There are so many things to see, but of course the French Quarter gets top billing. Cobblestone streets, wrought iron balconies, tiny shops full of local crafts and treasures you never knew you needed. Every corner holds something worth seeing. You can explore by foot, child centered tours or even by carriage ride which makes it extra magical and easy on tired feet.

• Jackson Square- Start here. With the European style war statue of Battle of New Orleans hero, Andrew Jackson facing the Mississippi River, soaring St. Louis Cathedral flanked by twin Louisiana State Museum buildings: the Presbytere and Cabildo (where the Mississippi Purchase was signed!) and where all the street artists from singers to painters sell their offerings.

• Cafe Du Monde- Get here early for breakfast. World famous since its opening in 1862, this cafe is THE place to get beignets in New Orleans. Tuck in to a plate these square, french-style donuts sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar and wash it all down with their scrumptious hot chocolate. beignets and a hot chocolate in this world famous cafe since it opened in 1862. When you are done, head around back to see how they are made.

• French Market- do a little window shopping while you let your beignets settle and support local artists in these beautiful shops.

• Arcadian Bookstore- Piled high with books from every genre, my girls were so excited to pick out some books from their French Section. 

• Antoine's Restaurant- If you are looking to experience history, this is the oldest restaurant in America. Same location, same owner since 1840! There are many historical pictures on the walls along with handwritten menus in the early 1900's. Tip- more suited for older children who can sit quietly through a slow-paced multi course meal. 

There are so many things to see and buy. TIP- Make sure you bring an extra suitcase! You might find yourself like m; with a new hat, work of art, heirloom children's clothes, books, pecan logs, alligator jerky, jewelry and all sorts of accessories from the talented local artists of New Orleans. I always love finding unique gifts and useful souvenirs and this is such a great place to find them.

PP

It is really unassuming and could easily by missed. It isn't near any other commercial buildings and just looks like a fruit stand off to the side of a back road. 

Actually, it is a fruit stand off to the side of a back road. They sell the most delicious seasonal produce. I bought some grapefruit and some oranges to take home for the next morning and couldn't believe how good it tasted. Those oranges were soooo juicy. Oh, and they make their own orangeade and lemonade at the Tomato Place. It was to die for! 

Not only do they sell mouthwateringly good fruit, but they also have a large selection of pre-assembled smoothies that you can pick from in a wall of freezers and have them blend it up fresh for you when you pay. 

If you keep walking through the fruitstand part, there are two more rooms behind it. I would have never guessed looking from the road. In the back is the restaurant. Everything is fresh and local. With a name like theirs I just had to try their BLT. It's what they are famous for. I got the Fried Green Tomato BLT for a little southern twist. I also got their housemade baked beans and fried okra. Everything was great. In retrospect, I should've only gotten one fried thing (probably the okra) to switch up the flavors a bit, but I really wanted both. And the fried green tomato BLT was such a cool idea. So yummy! 

I love that they make so many things in-house. They had the most amazing condiments and sauces. There was one spicy/tangy sauce they named the Mississippi Fever that I am just kicking myself for not buying and bringing home with me. But, while writing this post I found out that they have an online store! Now I don't feel so bad. 

I felt so at home among the canned veggies and preserved fruits and jellies. They had so many interesting things to choose from. I wanted it all. I did manage to buy the Pecan Soppin' Syrup. Pecans are such a traditional ingredient in the south and thought my girls would love a little southern infused syrup for their pancakes. 

What to See

Bazsinsky House

There are antebellum houses spread all over the south and Vicksburg had quite a few to choose from. I really wanted to see the Martha Vick Home (as in Vicksburg) or The McRaven House but they were closed for President's Day. We ended up going with the Bazsinsky House which is conveniently located across the street from our next stop, The Old Courthouse just up the street from the river. 

The Bazsinsky house has a very interesting family history and the architecture inside and out is beautiful. It is so interesting to think about what life and the town would have been like before, during and after the war. Everything changed so much.

The house itself didn't have any period furniture which was disappointing and not what I was expecting. I wish there had been more information available on the website. Some of the other houses function more as a museum and have artifacts from the era. The Bazsinsky house is available as a B&B which is a fun idea I would love to try if I had enough time. But it didn't offer quite the view I was hoping for into everyday life. It has been recently restored by the new owners and you can check out some interesting pictures of the restoration here. 

The Old Courthouse Museum

This museum boasts the largest collection of Civil War artifacts in America: confederate flags, including one that was never surrendered, the tie worn by Jefferson Davis at his inauguration as Confederate President, fine portraits, china and silver, exquisite antique furniture, the trophy antlers won by the steamboat Robert E Lee in an 1870 race, antebellum clothing, toys, Indian and pioneer implements.


Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg National Military Park is really interesting because it is not just a visitor center with exhibits. The Park is reconstructed on the actual battle site with 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks to give a feel for what it was really like during the siege. It also includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers,  a 16-mile road tour, a 12.5-mile walking trail, two antebellum homes, 144 cannon, and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union Army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire during one of their other unsuccessful attacks.


The first thing I like to do at any national park is to watch their orientation video which is usually about 20 minutes long. I feel like it helps give a very solid understanding of the background to everything else you will see later. They are really well done and so worth the time.

You need at least 1 1/2 hours here but really 3 hours would be best. There is just so much to see and do. We decided to buy the 1 hour audio tour they have available at the bookstore, there is a 2 hour one too but we didn't have time for it. Getting the tour was great, as we drove around the 16 mile tour road, the guide would point out the things we were seeing and give interesting facts about them.

USS CAIRO


Another very interesting housed in the military park is this war boat. The USS CAIRO was one of the first ironclad warships built at the beginning of the Civil War. This ship was the first to be sunk by a torpedo. It took 12 minutes and luckily no loss of life.

So many artifacts were recovered from the ship when it was raised over a hundred years later in 1964. The craftsmanship of everyday items seems so much better than now.

DAY ONE

I've been to Louisiana a couple times now and I am always surprised at how much there is to do there. I took my 2 oldest girls during Mardi Gras a few years ago and we had a blast. This time we came to meet my newest nephew and just explore locally a little more. 

*Shrimp Remoulade Salad- lettuce was tossed with remoulade sauce which is a very traditional, creamy, red, New Orleans sauce that has quite a kick from tons of horseradish and cayenne pepper. It was absolutely divine. Everything should be served with a side of remoulade. 

*Creamy Acorn Squash and Leek Soup- delicious

For my entree I just had to get CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFEÉ- this is a must-try dish if you really want to get a feeling for Cajun food. Étouffée is a dish of seafood (most popularly with crawfish) served with rice. I love that it reflects the Cajuns in the bayous and backwaters of Louisiana just making use of what they had nearby all while infusing it with their traditional french sauce techniques. The base of Étouffée is a roux. 

One of the things I loved most about Frank's is that every single side dish was incredible too. Some restaurants just rely on their main dishes and just offer basic sides. I loved that all these dishes were very traditional Louisiana ingredients. 

*Hazelnut Green Beans * Roasted Cauliflower with Basalmic Vinegar Glaze * Purple Hull Peas Cassoulet * Dauphinouse Potatoes and Asiago Stone Ground Grits. 

I wasn't kidding when I said we'd ordered half the menu. I could have had a meal of just sides they were that good. 

We were so full from our amazing dinner but couldn't leave without sampling a few desserts. 

*Housemade Honeydew Sorbet- perfect for ending the meal on a light note

*Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie a la Mode- how could you go wrong with that?

*Lemon Spongecake with Berry Mousse and Lemon Curd- very southern

*Chef Van's Banana Pudding- with bananas foster sauce and whipped cream

I don't think my sister relished the thought of me having her Lemon

I don't think I have been to a restaurant where every single dish was so good. I can't wait to go back again!

Luckily the next day was a relaxing, family day. I definitely needed time to recover from my food comma. 

Today we had tickets to the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. We had to go through airport-like security checks before being let through.

I didn't know what to expect. Last time I was here, they were still tearing down all the buildings. But I was blown away.

I remember the debate about what should be done with Ground Zero. Should they rebuild the towers? Make them taller? Build something else entirely or make it into a memorial? At first I felt like I wanted them to rebuild the Towers or build something to show that the terrorists didn't win, that they couldn't break us. 

I think what they did was so much better.

In the footprint of the Twin Towers are two pools with 30 foot waterfalls around the entire perimeter. It is surreal to look down and see the spot where the Towers once stood. 

It's very fitting that around the railing there is about a 3 foot ledge inscribed with all the people who lost their lives that day. The passengers in the airplanes, the pentagon employees, the 1st responders to the attacks and of course, those that were in the World Trade Centers.

Central Park has had a carousel since the 1870's and this one has been here since 1950. It is one of the largest carousels in the country and was made in 1908.