1. Honey Island Swamp Tour
City: Slidell, LA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (985) 641-1769
Address: 106 Holly Ridge Dr.
Description: Located on the Pearl River boundary between Louisiana and Mississippi, the Honey Island Swamp is one of the wildest and most pristine river swamps in the United States; nearly 70,000 acres are designated as a permanently protected wildlife area. See alligators, bald eagles, waterfowl, herons, egrets, raccoons, nutria, mink, otters, and a host of other marsh wildlife on the area’s most popular swamp tour. Explore the deeper, harder-to-reach bayous and sloughs of the swamp interior known so well by highly trained guides who have studied the Honey Island area (named for a small island within the swamp known for its swarming bees). Don’t forget to take your camera on this two-hour narrated adventure offered year-round every morning and afternoon. Customized tours for birding, duck hunting, nighttime, or special occasions are available. Call for departure times and to make required reservations. If you’d rather let them do the driving, New Orleans hotel pickup is available for an extra charge. Call Cukie at (504) 242-5877. A gift shop, Cajun food, and restrooms are available at the dock. To get to the swamp take I–10 east across Lake Pontchartrain to Gause Boulevard at exit 266. Head east for 2 miles to the traffic light at the intersection of LA 190 and LA 1090 (Military Road). Turn left and drive 1 mile north on Louisiana. Highway 1090 to the I–10 Service Road. Turn right and follow the service road 1.5 miles to where it ends at Pearl River. Parking is on the left.
2. Oak Harbor Golf Club
City: Slidell, LA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (985) 646-0110
Address: 201 Oak Harbor Blvd.
Description: The 6,885-yard layout of this “beauty and the beast,” situated 2 miles from scenic Lake Pontchartrain and built in the tradition of PGA West, Oak Tree, and Kiawah Island courses, earned Golf Digest’s nomination for best new course when it opened in 1992. The Pete Dye-inspired Lee Schmitt design makes use of railroad ties and bulkheads around the many bayou waterways that intersect the layout, a worthy adversary to even scratch golfers, but plays a manageable 6,261 yards from the regular men’s tees. Sound strategy is always a premium on this championship course 20 minutes east of downtown New Orleans off I–10, as danger lurks in the form of water that comes into play on 12 of the holes.