Louisiana Beaches?? (New Orleans, Grand Isle, Atlanta: vacation, rent , home)

[masse1ta]

Are there any nice public beaches in southern louisiana? I live in New Orleans and my friend is visiting next week and asked about beaches. I've only been here two months so I'm not sure what there is. Help please!

[Doogie]

Well, there is Ponthchartrain Beach that was man-made for an amusement park that was there years ago (the park was closed in the 80's). I know the beach is still there but I don't think it's open to the public. It's at the end of Elysian Fields if you want to go take a look.

There is also Grand Isle which is the most beach-like area in LA but it takes a long time to get there from N.O. and most people don't consider it worth the effort.

The vast majority of people who want a beach in N.O. go to the MS coast. Anywhere from Waveland to Pass Christian (about 45 min to an hour) to Gulfport and Biloxi (about 1.5 hours) is acceptable for most. Three hours will get you to Pensacola which generally IS considered to be worth the effort.

[masse1ta]

Thanks for the help!! Pensacola sounds cool, but I dunno if I wanna spend the gas money.

Anyone else??

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by masse1ta

Are there any nice public beaches in southern louisiana? I live in New Orleans and my friend is visiting next week and asked about beaches. I've only been here two months so I'm not sure what there is. Help please!

The vast majority of Louisiana's coastline is marsh/swamp - the only "beach" area is Grand Isle, which is a barrier island. The only real reason people go there is for the fishing and crabbing - it is not a pretty vacation-type beach. So, to answer your question, Louisianaians head to Alabama (Gulf Shores) or Florida (Pensacola, Destin, Fort Walton) when they want to go to the beach.

[bluebird39]

Most people go on swamp tours instead of beaches. I liked the ones out of Slidel instead of on the West slide of N.O. Don't know if they're still there.

Grand Isle used to be worth the drive, IMO.

Try Ship Island, out of Gulfport, if it's still open after K. You have to take a ferry to it, but it's a National Park, and the beach is my all time favorite from decades living there. IMO, Alabama and Florida have good beaches, but Mississippi and Louisiana have all of their beaches on the barrier islands. If you can get to these islands though, it's incredible! Well worth the money, and a realy little known paradise there.

We used to take all of our tourist friends to Jean Laffite National Park, South of N.O., on the other side of the River. They have a great board walk that you can hike on, and see tons of alligators, snakes, and other wildlife. It's not far at all from the city, and you don't have to spend much money to get the full "swamp tour". HTH

Other idea... Margaritaville in the quarter LOL...

[pirate_lafitte]

I used to live in Louisiana. I went to Louisiana a few times and I have never seen a beach there. There MAY be(keyword "may") one there, but I have never seen one. The only decent beach I have ever seen was near Savannah,GA. The "beaches" on the fake lakes in metro Atlanta are not that nice in my opinion. As for Louisiana, I don't imagine there is a beach there.

[DFWMike]

The beaches didn't used to be bad in Biloxi, Mississippi gulf coast, but I haven't been since the Hurricane. 3 hours and you could try Gulf Shores Alabama, beautiful beaches. But from what I know you're going to have to drive a bit before you hit an actual gulfside beach in the N.O. area.

[tatybugzmom]

I know everyone else doesn't think much about Grand Ilse, but it is our family's favorite vacation spot in Louisiana. I agree that the beach isn't the prettiest or the cleanest. But we like it because it isn't as crowded as the Florida or Alabama beaches. And yes if you like to fish or catch crabs that's great too. And we also don't mind bringing home an ice chest full of fresh shrimp at a great price. If I had to choose a beach that was beautiful I would definitely pick Florida or Alabama, but if you just want a beach to hang out on close to New Orleans. Grand Ilse is better than no beach. If your interested you can check out GrandIlse.com it has a listing of cabins for rent and resteraunts and other info.

[California Dreaming]

I live on the northshore, and there are no beaches. The closest nice beach would be Gulfshores or Destin. Personally I would go to Florida.

[LoneWolf2421]

The beaches here in mississippi are nicer now than before the hurricane