Louisiana’s state parks are great for day trips, but you must consider taking advantage of the many overnight options on offer as well. Whether you prefer camping on wheels, by tent or in cabins, Louisiana has the perfect choice for you to enjoy our Sportsman’s Paradise!
If you are driving in your own accommodations, you can take your pick of almost any state park. Favorite parks among RVers are Fairview-Riverside State Park on Louisiana’s Northshore, a quiet retreat 45 minutes from New Orleans, and Lake Claiborne State Park up north between Shreveport and Monroe with all its fun water activities, including fishing its well-stocked freshwater lake. Chicot State Park situates you in the middle of the state so you can hub-and-spoke out to any of your favorite cities. Additionally, the Louisiana State Arboretum next door offers walking trails, nature programs and children’s activities.
Tent camping, like real estate, is all location, location, location. South Toledo Bend State Park on Louisiana’s western border has five tent camping spots on a bluff overlooking the Toledo Bend Reservoir, a picturesque body of water nationally renowned for its bass fishing. Grand Isle State Park offers beach camping on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico if you’ve ever dreamed about the sound of rolling waves lulling you to sleep. Both parks offer designated sites equipped with electricity, water, picnic tables and grills.
If fully-appointed cabins are closer to your idea of roughing it, check out Poverty Point State Park in the northeast corner of Louisiana or Fontainebleau State Park down south on Lake Pontchartrain. Poverty Point’s over-water cabins definitely qualify as Instagram-worthy, as does the adjacent UNESCO World Heritage site. The colorful cabins at Fontainebleau include meeting spaces and offer access to Lake Pontchartrain for sailing, paddling or beaching and the nearby Tammany Trace for biking, hiking and birding. Additionally, there are private rentals throughout the state for more glamorous camping, also known as glamping. Think antebellum cabins surrounded by lush gardens, chandeliers hanging from tin roofs or breakfast served on a patio outside your air-conditioned tent.
Did you ever get jealous of Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle for his cool houseboat? You can recreate that bayou-style in the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, a federally recognized cultural and environmental area showcasing the best of Louisiana’s iconic outdoors. Houseboats on offer include amenities such as hot tubs and grills, and some can sleep up to ten people. You won’t find easier access to fishing or paddling, and most are moored within short drives to Lafayette, New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Look to LouisianaTravel.com/State-Parks for more information or to book your stay at any of the state’s beautiful properties. Remember, whatever accommodations you choose, you’ll enjoy the storied outdoors of the Bayou State and you’ll never be far from the cuisine, music and culture that make Louisiana one of America’s most unique and exciting treasures.
