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New Orleans Winter Walking

 

New Orleans Winter Landscape copy

Much of the USA is now frozen under snow and ice, but New Orleans flows in winter mellow. This is our time between time. New Year's is over — the champagne glasses dried and stowed — and Mardi Gras is about to give way to chaos. Visitors can see a quieter city, especially by escaping on foot or bike to the edges.

Spanish Moss

Clouds by the LakeLake Ponchartrain Sign

White ibis gather uptown in Audubon Park.

White Ibis

Live Oak

And the winter sun pierces gray light at “The Fly” uptown.

__The Fly__

My husband and I meander along the Mississippi to check the high water mark. Upriver flooding threatened the levees, but only the batture camps have taken on water. This poor fellow is sinking in the mud, but a tied-up pirogue is on hand for rescue.

Down on the Batture

We walk along the levee path where leafless trees offer a soft palette on the river's edge.

High Water Mark

We slip through hidden neighborhoods where locals coat their cottages in fresh color.

New Orleans Cottage

This one in purple, green, and (well, almost) gold —Mardi Gras colors, in case you didn't know.

Purple & Green

The past meets the future in timeless New Orleans.

Timless New Orelans

And the modern seeps into the gaps.

ModernMovementUptown Corner

We walk into history at the Barataria Preserve where Jean Lafitte once dealt in smuggled goods and tortured slaves. This bayou park is one of six important Jean Lafitte Sites in south Louisiana.

Barataria Preserve Map

The swamps camouflage the water wildlife, and the refreshing chill keeps alligators at bay and offers a respite from the usual southern damp and sweat.

Jean LafitteJean Lafitte Trails

Smugglers' Paradise

 For more of the past, we visit Laura Plantation.

Laura PlantationLaura Plantation 2

Here, its beauty attracts but does not disguise the narrative of dark history.

Slave Quarters

Laura Plantation 3

January is the perfect time to visit New Orleans without the noise and crowds of festival season. The hotels are cheaper too. Stretch your legs. Take a walking tour. Rent a bike and ride beyond the French Quarter. The light and hues await you.

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Images (23)
  • "The Fly": "The Fly"
  • Barataria Preserve Map: Barataria Preserve Map
  • Down on the Batture
  • High Water Mark
  • Jean Lafitte Trails
  • Modern Movement
  • New Orleans Cottage
  • New Orleans Winter Landscape copy
  • Purple & Green
  • River Flow
  • Smugglers' Paradise
  • Spanish Moss
  • Timeless New Orelans
  • Uptown Corner
  • White Ibis
  • Jean Lafitte
  • Live Oak
  • Clouds by the Lake
  • Lake Ponchartrain Sign
  • Laura Plantation
  • Slave Quarters
  • Laura Plantation 3
  • Laura Plantation 2

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Comments (3)

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It's a beautiful hike, Whitney!  I dislike the heat and humidity of New Orleans' summer, but this time of year sounds inviting and it's obviously charming!

And while it's cold, winter is also beautiful.  Here's a photo from my favorite place to hike, a 1 minute walk from my home, Fish Creek Provincial Park.  We hike here along the Bow River in all four seasons, including winter.  Snow slows you a little but it's not that deep as a rule.  If it gets icy, you use microspikes. 

IMG_20151220_153936IMG_20151220_154425

Twitter: @DrFumblefinger

"We do not take a trip, a trip takes us".  John Steinbeck, from Travels with Charlie

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  • IMG_20151220_153936
  • IMG_20151220_154425
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