Be prepared Vicksburg is a big park and the terrain is very rough (why the siege lasted so long). Plan several hours for the stop. We stopped on our way back north from New Orleans. Unfortunately Confederate Ave is closed due to road problems which means to see the whole park you have to double back on parts you've already seen. To complete the Jr Ranger book you have to drive the entire park. It took us about 3 hours to see everything and help the kids answer all the questions. Video at the Visitors' Center is very good. Second Visitors' Center at The Cairo is worth checking out as well.
We arrived just in time for the Ranger talk. Ranger walked us through the history of Jazz music and Jazz influence on the city. Ranger was a talented artist and he played the pieces on the piano for us. Talk was informative and engaging. Plus 45 minutes of free A/C in the summer in New Orleans can't be beat. Our girls did the Jr Ranger books. Ranger was very interactive with them. Great stop
We arrived at Jackson Square a little early for our tour so we decided to check out the interior of St Louis Cathedral. The inside is beautiful and they have little brochures for self guided tours. We only had about 15 minutes. We looked around at some of the very beautiful artwork. Adults could probably spend an hour or so looking around but the kids were done after about 10 minutes. We went ahead an left before they could get noisy.
For $3 (you need cash) you can get a day pass good for all the streetcars and buses on the system. We stayed in the Superdome area and used the Canal Street and River lines to get back and forth to the French Quarter multiple times. Kids had a great time riding the trolleys. Most the time there was plenty of seating only had to stand on two of the rides (midweek, weekends I"m sure are more crowded). Trolley's were clean. Canal street line had A/C which was big plus. Trolley's came about every 15-20 minutes. Drivers were always very helpful. Highly recommend taking RTA to get around vs driving.
We stopped as we were in the area so our girls could get Jr Ranger badges. We were there early on a Tuesday and we only saw 3 other people (not counting the rangers). Visitor's Center was very nice and had a great video about the National Seashore. We went on a short hike along the bayou. Didn't see any gators (it was really hot even by 10 AM) but we did see a snake, some lizards, a BIG bull frog and lots of birds. We spent about 1.5 hours hiking and doing the Jr Ranger books. Plenty of places to hike if you have more time.
We stopped at West Beach. Beach was very clean (they have the tractor sweeping the sand while we were out there which made my 2 year old nephew's day). Sand is amazing. Bathroom facility was very clean (well for a beach). Wish it would have dedicated changing stalls instead of just bathroom stalls. Out door showers to rinse off at. Covered picnic area. Life guards on duty. Sadly due to Tropical Storm we weren't really able to get into the water but we enjoyed spending the morning building sand castles and playing in the tidal pool. $5 to park for 4 hours.
We stopped here on a whim because the Gulf was too strong for swimming for our kids. The fort is very well maintained and the kids had a lot of fun exploring the various nooks. Stop inside the visitors center to get a map and read the displays. With kids plan on 1-2 hours.
Rooms were clean. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was basic fare (biscuits/gravy, pancake machine, cereal, pastries). My biggest complaint was the door on our bathroom didn't latch but unless you are like me and traveling with a 1 year old that pushes open every door it wouldn't have been a problem. Guest coin operated laundry available which was nice after spending the day at the beach to get the salt and sand out of clothes.
Impromptu stop on our way home from Cincinnati. The park has a nice nature center and reenactment farm open seasonally. We parked at the nature center off season. There is a very nice gravel trail here. Easy walk about 1.5 miles. We combined it with the moderate trail up to the campground because my daughter needed to use the restroom and that is the only place I knew one would be open off season. Trail up was muddy due to all the rain but manageable. Bathroom at campground was clean. Kids played on the small playground for a while before hiking back to the car. Very nice park
Very nice zoo. Exhibits were nice and looked well maintained. Lots of animals out and about even on a cool rainy day in March. Lots of staff out with animal encounters. Staff was very friendly. Food was good but pricing was on par with every other zoo (kinda high for what you are getting but again it's a zoo they are all expensive). Several smashed penny machine (great for cheap souvenirs for kids). Only real complaint was the lay out was a little weird. We had to backtrack quite a bit to see all the exhibits.