I’m not going to spend a lot of time dwelling on the absolute shit-show 2020 turned into. You already know, you were there. Suffice it to say, both opportunities for a Rave Hajj were thwarted, leaving a lot of mixed feelings (mostly “dammit” types of feelings).
A vacation was called for, no matter what. Can’t travel internationally, so that rules out a lot of new adventures. But then I found out about Barn Hill Preserve in Ethel, Louisiana. It’s a little under 2 hours outside New Orleans, and you can swim with asian small-clawed otters!! Obviously this needed to happen. The fact it was such a short distance from the Big Easy made accommodation a no-brainer.
Packed up the modern-day Family Truckster (a VW Golf TDI) and headed out. For this trip, a long-overdue stop in Georgia was necessary to see some family (Uncle Fred and Aunt Melissa!), and what a crazy fun time that was. Morgan and Lucy were the perfect hosts, if not a bit excitable. We also had time to soak up some rays at the pool, and of course hit up several breweries (of which Akademia was an easy favorite–great food, spectacular brews, and immensely friendly staff–though that last point was found EVERYWHERE!!), as there’s no shortage of great micros in Athens.
Our time in Georgia drew to a close, and onward we drove to New Orleans. We got a room at the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street (named for Bourbonnais, a historic region in central France–not the delicious beverage) with a balcony ON Bourbon for an absolute pittance. COVID was hurtin EVERYONE hard.
New Orleans was a veritable ghost town. Far too many businesses were closed entirely (long-term temporary, not permanently, it’s important to say), with about half of those that even had open hours only open Thursday through Sunday. It really was quite surreal to see almost NOBODY around in the culturally rich and historically significant French Quarter. But to be honest, it was also kinda nice because there was NO waiting for anything. Even Cafe du Monde was at most a 10 minute wait for beignets in the morning!
Unfortunately the big one we were hoping to see, St. Louis #1, was closed due to COVID (I guess they didn’t want anyone transmitting it to the folks inside? /shrug). But we were able to walk the Quarter, ride the cable car to the Garden District, hit up some voodoo shops, and see plenty. A few restaurants were closed this round, but we were able to enjoy Napoleon House, Muriel’s Jackson Square (which will be recognized by fans of “Red Dead Redemption 2”), and Bourbon House.
On to the otters!! Barn Hill Preserve is an AZA (American Zoological Association) accredited organization. What this means is, essentially, you won’t see them involved in any spats with Carole Baskin. It’s a fantastic facility with people who genuinely care about the welfare of the animals in their care.
The day started off with a tour of the facility including a look at their breeding/conservation programs on-site, as well as a chance to meet some of their animal ambassadors, including up close and personal with kangaroo joeys and getting to hold a two-toed sloth. Just the general tour/ambassador option is a great choice if you have kids (or, like me, if you just refuse to grow up).
After the tour and “meet-and-greet” came the absolutely most wonderful time ever….swimming with three asian small-clawed otters! There were about 7 or 8 of us in the pool with them (so we were able to stay six feet apart in case anyone’s concerned) and we got about 30 minutes of pool time, and then about 15 minutes sitting on the deck with towels so they could dry themselves off on our laps. There’s a good bit of video on my youtube channel (armedferret) but sadly my gopro shut off before the dry-off time as I wasn’t aware it would only record 30 minutes and stop (that’s since been remedied).
After the otter swim we had a couple nights left in New Orleans, but sadly the weather wasn’t the most cooperative, getting extremely wet. Thankfully the World War II Museum was open, providing an indoor respite from the torrential rain. I can’t say enough good things about this amazing installation; ANY trip to New Orleans should include a full day set aside to explore the immersive exhibits.
Weather notwithstanding, New Orleans was spectacular, and on the way home we stopped off in Atlanta to visit the Georgia Aquarium (a few photos from which I’ll include to end this post). As the WWII Museum is to New Orleans, if you visit Atlanta and don’t hit the Aquarium…you’re simply wrong, friend. And now they have a whole new shark exhibit which I am *SOOO* excited to go back to see!!
Great post! Glad you were able to do some traveling again!