Kids Camping Gear

kids camping gear

Does anyone have any good, inexpensive family vacation ideas?

I am planning on taking my two kids (I'm a single mom), ages 7 and 4, but they will be 8 and five by the time we go. Keep in mind I have promised them that some day I would take them on a train, on a plane and on a boat, but of course do not plan on doing all three in the same vacation or the same year! It would be good, though if the vacation included one of those. I have a limited budget. Any ideas? Oh, and we have no camping gear, so by the time we bought all that it really wouldn't be any cheaper than a standard vacation, and we are planning on going in late April or early may of 09.
Oh, sorry. I meant to say that we're in the Houston area.
I am trying to keep it to no more than a thousand dollars total.

Consider visiting New Orleans!

The Saint Charles Streetcar is the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world and is a "tourist attraction" in its own right. It is part of the public transit system, as are the Canal Street and Riverfront streetcar lines: http://www.norta.com/

Airfares between Houston and New Orleans are usually very inexpensive.

There is a free ferry across the Mississippi at the "foot" of Canal Street. It is a short trip but like a harbor cruise w/o a guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/canal_street_ferry

NOLA is one of the world's special places with an ambience unique in North America, and remains so even after Katrina devastated it in 2005.

Katrina flooded about 80% of New Orleans with salt water, and the water stayed for almost a month. Much of the city is still struggling to recover and all you have to do to see devastation is drive around. It will take years for NOLA to fully recover from Katrina.

However, the parts of the city that tourists usually visit were not flooded. It's not a coincidence - the French Quarter and other old parts of the city were built on relatively high ground and only suffered wind damage from Katrina. Almost all of the damage has been repaired and you have to look closely in the FQ and city center to see that Katrina happened at all. You should visit and see for yourself.

Note that the City of New Orleans is only part of the greater New Orleans area. The GNO area had a population of about 1,400,000 before Katrina and is estimated at about 1,200,000 now (July, 2007). The absent 200,000 are mostly from the City of New Orleans and the parishes of Plaquemines and Saint Bernard, which were the worst-flooded parts of the metro area. Jefferson Parish - juast to the west of the City - suffered relatively minor flooding and has fully recovered.

You can drink the water, the electricity & phones work, and services like the post office, hospitals, schools, and police/fire/EMS are operating. Restaurants, stores and shopping centers are open.

Municipal services like street cleaning & trash collection collapsed after Katrina. Those services were fully restored in late 2006 and it is no longer an issue.

I recommend staying in the French Quarter (Vieux Carre") if you can. There is a very wide range of selections available, from moderate guest houses to very exclusive "boutique" hotels. Search Yahoo Travel and Travelocity for ideas and also check the hotel websites. Go to www.frenchquarterhotels.com for some non-chain hotels.

A very inexpensive option is the India House hostel: http://www.indiahousehostel.com/

You don't need a car to get around in the French Quarter, Central Business District, or Warehouse District. Also, the parking regulations are Byzantine and there are lots of Parking Control Agents. If you drive or rent a car, leave it in a lot or garage unless you are traveling away from downtown.

The regional transit authority (www.norta.com) sells 1 and 3 day passes that offer unlimited use of buses and streetcars for the day(s) you select. There are also lots of taxicabs.

Regarding crime, use the same common sense necessary in every major city in the world and there is little chance you will be a victim of anything except a need to visit the gym.

New Orleans has mild weather from late October to early May and the city stays green all year most years (rarely freezes and almost never snows). We pay for the mild winters with hot, humid summers – particularly in July & August. The good news for summertime visitors is that hotel rates are lower.

Other things to do (not all of which are suitable for ids, but many are):

There are many sightseeing opportunities in the greater New Orleans area, including carriage rides/tours, plantation tours, swamp tours, ghost tours, and even Katrina disaster tours. The steamboat Natchez also does a harbor tour. There are numerous tour companies and your hotel can help with the arrangements. Try to avoid scheduling an outdoor tour until you know the weather forecast for the day in question.

There is always music, but the bands change: Go to www.bestofneworleans.com and click on Music then Listings or to www.offbeat.com and click on Listings, then Music. Note that music clubs often advertise "No Cover", meaning there is no charge for entering. However, clubs with "No Cover" often require that customers buy a beverage each for every "set " of music (which can be every 20 minutes) so KNOW THE PRICE before you sit down. Clubs do that because some people will sit in the club all evening drinking nothing (clubs only make money from the drinks they sell - not from the music). It is also a good idea to pay for each round of drinks (in clubs on Bourbon Street) as it s delivered so there can't be any confusion at the end of the evening.

About certain alcoholic beverages: Realize that some famous drinks are VERY potent compared with regular cocktails that have only 1 to 1 ½ ounces of alcohol. For example, a Hurricane is basically 3 or 4 ounces of rum in something like red Kool-Aid, and a Hand Grenade has at least 4 ½ ounces of Everclear + rum + vodka mixed with melon liquor. They don’t necessarily taste like an alcoholic beverage and it is easy to over-indulge.

Wander around the French Quarter, enjoy the architecture, watch the street entertainers (do tip), and visit some of the historic buildings that have been turned into museums (go to www.frenchquarter.com and click on Historic Attractions).

Assuming the weather is good, you can collect a sandwich lunch and eat in the riverfront park (watch the shipping) or in Jackson Square (a very nice park).

The Riverwalk shopping center has an air-conditioned food court with dining overlooking the river (www.riverwalkmarketplace.com). The Canal Place shopping center is in the French Quarter and has a cinema and higher-end shopping (Saks 5th Avenue, Brooks Brothers, etc.)

The lobby for the Westin Canal Place Hotel is on the 11th floor and overlooks the French Quarter. It is a great place for an afternoon drink/snack:(www.westin.com).

Cafe du Monde is in the French Quarter and you shouldn't miss having cafe au lait & beignets (www.cafedumonde.com). Another great coffee shop is the Croissant d'Or (at 615 Ursulines Street), which is open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and has food in addition to pastry.

The Palm Court restaurant is very nice, has moderate prices, and traditional live jazz starting at 8:00pm: 1204 Decatur Street, tel 504-525-0200 (reservations are important and they are not open every day). The Palm Court is closed from about July 25th to about September 25th each year.

All of the famous restaurants (Antoine's, Arnaud's, Brennan's, Commander's Palace, etc.) have reopened. The Pelican Club (on Exchange Alley in the FQ) is not as well known but is the same type experience. Reservations are a good idea, and probably essential on weekends. Tujaques Restaurant (823 Decatur Street) is very traditional and has moderate prices: http://www.tujaguesrestaurant.com/

Cafe Degas is a very French restaurant near City Park at 3127 Esplanade - which is not within walking distance of downtown (5 to 10 minutes by taxi). They are closed on Mondays & Tuesdays (504-945-5635).

The Napoleon House restaurant is at 500 Chartres Street in the FQ, and has a menu of great local dishes: http://www.napoleonhouse.com/

Preservation Hall has traditional live Jazz, and doesn’t serve alcohol so all ages are welcome: http://www.preservationhall.com/

New Orleans has ballet, opera, a symphony orchestra, and theatre:

http://www.nobadance.com/
http://www.neworleansopera.org/
http://www.lpomusic.com/
http://www.lepetittheatre.com/

The Aquarium, Audubon Zoo, and the new Insectarium are world-class attractions (www.auduboninstitute.org) and you should see them if you can. The Zoo is several miles from downtown. You can drive to the Zoo (which has free parking) or take public transit from the French Quarter.

The Louisiana State Museum is in the French Quarter: http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/ New Orleans is also home to a number of other museums, such as the National World War II Museum (www.ddaymuseum.org) and the New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org). Both can be reached by public transit: The WWII museum is in the central business district but a long walk from the French Quarter. NOMA is not within walking distance of downtown but has free parking. Go to http://www.neworleansmuseums.com/ for info on more museums.

Harrah’s Casino is in the Central Business District: http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-new-orleans/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml

New Orleans City Park has an amusement park with rides and attractions for children + free parking (www.neworleanscitypark.com).

Check www.frenchquarter.com for ideas about other things to do.

Hope you have a great time, wherever you go!

May camping trip - Part 2