Slidell, Louisiana

Our Spring exploring took us in a new direction this year! We decided to head out to see some of the states along the newly named Gulf of America.

The first place we journeyed to was Slidell, Louisiana. Although Slidell is more known for having the largest creosote plants in the world, lumber mills, and brick manufacturing–it is also home to the Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours. 🚤

We have never been in a bayou, so we thought it would be a fun experience for the family. First we wanted to know more about bayous. We found that according to the Cambridge Dictionary a bayou is: “(in the southern U.S.) a very slow-moving stream or river that flows through flat, wet ground near the coast and is usually shallow with trees growing in and around it.” 🏞️

What’s so special about a bayou? Bayous have unique ecosystems that are home to some pretty cool critters! Did you know that several threatened or endangered species live in the bayous? How awesome is that! The Gulf-Sturgeon, Whooping Crane, and Red-Cockaded Woodpecker all rely on the bayou for their home. Although we did not see any during our boat tour, it was still pretty amazing! 🐟

We arrived a bit early for our tour, and they were very efficient in getting us checked in and ready. We joined the others on the boat and set off! Cruising along with Captain Chris, we got our first look at the West Pearl River. We enjoyed the brisk pace of the boat! The weather was sunny and beautiful, so the breeze from the boat ride felt awesome! 🍃

Captain Chris shared information along the many breaks during the ride. His knowledge and humor kept us all entertained! 😅 He pointed out the different stages of river, bayou, slough, and marshland. He informed us about the camps alongside the river and what life is like on a home without a road. On the West Pearl there were quite a few weekend camps, but also some places that people lived all year long. Many of these homes do not have a road that leads to them, and they rely on boats to get to their houses. We also got to see some of the camps that were damaged from Hurricane Katrina and remain vacant. 🥺

We took a tributary off the West Pearl River that led us into the bayou. This is where things got even more interesting. Alligators are a common sight in the bayou during the Spring, and we did get to see some! Captain Chris knew the spots where his friendly neighborhood gator friends frequented. We met Louie, Elvis, Sabrina, and Lexi! It was pretty neat to see him call his gator friends and he knew them by name. 🐊

Another critter that was pretty excited to see us were the raccoons. According to Captain Chris, the raccoons living in this bayou have a short life expectancy of around 2-3 years because of the sicknesses and diseases that they are prone to get. These adorable raccoons enjoyed a treat or 2 that the kids on the tour were allowed to throw to them. 🦝

We also saw black-bellied whistlers (ducks), wood ducks, an egret, warbler, osprey, and limpkin. Limpkins are very important to the bayou because they are one of the few birds that can eat the invasive apple snails. 🐌

The elephant ears, swamp grass, iris, cedar, and water lilies were very plentiful. My favorite tree we got to see today was the Whiskey Tree of the Pearl River Swamp. 🌳 It was the tree in the movie “The Princess and the Frog” where Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen get married in the bayou. It’s also got a bit more of a seedy side to it. According to Captain Chris, this is the tree where the bootleggers hid their moonshine. The police rarely ventured this far into the bayou, so it proved to be a very inventive place to store their goods! 🥃

It was a really fun time and we really appreciated Captain Chris and all the wonderful people at Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours. Both kiddos had a blast and it was a very memorable day for all of us. 🥰

Here’s their website if you’d like to check them out: https://www.honeyislandswamp.com/

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