Nature center is nice and the trails are nice. !3 entry fee. Trail is closed off due to rebuilding…read moreafter the flood happened. It's after you get over the bridge that you will see the barricade.

During our cross country road trip in the summer of 2022, we traveled with the truck and trailer…read morefrom Los Angeles to Key West and back. My wife booked a few nights in Tickfaw state park, sight unseen, to be more or less in the vicinity of New Orleans, a plantation tour, and a swamp boat tour that we had booked months in advance. As it turned out, we actually enjoyed this state park stay more than our visit to New Orleans! The state park entrance is actually at the back of a neighborhood of sorts, on a narrow two-lane road that cuts away from the highway at a weird angle. Once inside the park proper, visitors are treated to beautiful swamps, complete with cypress trees, Spanish moss, and all the critters you would expect to find here. The campground we enjoyed had full hook ups, a small wooden deck, and a long back-in pad for our trailer. There was also a resident raccoon who kept us honest about locking things up at night, and securing coolers and food. Tickfaw state park features long boardwalks with railings, that afford visitors beautiful hikes in different parts of the park through different kinds of trees and plants. Unfortunately, many of these were still damaged in the summer of 2022 from the previous year's Hurricane Ida that blew through southern Louisiana and surrounding areas. The only trail that was not affected by this was the one without a boardwalk, so we enjoyed a hike through beautiful pines that went down to the river. Despite most of the trails being closed and damaged, we still enjoyed ourselves here, and had a good time. In the evening, I enjoyed casting topwater lures in on the cypress knees and trees, and caught & released several big bowfin... A fish that is sort of a cross between a catfish a bass, and a pit bull I suppose. I'm not sure when we will be back through this part of the world, but Tickfaw State Park is definitely a place that I would stay again: off the beaten path but close enough to where you want to be, peaceful and quiet, and the kind of southern serene that helps a SoCal guy like me to slow down and enjoy life a little bit.

What a great addition to the Audubon Zoo! This was my first time to see the venue after hearing…read moreabout it for a while. The lazy river is artfully done, giving a nod to Louisiana wildlife and nature areas. There are a lot of skillful and friendly lifeguards around the area. There are several different food pavilions, restrooms, locker areas, and areas to sit. There is also a fun water slide, giving homage to the infamous alligators with albinism who have taken residence at the Zoo and Aquarium over the years. This would be a fun place to relax with your kids during one of the summer sessions. My friends and I attending the adults-only Sip and Dip event held on Fridays during the summer. It was very affordable for a private cabana for six with early access. Be sure to reserve your tickets for the event early online as it does sell out. It got a bit crowded toward the end, and they did run out of regular floats, though some preferred the thick floating noodles offered. Every Friday night has a different theme, so there is something for everyone. They bring in Dickie Brennans for the bar, and they were wonderful with decently priced drinks and quality alcohol. They were also creating with the mocktails. I certainly will return for another Sip and Dip either later this summer, if able, or next year. Absolutely worth it!

Four stars for Cool Zoo's beautiful grounds and water features that are artfully rendered. Two and…read morea half stars for Sip & Dip. Five stars for the incredibly friendly staff. My first time at Cool Zoo was for the adults-only Friday night party, Sip & Dip. This event is 2X a month during the heart of the summer and features theme nights with DJs and of course since this is NOLA, people get creative and might dress in theme. I went on 80s night and the music was so fun and I loved people wearing neon, 80s tshirts and even hair and make-up. Refreshments stands are spread out among the park and they do a themed cocktail and sell beer, hard seltzer and soft drinks, along with typical concession food and popcorn. I had the cocktail of the evening, the Purple Rain and while it was eye-catching, it was so sweet and possibly strong, too, that I couldn't drink more than 1/4 of it (and it's a huge cup, fairly priced at only $13). The grounds are beautiful with fountains and an area with slides and water features that you'd normally see children dominating (with perfectly good reason) but it was actually fun to see adults having at it on the slides and at the water sprayers. Then there's the lazy river, which is a decent size, warm and full of jets to move you along. We ended up not using flotation devices and swam/walked through it. My main issue and why this event isn't personally my cup of tea: it's too crowded. It sells out but I think they sell far too many tickets. We arrived 15 min after it started and there wasn't a lounge chair nor seat at a table to be found. Cabanas are so cheap here but they sell out immediately ahead of the event, likely the day that tickets go on sale. The only way I'd return was if I could get a cabana. The lazy river is completely packed 45 minutes into the event. We were lucky enough to get a locker (which also sell out so imagine being there without a space to put your things??? how is that fun?). People are in general nice enough to hand over the inner tubes but good luck ever getting a place to sit if you didn't line up in advance of start time. I keep going back between 3 and 4 stars for the main reason that everyone who works here is SO nice. The staff really made everything bearable for me, as they were so welcoming and helpful to point out where the lockers were (there's another set behind the set you initially encounter). I just think this isn't the event for anyone who avoids crowds of people. And the crowd that was there that night were totally fine (at least early in the evening). They just sell too many tickets for me to enjoy it.

I really enjoyed this pool club experience. My hotel didn't have a pool so I bought a pool pass for…read morethe day here. The pool passes cost about $25 except on Friday. It's $35. I ended up going on a Friday and to my surprise, it wasn't terribly overpacked. However, I did get there quite early just as they opened. I was disappointment that I was not allowed to have a lounge chair, I was only allowed to have a couch spot that was further from the pool. Other than that, I loved the decor, the drinks and apps. I appreciated that they offered free available water and clean restrooms. They even supplied nice towels so you don't need to bring one if you're on a day pass. It also had a beautiful rooftop view. I'd definitely go back.

So I had a gin lemon mocktail to start, which really just tasted like a sweet lemonade... But after…read morethat one I switched to alcohol drinks - they were so delicious! I got a Tally Me Banana m, which was really nicely balanced between bitter and sweet and a hint of citrus. And then I got a chocolate spicy orange frozen cocktail... I wish I could find it somewhere on their website but I couldn't-- because I would love to try to re-create this at home! The pool bar server that I had two nights in a row was really amazing. The chicken wings were pretty good too. But the vibes... All the vibes were so relaxing and they had a really great DJ on Sunday. Definitely check their website because they have live music regularly.

My son goes here for swimming lessons and so far is been great!…read moreGood location and very clean pool.

My kids have grown up here. The members are our extended family, not just other members of the…read moreclub. The kids have enjoyed both the swim and dive teams, and 2 of my kids have moved onto coaching for the club while 2 are still participating. Turns out this is a tradition at Sunrise. Beautiful pools and there are 2 large pools with one reserved for adults only! The kids have a blast, but I have as much fun as them!

This is a beautiful but very remote Louisiana State Park, admission is free for anyone over the age…read more62 otherwise you'll pay $3.00 per person. There seems to have been a lot of infrastructure improvements over recent years, there are very nice concrete RV Sites with full hookup, the entrance road into the park is a little rough requiring you to mostly travel at idle speeds. There is a large boat launch and parking lot located before you get to the park's entrance so the traffic pattern inside the park is free of boat trailers and tow vehicles. There are plenty of covered pavilions for picnicking and getting out of the sun as well as a nice concrete area at the end of the park designed for fishing and crabbing and it seemed like a lot of the visitors were here for that. There was absolutely no cellular service on most of the drive in and inside the park so plan ahead, maybe your service provider will have better results. I also recommend you fuel up before coming here I did not see any convenient stores or fueling options along the 18 mile drive once we took the exit off LA90. It's a beautiful setting and seems to be a popular area for boating, fishing and camping with a Louisiana vibe...

Great place for camping, cracking and fishing. Tent, RV and cabins available. Night fishing…read moreavailable for overnighters.