In June 2016 I made a road trip from Orlando to New Orleans, followed by 7 nights at Hyatt Regency New Orleans during the annual U.S. Travel Association IPW convention.
After IPW, I went on a three day media bus tour of Louisiana, where I traveled to several cities around the state, visiting historic plantations, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, museums, hotels and restaurants.Â
One of the Loyalty Traveler projects I am working on over the next month is collating past trip report posts, editing these articles for grammar and clarification and looking for gaps in places and events I want to share with readers from those trips, but never got around to writing.
Louisiana and Texas on my mind
Louisiana and Texas has been on my mind with Hurricane Harvey. June 2016 was my first trip as a tourist in New Orleans.
Unfortunately, I spent most of the week in New Orleans sick with flu. Between resting to have the strength to attend some IPW meetings and events, my time wandering around New Orleans was limited. After 7 days in New Orleans I felt pretty good by the time I made a 3-day tour of Louisiana. I have hundreds of photos from the trip around the state.
Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey is a weather event that is being called a once in 500 year storm. The problem is Houston and parts of Louisiana have had several once in 500 year storms in the past few years.
Houston, Texas with 30 to 50 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey broke the previous rainfall record from April 2016 with flooding last year.
During my three day media tour of Louisiana last year, most days ended with restaurant dinners accompanied by tourism industry locals. I heard multiple first hand account stories about the impact on communities from severe flooding in central Louisiana in the recent months prior to June 2016.
Stay strong.
Here are 10 articles I wrote regarding my June 2016 road trip tour from Orlando, Florida to New Orleans and a 3-day bus tour of Louisiana.
June 2016
Florida Road Trip Orlando to New Orleans and Louisiana Tour
- Rough Start for Drive Out of Florida road trip to New Orleans
- Orlando to Pensacola road trip notes and photos
- Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Express Pensacola West–Navy Base on PointBreaks
- Beautiful Sweet Home Alabama driving U.S. 98 and U.S. 90
- Gulf Islands National Seashore at Ocean Springs Mississippi
- Road Trip Photos Gulf Coast Mississippi to New Orleans 9th Ward
- Dispatch from New Orleans-Huge Ass Beers, NOLA Gay Pride, June Mardi Gras
- Hotel Review-Hyatt Regency New Orleans
- Airline History: Why Delta Air Lines HQ was in Monroe, Louisiana until 1941
- Best Western Low Rate Guarantee success and Cracking Hotel Confusion in Krakow
There are several more articles I hope to write in the coming weeks on other aspects of New Orleans and Louisiana.
Here is a photo preview.
Mississippi River Paddle Boat tour
Rosedown Plantation State Historic Site is one of three historic plantations I visited in Louisiana including Myrtles and Frogmore.
Recently restored Hotel Bentley Alexandria, Louisiana was once considered the finest hotel in the state outside of New Orleans.
Louisiana Arts and Crafts
Biedenharn Museum and Gardens, Monroe, Louisiana.
Joseph A. Biedenharn was the first person to bottle Coca-Cola in 1894 and he made a fortune. In later years, he became a leading executive and shareholder of Delta Air Lines.
Poverty Point National Monument and World Heritage Site
Poverty Point contains 3,000 year old earthwork mounds built by Native Americans in the Mississippi Delta.
More on Louisiana to come.
Â
