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.

$3 per person at the gate gets you in. The park has a lot of trails, camp sites, kayaking and…read moreplenty of things to do. The nature center has a lot to read about the area and the things you will see in the area. The guy working was friendly, very informative. Everything seemed well organized.

I happened to catch this on a drive home in early October where I stopped for a quick walk…read more The lakes here are the real main attraction with a long walking/running trail circulating the waters. Add the mixture of trees, bushes, and docks, and you have yourself a very nice scenic elegant park. For activities, there's people fishing and kayaking here and walking their dogs. It's pretty close to the LSU campus; it's obvious the student body and school staff enjoy this park as well!

It was under construction when we stopped , not much to see . The neighborhood and surrounding…read moreareas are beautiful and well maintained .

This is an excellent little spot in the park to fish. Coming from mid city down Carrollton/Wisner…read moreand turning left onto Harrison into city park, this fishery is easily accessible and offers parking right on the side of the road basically anywhere you see fit. I always park on the left side of Harrison right after the fist bridge and walk along the canal back towards midcity. As an avid fly fisher, I've fished a lot of spots along this canal with many different flies. Right off the road I've pulled in nice bluegill on small top water flies. About 50 yards down from the road is a footbridge that crosses the canal. The bluegill and rio grande cichlids are abundant right here, and I've also caught a few nice bass (and have seen even bigger bass) from this footbridge. About 75 yards down from this bridge is another footbridge. Walking down the left side of the canal (the wisner side) there are some very nice spots to cast under an old oak tree that stretches out over the canal. Bluegill and bass abound here. From atop the second footbridge here you have access to one of the most abundant rio grande holes in the park. I've seen many rios in this location every single time I've been here. Use an olive or brown wooly bugger (non bead head) to hook into a fish you won't forget catching! Farther down from this area the spots are few and far between. Most of the bank in this area is overgrown and extremely hard to cast from. If you're lucky enough to have a kayak, you can paddle down past the second footbridge and reach some really productive waters. It's not uncommon to catch 5lb+ largemouth bass if you can get to an area you can fish. Almost all the rios in this area break 1lb, as well. This canal is also home to spotter gar, blue catfish, black crappie (sac-a-lait), red ear sunfish, and red spotted sunfish. No extra size or bag limits other than the statewide size and bag limits apply. Keep in mind that Rio Grande Cichlids are an invasive species and it is encouraged you keep any that you catch. They are extremely tasty, though, so this isn't really a bad thing. Keep in mind that I wrote this review from a strictly fly fishing based point of view. It's really the only experience I have fishing this part of city park. All these waters are much more accessible if fished with bait and tackle rods. I've personally caught and identified all species I've mentioned in this review in the 200 yard or so stretch of canal reaching towards midcity from Harrison. I hope you all catch a lunker!

This is a nice outdoor space. There are walking trails, a "beach" area and a great place to see…read moresome indigenous plants. I've been here before on a guided hike and got learn about the unwanted plants and trees that ended up growing there. I was grateful to see that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was still open to public. Unfortunately, people did not physically distance like I would have wanted them to, but oh well. If you want to get in touch with nature a bit, come check this place out, especially before it gets too hot outside. When we arrived on Sunday, there were a lot of people, but parking was still plentiful. It's closer to Central and north Baton Rouge area. It's also across the street from the famed church Life Tabernacle Church. I can only see myself going back there during the fall and spring months... summertime there will not be happen.

This was a favorite spot for me and my best friend to hang out at. There are two lakes in the front…read morethat many people fish in. There are walking paths great for jogging and taking a stroll through the woods. My favorite part was the man made beach in the back at the comite river. The water only got as deep as my knee. It was nice to just play around in the water and play on the tire swing someone put up. We also liked to sun bathe on the sand bank. Some people made fires there at night. It was a nice and peaceful way to relax. It's a good spot to bring your dogs as well! Be careful though because we have stumbled upon snakes a few times on the trail path to the beach!

Well if you can catch them when they're open. Been there once or twice on a whim and they were…read moreopen, nice variety of tackle and baits, live and artificial. Again it's just da fact if and when they're open.

The best free walking trail around. People are also boating fishing too…read more The trail is elevated, So you do not disturb the swamp. Plus it is an easy walk. Being in this natural environment just plain feels good. Bro g the kids and unplug!!

I absolutely cannot speak highly enough of Salty Dog Charters! Honestly, our day trip out with…read moreCaptain Markham Dickson is one of the best things I've ever done in New Orleans. (And you guys have been to New Orleans, right? So, like, you know how great everything is there, right?) Even if you're not necessarily looking to fish, which we weren't, they're happy to take you out for a day on the water that will be amazing! Though our trip was about something else (we were spreading ashes at sea), Captain Markham made sure we got to do some really fun stuff. We fed pelicans, saw some awesome wildlife (including some large fish, crabs, otters, and more), and did a bit of net fishing. We also saw some really cool spots, like small islands and a fishing cabin. If you're looking to fish, or just looking for a unique fun day out, you have to check out Salty Dog Charters! Trust me, it's awesome!

Capt. Gabe was excellent. Hot is on the fish. Caught our limit. Excellent trip. Highly recommend!read more

Marina Beau Chene is an excellent neighborhood…read more The first thing you notice when entering this neighborhood is that it is gated and staffed by a uniformed security guard. As a person who appreciates the idea of high security and safety, I like that feature. If you are able to get past the initial screening you will notice you've entered an idyllic environment. Homes are beautiful, yards are well manicured and everyone seems friendly. I have no idea if the people are genuinely friendly, but they do wave at me as I drive by. I guess they could be signaling that I am #1 or something, but I digress. The most beautiful feature of this neighborhood is not the gate, the homes or the people. It's the marina. I wont tell you exactly where the marina is located since that would defeat the whole safe and secure environment thing. What I can tell you is that should you have a boat, this would be a good place to keep it. Whether that boat is a nice sized fishing vessel or a large live aboard yacht, you can find it all here. The slips will fit vessels that are 30', 40' or 50'. You can also get into the Tchefuncte River and Lake Pontchartrain if you decide to leave the comfort of the marina. If you are in the market for a boat, or just like to dream about one day owning one, there are always several nice examples for sale here. My favorites were the late 70s live aboard Chris Craft or the waterfront condo with a slip that were both for sale. If you can get past the security, this is a great place to live or visit.

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this as a guest in my girlfriend's parent's home. Now that my girlfriend…read moreis on the Northshore I'm anticipating making trips to the Northshore. I arrived on New Year's Eve to celebrate with a bunch of girlfriends at the house and then later on at the Chimes. The security gentleman was courteous and remember to give them your name, the name of the people you are visiting, and their address. It is a gated community and when we arrived later that evening we had to enter through the main Beau Chene entrance which is also gated. So prepare to give the same information. It is a beautiful neighborhood but be careful and drive slowly because it is windy roads and at night there was a dog that ran in front of my car. Fortunately I was going super slow and waited until he moved on. The houses are well lit but the streets themselves don't have street lights so again, proceed slowly. My girlfriend's parents built their dream home here and their gorgeous home overlooks the marina with numerous boats. Like any gated community it appears that people maintain their property well. There was a friendly vibe and my friend's personal trainer lived a few doors down. I wish I could have stayed longer to enjoy the front porch, back deck, and the marina!

This is a lovely state run park that has tent camping and hookups for RV and travel trailers. It…read morealso has fishing, a boat launch and the Otis house that you can tour. Evidently the last owner of the house donated the house and some of the land to the state for a park which is great. It saves the land for use. I came to tour the house. You have to pay at the gate to drive on the premises, and pay for the tour. Then drive around and park near the house. Everything was quite lovely. I did not use any of the other facilities.

For a state park campground, this facility is above average in my experience. The campsites up…read morefront are spread out. There is a lot of open ground between the rows of slips giving you a sense of open space. There is another campground section in the back where the boat ramp is with some space to park your vehicles with boat trailers. The facilities are well maintained. For example, the site directly across from me has a brand new picnic table which are more expensive than your average table since the entire frame is made from tubular metal to ward off termites. Each gender has three separate shower rooms available to them. Each room is lockable and comes with a toilet, a sink vanity, and a very large shower stall. The rooms are spacious so that parents can help their young children. There two sets of washers and dryers in that same centrally located building for the front campground. The rear campground has their own building with restrooms and showers. The dump station has a hand soap dispenser which is the first time I've seen that at a public campground. I camped in slip #26 which is located at the end of the row and has partial shade over half the slip all day long. The end of the row is next to the park boundary and on the other side is an old cemetery which makes for a quiet area buffer from any residences. After my first weekend, almost everyone else checked out and I had my row to myself. Located within the park is the historical Old Mill House Museum but tours were not available (mid June 2023) as they were currently doing repair work. There is a swamp trail boardwalk available for walking/hiking with periodic benches and a river view at one point. They have provided playground equipment and swings for the children. There are about 80 RV slips and all have water and power hook ups. There a half dozen or so with sewer hook ups. There is also a large tent camping area with no power hook ups. There are plenty of restaurants and grocery stores within just a few miles of the park in both Madisonville and Mandeville.

This is a pleasant marina that is very accommodating. They offer fuel boat launch parking and boat…read morestorage under coveted slips. They have cameras and combination gates to keep everything safe and secure. There is even a little store that sells bait and ice and drinks and snacks. It is the only marina located right on the Tangipahoa River.

my son and I love to go fish from the dock late at night because we try to stay out of the way of…read morepeople launching there boats but sometimes a few boats show up all at once the people we have come in contact with are always very respectful and make us fell like we are no bother to them at all just good people that love to see a father and son out fishing . the lady in the store was out of ice so to accommodate folks she froze 20 oz bottles .and ask if we would like some to keep the fish we caught cold she is very resourceful and kind tries to give everyone a pleasant day on the rive good fishing good people ill give them 5 stars nice place to go fish

Danny was great! The weather was pretty rough for us but we still managed to do pretty well. He…read moreknows the area that he takes you out to very well. I have been on a number of trips with other charters. I have had some good stories and horror ones. Danny definitely ranks as one of the best. Good conversation and very helpful throughout the trip. It was apparent early that his goal is to get me to catch fish. We used live bait and artificial trying to find the best setup for what was biting at the time. I have been out on other trips where the guide will use the live and run out early. He never used the shrimp and let me use it as I wanted. I've also shown up being promised live shrimp from a guide, but he only brought dead shrimp (big difference in cost but I paid the same amount). Also another thing gave him some extra points is that he doesn't care one bit if I got snagged. He says "if you don't get snags, then you're not fishing!", which is a big relief as I've been with other guys that get pissed about having to re-tie your line. Will definitely be back again but next time...KAYAK FISHING here I come!