Summer Slowdown
While New Orleans is fondly known as "The Big Easy," anyone truly in the know will tell you that it "ain't dat easy."
Between the festivals and feasts in spring and fall lies the "summer famine," where visitor rates fall, restaurants shutter to renovate, and people tend to seek more hospitable climates. From easy-to-reach markets on the Gulf Coast and in Texas to longer journeys on both coasts and abroad, the summer slowdown is the perfect excuse to "get out of Dodge."
DRIVE TIME = PRIME TIME
Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are Louisiana's fellow Gulf Coasters, with the US Census Bureau estimating about 15.8 million people populating the Gulf Coast Region. Naturally, with America itself being a geographically large nation, its citizens historically enjoy road trips, bringing to mind some common memories for us all.
Some sound advice about Gulf Coast sojourns: always wake up early, get the car gassed and packed the night before, and stop for breakfast at a place such as Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, or McDonald's.
At this juncture, our travelers must firmly commit to their destination. Whether Biloxi in Mississippi, Gulf Shores in Alabama, or Destin in Florida, each location bears a special place in the hearts and minds of Southerners.
"Upon arrival, we check in before promptly going to the grocery for snacks and sandwich materials to be had on the beach before heading to the seafood market for our dinners of lobsters, shrimps, oysters, etc." Amber Babin, a local attorney and avid "roadtripper" with her husband and two children, said.
Biloxi saw an impressive post-Katrina jump due to its courting of land based casinos, including the MGM-owned Beau Rivage, as well as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (located at 777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS), which has its own, now-tragic connection to the city of New Orleans. Other travelers are fans of the Biloxi Aquarium, while the highlight of some trips is meandering across the street to Mary MaHoney's, located at 111 Rue Magnolia directly across from the Beaux Rivage (875 Beach Rd., Biloxi, MS).
"ARUBA, JAMAICA, OOH I WANNA TAKE YOU"
Destinations within the Caribbean are getting more and more accessible from NOLA with MSY expanding its international offerings to places such as Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Aruba.
Aruba, a Dutch constituent country, also has some New Orleans connections as a popular New Orleans bar called Lucy's Retired Surfers' Bar & Restaurant (701 Tchoupitoulas St.) has a sister location on the island, located at L.G. Smith Blvd. 82, Oranjestad, Aruba. Christina Derenthal-Salicco, a film executive out of Los Angeles, said, "There is no pun intended, but Lucy's Aruba really rolled out the red carpet. It was a real mixture of Caribbean beach life with Southern Hospitality."
Aruba also partnered with Travel + Leisure for a campaign for "The Best Job in the World" as an Aruba-based weatherperson due to the island's near 300 days per year sunshine and consistent temperature.
Another island that's becoming a fan-favorite is the Franco-Dutch, bilingual Saint Martin. Its two-in-one combination of two of Western Europe's primary destinations, synthesized with Caribbean beach culture, makes for both a convenient and a multi-cultural designation.
Add in the famed "jet blast" where beach-goers are, literally, blown into the waters from the airport (SXM) as jets depart from the island's notoriously short runway, and the entire experience is ready for bar tales, memories, and, of course, Instagram reels.
HOMEGROWN HOSPITALITY
"Home is where the heart is" is one concept New Orleanians are known to appreciate.
Frequently appearing on the "must-do" list as day-adventures from NOLA are the city of Lafayette and Plantation Row. Lafayette, best known as the capital of Cajun Country, supports a number of world-famous festivals for music, cuisine, and culture, especially Festival International de Louisiane. For historical plantations, there are a lot of opportunities, including Oak Alley, Whitney, Destrehan, Houmas, and the famed Myrtles Plantation.
TEX-ANA
Obviously, Texas has more land, money, and power players than its smaller neighbor Louisiana, but we both play in the Majors. There is plenty to do. For example, last year, some spent two weeks bouncing around Texas using luxury bus line Vonlane. Within two weeks, there was a solar eclipse in full totality, a Madonna concert, a soccer game in Austin's brand new stadium, and a baseball game.
"LET'S GET DIGITAL, DIGITAL"
From the open borders of the EU to America's—in particular the Gulf Coast's—rapidly developing Houston to Miami digital, travel planning through various apps is a necessity.
One travel professional said, "I outline my route using Rome2Rio to decide my travel method and overlay that with my usual booking apps (Expedia, Travelocity, etc.) for travel. I try to book directly with the hotel itself because it's easier to make changes directly or even to see if they have partners in other markets to book multiple destinations." Download each app to your phone or tablet and sign up for updates to your reservations to really be on top of your game.
When asked about some Northern attitudes about Southern travel and their own day trips, Lisa Bell, a travel and tourism PR executive and former representative of the Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (Massachusetts is also known for its proximity to a variety of climates and entertainment), said, "I love New Orleans as my weekend trip. Though, I'll let y'all keep the heat and hurricanes, but I always enjoy a good drive-thru daiquiri shop."
NOLA's reputation, as usual, proceeds itself.
