids went there each year. Dave B, one of our a science teacher did the same but without the Marshmallows. Still got the scars to prove it. So I guess the moral is not to forget the treats. Oh and in the night their eyes shine like rubies. We thought they were fireflies until. ………..

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  3. Too beautiful! The perfect weather made the landscape look even more dreamy. The reflections of the trees with the hanging Spanish moss are so sublime. I’m not sure feeding the alligator with marshmallows is a good idea though. But getting yourself a fried catfish certainly was a great idea!

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    1. Who would’ve thought that swamps could be beautiful? It was a lovely ride through the complex water network of the Mississippi River Delta, with many alligators to see (although the feeding of marshmallows is questionable…). All the same, it was a gorgeous afternoon with a delicious dinner to follow!

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  5. Swamps always remind me of Shrek haha but your pictures are so beautiful, especially the ones with the reflections. I would be a little nervous about being so close to alligators. It seems every few weeks I see a news article of someone in Florida getting eaten by one… The marshmallows seem like something out of a kids book about a pet alligator or something.

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    1. Our tour guide told us he’d been bitten by alligators countless of times; he even showed us a video of him getting his arm bitten!!! 😱 He’s very fortunate to still have all of his limbs intact! I don’t know if feeding marshmallows to alligators is very ethical, but it wasn’t my place to challenge the tour 🤷‍♀️

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    1. I’d never would’ve expected a swamp to be lovely, but here we are! I admit that I was a bit nervous to pet an alligator at first, but it ended up being fine. If anything, he was so cute!! 😆🐊

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  7. I think I’d be too scared to pet an alligator! This looks like a great tour. Like you before this trip, I’ve never spent any time in a swamp and wouldn’t have known what to expect. It looks really pretty, though. I love the reflection photos.

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    1. Very true! I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the feeding of marshmallows to the alligators, but it was still cool to check out the swamp and learn more about the Mississippi River Delta culture!

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  9. Wow; looks like a beautiful park, although, I doubt I would have been brave enough to pet the alligator; that seems pretty crazy! It truly is very pretty with the low hanging moss, and glassy water. Love your joke about the marshmallows. Fun post, Rebecca!

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  11. What a truly beautiful and serene park, dear Rebecca. Some of your photos even look like paintings. It must have been amazing to see native wildlife such as alligators so close. Can’t believe how cheap the petrol is in Louisiana. Just a few months ago ours was peaking above €2.20 per litre, which would be equivalent to approximately $9.34 US dollars per US gallon. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thanks, Aiva! Gas prices are certainly high in Europe; I was shocked when I visited! Makes our prices here in the US look cheap, even if they’re not! Stay tuned for the last post on NOLA soon!

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  13. Glad you had a great excursion Rebecca. We did something similar when we were there. We visited an old plantation and the alligators but on a normal boat back in 2017. Funny enough they were feeding them marshmallows back then too!
    I’m not sure I would want to pet a wild alligator though?
    The photos make it look beautifully serene but I never lost sight of what might be going on under the surface of the water. My biggest fear was snakes! We did see a couple gliding across the top of the water. Great experience for you n an added bonus to your trip to New Orleans 😊

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    1. Yes! The swamp is pretty, but who knows what’s lurking underneath its tranquil surface? Guess people have been feeding marshmallows to alligators for a while, although I don’t agree with it! Glad you had a lovely time in NOLA and its surroundings, too 🙂

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  14. Your bayou adventure brings back memories of my own visit to New Orleans, though I did not manage to venture into the surrounding swamps, unfortunately. The scenery looks surprisingly beautiful, especially the Spanish moss hanging over the water. Getting so close to alligators must have been thrilling, although petting one sounds rather adventurous!

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    1. NOLA has so many things to see, do, and eat that venturing outside of the city isn’t on everyone’s mind (or time). However, if you have at least a half-day, it’s worth heading out to the nearest bayou to check it out!

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  15. Oh wow! I love Spanish moss. Not a big swamp fan but they can be quite beautiful. I’m learning more than I want to about alligators now that we have completed our move to the coastal area of NC! And Bourbon Street!!! I need to rerun there someday. I think it was 1975 or 1976 when my folks took me there, so it has been awhile! lol.

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  16. I’m sure there are some less scenic swamps out there, but this is beautiful. So calming, and not at all what comes to mind when you hear the word “swamp”. Like you, I’m not sure how I feel about the alligators eating marshmallows and being so comfortable around humans… there’s something about it that doesn’t quite feel right, in a way that I can’t quite express in words.

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    1. Exactly! I didn’t expect swamps to be beautiful, but Louisiana’s takes the cake (or marshmallows)! Feeding alligators those marshmallows seems quite unethical, and I agree it doesn’t feel right…I didn’t like that part of the tour, so I don’t think I’d take a tour like that again. One time’s good enough!

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