Things to do if you come to Fort Polk

I like to make a list of things I want to do and see when we get stationed to different parts of the world with the Army.  Most people will tell you Fort Polk is the arm pit of the Army.  We have really enjoyed our time here and have seen lots of different things we wouldn't have otherwise.  Louisiana is a party state.  There is always a festival going on for something; oysters, watermelon, mardi gras, and crawfish festivals. I hope this list helps others who might get stationed here. 

Things to do in Louisiana

1. The museum of West Louisiana
2. Hodges Gardens DONE
3. Kent Plantation Home, Alexandria
4. Alligator Park, Natchitoches DONE
5. Natchitoches- plantation tours, shops, and restaurants DONE
6. Blue Hole DONE
7. Alligator Lake DONE
8. Camping/kayaking at Toledo Bend State Park DONE
9. Historical downtown Leesville- shops, art galleries, farmers market DONE
10. Alexandria Zoo DONE
11. Hunt an alligator
12. Eat an ice box pie at Strawn’s Eat Shop, Shreveport DONE
13. Blueberry picking DONE
14. Anacoco Lake, Vernon Lake DONE
15. TREE House Museum, Alexandria
16. Leesville Race Track
17. Dixieland Water Park, Baton Rouge
18. Splash Pad, Fort Polk DONE
19. Bourbon Street, New Orleans DONE
20. Swamp Tour DONE
21. Grant's Christmas Tree Farm DONE
22. Eat alligator DONE
23. Audubon Experience, New Orleans DONE
24. Splash Pad, Leesville DONE
25. Book-Lewis House, Leesville DONE
26. Tabasco Pepper Sauce, Avery Island DONE
27. Cemetery Tour, New Orleans DONE
28. Shreveport Boardwalk
29. Steamboat, Mississippi River DONE
30. Creolenaturetrail.org- crabbing, shelling, crawfish hunting
31. Festival of Lights, Natchitoches (December) DONE
32. Mardi Gras Parade (January/February) DONE
33. Gonewildsafari.com (318-787-6902)
34. Suck crawfish DONE
35. Fish at Sunrise Catfish Farm, DeRidder
36. Biking/running trail near BJACH DONE
37. Eat at Tonk’s DONE
38. Baton Rouge Temple
39. Anderson Farm DONE
40. Sabine ATV Park
41. Old School House Mall, (Washington, LA) DONE

New Orleans (family style)

We finally ventured to the Crescent City.  We had a wonderful time.

 We went to the Audubon Zoo first.  Kate enjoyed seeing the animals, especially the ones she has been working on the animal sounds (monkey, ducks, alligator, and BIG cats). We climbed around in the kids area and got wet in the splash zones.

 Cute picture of Kate on a duck statue. She probably could have played on that for an hour.

 Family picture at the French Quarter.  Lots of art work, food, music, and crazy people!

We went on the Natchez Steamboat. It cruised up and down the Mississippi River while we ate lunch and learned the history of the area.  Highly recommend!

 Waiting in line at Cafe Du Monde, a must! I think Bryan waiting for an hour in the to-go line for beignets.

We made it to the Aquarium of the Americas and an iMax show! Kate fell asleep during the movie so it was perfect.  The shark tank was being cleaned by 2 scuba divers and 2 other scuba divers guarding off the sharks.  We had lots of fun!

Crawfish Boil

One thing I wanted to do before we left Louisiana was a crawfish boil.  It is a lot of work and money. We invited our neighbors and friends.  I bought 35 lbs of live crawfish from Market Basket, along with red potatoes, mushrooms, corn, and onions.

We put the crawfish in a cooler full of salt.  It slows down their nervous system and makes them throw-up whatever is in their stomachs.  I was brave and picked up a couple to put in the boiling pot.  

Dexter, our chef.

 Kate even got friendly with the crawfish.