With family on Ramona’s side, we chose to join a tour to New Orleans. We had wanted to visit this great city one day. This was an opportunity to fulfill that goal and have some quality time with family members we had not traveled with before.

St.Louis
Missouri civil war museum
On the way to New Orleans we stayed in St. Louis and spent some time at the Missouri Civil War Museum. Not one to go out of my way to visit war museums, I found this one fascinating. This facility did a good job of showing us how the civil war played out, especially in the Missouri area. As a border state that allowed slavery but with a portion of its citizens against it, the effects of the war were unique to them. Missouri had men, some fighting on one side and others for the other.

The next day we continued our journey to New Orleans.

New Orleans

As one of the oldest cities in America, founded in 1718, New Orleans has a reputation for excellent cuisine, great Jazz and a culture rich with French, Irish and Caribbean influences.

French quarter – bourbon street

Bourbon Street permeates with all genres of music (I was surprised to hear so much country as we walked)
We settled on an opened air area between two buildings mid-way down one of its streets. . Here bronze statues of Fats Domino, Al Hurt and Pete Fountain greeted us as we entered the open air location known as the Musical Legends Park. We were treated to a very talented threesome playing jazz and other musical venues. Never having played together previously, these musicians were so skilled that one could begin a tune and the others would magically fit in perfectly.
Within the park, the Cafe Beignet provided us refreshing gin tonics, good for a nice warm evening and to enjoy wonderful music with.

National World War II Museum

While in the city, we visited the National WWII Museum, which tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. It brought a greater “feeling” of what it had to be like for those that bravely experienced what no one should have to.

Cruise on the Natchez steamboat

Later we cruised along the harbor of the French quarter and alone the Mississippi. As we passed significant landmarks, a crew-member would broadcast tales of its particular history. After days of go – go – go it was nice to just sit back and relax. Weather was warm, the drinks were cool and the journey informative.

Mardi Gras world

A large warehouse where the floats for Mardi Gras are created. Here we saw how Mardi Gras floats are brought to life using Styrofoam, papier-mâché, and paint. While there, we were provided with the traditional slice of the famous Mardi Gras king cake (pretty much only a slice of bread with cinnamon sugar and a little butter)

Destrehan - Destrehan Historic Plantation
The next day we visited Destrehan Historic Plantation. Established in 1787 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Destrehan Plantation remains the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley.
Destrehan Plantation was the site where one of the three trials took place following the 1811 Slave Revolt, one of the largest slave revolts in U.S. History led by Charles Deslondes.
The plantation served as a home to Marie Celeste Robin de Logny and her husband Jean Noel Destrehan, the most successful sugar producer in St. Charles Parish and one of the driving forces in Louisiana Statehood. The plantation exhibits an original document signed by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison.

Jackson Mississippi

The following day, it was time to begin our journey back home. We stopped in Jackson Mississippi.

National agricultural aviation museum

The national agricultural aviation museum traces crop dusting from early biplanes to the aircraft of modern times.
On display are actual planes that once flew over Southern farms and plantations complimented by a video and a series of photographs and panels.
Suspended from the Museum’s ceiling is a Piper (The only brand name and I am familiar with in small planes) J3 built in 1946 and used initially as a flight school trainer. In 1957, the plane was converted into a “cut-back duster.”

Then, onto Memphis Tennessee and a visit to Elvis’s Graceland

Memphes
2017 Graceland
While in Memphes, we visited the home Elvis Presley.. The "Den" is the only garish part of the house that Elvis lived in. This "jungle" filled with Tiki style furnishings was a favorite more for his wife than him. The remaining rooms that we were permitted to view were modest and would be commonly seen in most middle-class homes.

And now the final push to get back to our home.