The campground is on the east side of town, right off of Boulder Hwy. It’s one of the few TT parks we’ve visited that’s in an urban area. It’s tightly packed, but there is a pool and a hot tub, and it’s away from the madness of the strip. There are some old timey casinos near by that are good for cheap prime rib and Fremont Street and The Strip are a short trek across town.

We hoped to meet up with a cousin who recently had a baby, but as luck would have it, the family came down with a big and we decided call off the visit.

By another twist of luck, we were able to meet up with my mom and grandpa as they were making their way back from Missouri to California. They were only in town for a quick stopover, but we took the time to wander around Downtown and take in the spectacle.

We also spent a day walking the strip and eating at some of our favorite spots, including the La Creperie inside the Paris Hotel.

We camped on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, at Fairview-Riverside State Park. New Orleans is located on the south side of Lake Pontchartrain, about 45 minutes away, near the mouth of the Mississippi River. To get into the city, we drove across “The Causeway,” a 24 mile long bridge which, up until 2011, was the world’s longest. It remains the longest bridge continually over water.

The campground was nice, with well spaced sites, open grass and

Ben scored a ton of beads as well as toys, balls and stuffed animals from the parade and generous passersby. He fell asleep near our furthest point from the truck and had to be carried back. We were amazed at his ability to sleep as we passed through the parade route with marching bands, drum lines, and millions of rowdy revelers.

The heat, the excitement and one hurricane drink we shared turned out to be too much for all of us. We made our way back to the truck and returned to camp before the sun had set and the party had a chance to get too wild.

We parked in the lot near Nissan Stadium and walked across the pedestrian bridge into downtown. We had lunch at The Diner on the 5th floor, and then meandered through the busy streets around Broadway, the performing arts center, legislative plaza, war memorial, and eventually to the State Capitol grounds.

On our way back, we stopped for dinner and live music at Puckett’s. Josh Gallagher performed and Ben had a great time at his first live show. He was so attentive and really enjoyed the whole experience.

We crossed Broadway again, this time at night, and the whole street was blocked off for the throngs of people spilling out of bars and music halls along the street while music blared in all directions.