Discover St. Tammany Parish
Accommodation in St. Tammany Parish
St. Tammany Parish surprises visitors with a diverse mix of river landscapes, marshes, nature trails, regional history, and culinary experiences. Those planning a trip with varied daily rhythms will find both peaceful nature observation and museums, music history, and a brewery tour here. When choosing a vacation rental or holiday home, it is therefore worthwhile to first organize the experiences you want: Should the focus be on water and nature, culture, or active days along the Tammany Trace?
Rivers, marshes, and trails through nature
Fairview-Riverside State Park covers 99 acres along the Tchefuncte River. Its nature trail runs along the river. Freshwater fishing is possible in the park from the riverbank or from a boat. This makes it an appealing excursion where movement and time by the water can be combined.
Considerably larger is the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The protected area covers more than 18,000 acres of freshwater and brackish marshes, bald cypress–tupelo forests, bayous, hardwood forest islands, and pine savannas. The higher-elevation habitats serve as resting areas for migratory birds and as habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. At the Bayou Lacombe Visitor Center, visitors will find exhibits, maps, and a nature shop.
Those looking for a specific trail to include in their daily plans can consider the Boy Scout Road Trail. It begins with a half-mile self-guided boardwalk and offers a four-mile round trip to Bayou Lacombe. The distance should be taken into account when making personal plans. The Northlake Nature Center is located on Bayou Castine in Saint Tammany Parish and has been expanded to 400 acres. The Global Wildlife Center in Folsom also offers a 900-acre walk-through safari park.
History, shipping, and music
The Otis House was built in the 1880s as the residence of the family of sawmill owner William Theodore Jay. The Otis House Museum offers tours on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; the schedule is subject to change. Culture enthusiasts should therefore plan their visit based on the current schedule.
At the Maritime Museum Louisiana in Madisonville, models and replicas of Louisiana lighthouses tell the story of maritime history, including the local Tchefuncte River Lighthouse. The interactive ShipTracks exhibit allows visitors to track the movements of modern commercial ships, historic trade routes, and regional vessel traffic in real time. This makes it possible to combine a museum visit with a particularly vivid look at shipping.
The Dew Drop Social and Benevolent Hall presents another historical facet. It opened in 1895 in what is now Old Mandeville and is considered possibly the oldest unaltered rural jazz hall in the world. Musicians still perform there in the fall and spring. Abita Brewing Company was founded in 1986 and describes itself as the oldest craft brewery in the Southeast and one of the oldest craft breweries in the United States. Guided and self-guided tours are available. The guided tour lasts 30 minutes and includes four beer tastings of 4 ounces each.
Choosing the right base
For active vacation days, the Tammany Trace is an important point of reference. The 31-mile paved rails-to-trails route in the Northshore connects five communities and is suitable for cycling, walking, and inline skating. It follows the former corridor of the Illinois Central Railroad from downtown Covington through Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Lacombe to Slidell. Those looking for accommodation can therefore consider whether nature trails, cultural attractions, or culinary stops should make up the largest part of the trip.
For further location options, you can also look at Slidell, Pearl River, and Mandeville. This keeps the search for a vacation rental or holiday home linked to your personal travel plans: extended days in nature, historical impressions, music, or culinary enjoyment.
For the overarching travel overview: Louisiana.
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