New Orleans: Swamp Tour

I really enjoyed my bike tour in DC earlier this year & thought we would do a bike tour in New Orleans. However, New Orleans is tour central. There are tour vendors everywhere. As we were walking down Bourbon Street, we watched some moviesofneworleans tour van squish a bicycle (with a rider on it - thankfully the rider was ok).

So, we decided to take a swamp tour instead. Gators over distracted drivers.

We were in New Orleans about 2 weeks after Hurricane Isaac.  It was so interesting to hear how the storm impacted the wetlands. Less animals (they run to fresh water), less plants (dying from the influx of salt water) and brackish water.

I LOVED all the cypress trees. So pretty.

And, the fast boat was just what we needed after walking for hours the day before.

But, these ladies were the real star of the tour. Apparently, alligators aren't very smart. They just know to open their mouth when they see something white (I would be very tan if I lived near a swamp - 2 million baby gators a season).

The rumble of the boats were like the call of the ice cream man. The gators came by to get their treats.

They came so close & looked so tame, it was hard not to reach out & touch one. Apparently, during non-Hurricane times the gators are very plentiful in these waters.

These teeth don't look nearly as sharp as Rocky's.

I loved hearing about how passionate our guide was about the gators & the environment. 

We learned a lot & saw a different side of New Orleans than if we had just kept wandering the streets.

And, we found one flower that survived the big storm. I don't know if I would do this particular tour again, but I would do the tour in a different city. And, if the kids were tall enough, they would love to come along as well (I think you need to be 54 inches - I barely made it).