Boredom beaters
Thursday, March 29, 2007
With seemingly endless summer days rapidly approaching, you may be wondering what to do with a houseful of restless kids. (After all, you can’t send them to camp for the entire summer). Well, have no fear.
225 magazine has put together some ideas for interesting places to explore that are fun for families of all ages, and not too far away. Whether you’re looking to take a day trip or spend a long weekend in nearby Texas or Mississippi, these suggestions will help you get started.
DAY TRIPS
Go pick blueberries
If you’ve never done this, you’re missing out on one of the best-kept secrets around—and one of the most festive ways to celebrate the start of summer. From early June through mid-July, a handful of local farmers open their blueberry orchards to the public, and for a nominal fee you can pick as many plump, juicy berries as you can carry home. (And if you think you don’t like blueberries, you’ve obviously never eaten them straight off the bush.) Within an hour’s drive from Baton Rouge are three great “you-pick ’em” farms, including Berry Sweet Orchards in Ethel, Blueberry Ridge Orchard in Jackson and EquiTerra Farms in Clinton. Plan your visit for early in the day because the fields get mighty hot by mid-June, and check the Web for hours and availability, as they’re not all open every day.
Blueberry Ridge: 2199 Hollyridge Road, Jackson, La. (225) 629-5311
Hit the outdoors
If you’ve never checked out a Louisiana state park, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Lake Fausse Pointe. Just a little over an hour’s drive from Baton Rouge, this 6,000-acre park is on Lake Fausse Pointe near the historic town of St. Martinville. Once part of the Atchafalaya Basin, the area surrounding the park was formerly occupied by the Chitimacha Indians and later home to Acadian settlers. These days it’s a striking example of South Louisiana wildlife at its best. The trails are lush, winding and well maintained—great for both hiking and mountain biking, if you can manage to take two wheels off-road. During the summer you can also fish, canoe and swim in the lake—there are plenty of boat launches and boat rentals. Go for the day or spend the night—cabins are clean, roomy and sleep up to eight people.
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park: 5400 Levee Road., St. Martinville. (337) 229-4764
See and feed exotic wild animals
Who says you need to travel to another continent to see exotic animals? Take your very own 90-minute safari tour at the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, east of Baton Rouge and just north of Covington. Kids of all ages get a thrill from riding in a covered wagon around the 900-acre property, and coming face to face with llamas, giraffes, zebras and bison. Some of the animals are so friendly they’ll walk up to the wagon and let you hand-feed them from buckets of grub you purchase at the start of the tour. The center, founded in 1989, is home to more than 3,000 endangered, threatened and exotic animals. It’s open seven days a week, year-round and available for tours or individual safaris. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on the banks of one of the 12 ponds or the lake stocked with giant goldfish.
Dive into a swamp
For an up-close look at Louisiana’s gorgeous outdoors, take a guided tour of the Honey Island Swamp, which has the distinction of being one of the least-altered river swamps in the country. Located amidst 70,000 acres of permanently-protected wildlife area, the Honey Island Swamp sits between the East Pearl and West Pearl rivers about 90 minutes from Baton Rouge. Tourists literally come from all over the world to take the tour, so you might meet some interesting folks on the boat. You’ll also get to see such indigenous swamp creatures as alligators, bald eagles, herons, ibis and deer. The swamp earned its name because of the honeybees once seen on a nearby island, and while they won’t bother you, the mosquitoes can get pretty fierce, so bring plenty of repellent. After the two-hour tour you can buy snacks and souvenirs at the gift shop or grab lunch or an early dinner in nearby Slidell.
OVERNIGHT AND WEEKEND GETAWAYS
More than a casino
If you like to gamble, you’ll love the Beau Rivage Casino and Resort in Biloxi. But even if you never step foot inside the casino, there’s still plenty to do at this resort, which was remodeled following Hurricane Katrina. Spend a day lounging by the pool then pamper yourself with a workout and a massage at the luxury spa. If you’re a golfer, check out the Tom Fazio-designed Fallen Oak Golf Course. For those who bring kids, take them to play in the 3,000-square-foot arcade, which boasts the latest in high-tech video games (but you’re not allowed to leave them there unattended) or take them shopping in the newly redesigned retail court. There are dozens of dining options, from a four-star restaurant to snack bars and everything in between. If that’s not enough to keep your crew busy, there’s always the beauty of the Mississippi shoreline right outside your door.
Pyramids ... in Texas!
Kids will love Moody Gardens before they even arrive—they’ll spot the tell-tale pyramids from the highway and be immediately intrigued. Those pyramids, which house a rainforest, an aquarium and a super cool science museum, are among the many attractions at this resort destination on western Galveston Island in east Texas. If the pyramids don’t keep you busy all weekend, you can catch a 3-D movie at the IMAX theater or—get this—a 4-D movie at the special FX theater. There’s also a pool, a spa and an area called Palm Beach, which is a white, sandy beach with fountains, water attractions and splash pools for kids. There are also plenty of dining options, including a dinner cruise aboard a paddlewheel. This place is fun!
Massive city of fun
It’s the closest major city to Baton Rouge, and what it lacks in urban aesthetics it makes up for in cultural offerings. Yes, Houston gets a bad rap, but don’t let that keep you from spending a weekend seeking out cool things to do there. Sure you can go shopping at the Galleria—everybody does that—but how about hitting the Museum District near Rice University? Houston’s Museum of Natural Science rivals the Smithsonian, and kids will go crazy over the dinosaur skeletons and Egyptian mummies. The Museum of Fine Arts is also nationally renowned, and if you have little ones, the Children’s Museum is a must-see. There’s great shopping everywhere, though the antique shops and funky second-hand clothing stores in Montrose are worth a special trip. If you can schedule it, why not take in an Astros Game at Minute Maid Park? And if you’re looking for fun places to eat, consider Americas in the Galleria, a chic, upscale Cuban Taco Milagro for great Tex Mex (several locations), or La Griglia, a super Italian bistro in River Oaks.
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