LOUISIANA TRAVEL NEWS

Latest Local & International Travel News, Guides, Information & Planning Tips

David Grunfeld / The Times-PicayuneNeed a getaway? Explore the beauty and activities of St. Tammany Parish.

Mandeville's Lakeshore Drive is reminiscent of pre-Katrina Pass Christian or Gulfport, Miss. -- only here, many of the gracious houses are now raised on 15-foot-high stilts. Residents walk their dogs in a mowed strip of grass beside Lake Pontchartrain. Oak trees drip moss.

Historic downtown Covington is simultaneously adorable and stylish. There are boutiques, restaurants (artist Michaelopolis owns Etoile) and art galleries (WWL radio personality Garland Robinette's work is at Spectrum Gallery) in storybook cottages and old-fashioned storefronts. But there's also HJ Smith's Sons Hardware Store, which has been around for five generations, and, across North Columbia Street, a jumble of a store named Roy's Knife and Archery Shop and We Do Sell Guns (as well as guitars, violins, cameras and harmonicas).

Sometimes we need to run away to a simpler place. Especially now, when money is tight, the world's economy threatens to slip into free fall, and some of us (OK, me) need to go to rehab for an addiction to Internet coverage of the presidential race.

MILLIE BALL / THE TIMES-PICAYUNEThe A-frame Chalet at Little River Bluffs has 25-foot windows overlooking Little Tchefuncte River.

The good news is we don't have to run far. We can head to St. Tammany Parish. Really. "A little way to get away" is the phrase used by Dan Gray, who, with his wife, JoAnn, runs Maison Reve Farm in Folsom, an upscale bed and breakfast where visitors might see a deer wandering on the grounds.

Here are a few of my favorite north shore restaurants.

COFFEE'S BOILIN' POT

DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE ARCHIVEA waitress carries crabs, crawfish and corn to a table at Coffee's Boilin' Pot in Madisonville.

305 Covington Hwy., Madisonville, 985.845.2348, www.coffeesboilinpot.com. Lunch and dinner; closed Sunday and Monday.

It's a small-town version of a New Orleans neighborhood seafood joint.

ONGOING CONCERTS

ELLIS LUCIA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNEGrown-ups sip wine and listen to music while children play on bales of hay at a recent Jazz 'n the Vines concert at Pontchartrain Vineyards near Bush.

Abita Springs Sunday Afternoon Concerts, 1 p.m., this Sunday and Oct. 19, Abita Springs Trailhead. Oct. 12: Grocery Clerks, Jude Leblanc and Friends and the Hot Sauce Cajun Band. Oct. 19: To be announced. 985.892.0711. Free.

Bayou Jam Concert Series, 5:30 p.m., this Sunday and Oct. 26, Heritage Park, 1827 Front St. (behind the Train Depot), Slidell, 985.646.4375, www.slidell.la.us. Today, Penny Lane; Oct. 26, Vince Vance and the Valiants. Free.

TheAdriatic Sea near Sucuraj, Croatia

Distance from New Orleans, about 5,570 miles

(From left) Parker Piacun, Joseph Piacun (holding paper), Grant Piacun and Gina Piacun'

Wetraveled this summer to the village of Sucuraj on the island of Hvar, Croatia, to visit family, " writes Joseph Piacun of Metairie. "Sucuraj is a small, sleepy fishing village surrounded by vineyards and olive tree groves.

"We all enjoyed day trips by boat to the nearby beaches to swim in the clear water. We spent our evenings enjoying grilled seafood in the cafes and restaurants that surround the village harbor.

"Sucuraj is a perfect place to experience the traditional, laid-back Mediterranean lifestyle.

Tip: If you are traveling through Europe, save your shopping for Croatia; it's one of the few countries in Europe where the exchange rate is reasonably favorable to Americans."

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The problem: I have a question about car rental insurance. I recently booked a car in Manzanillo, Mexico, through Hotwire. I ended up paying $197 in advance for a two-week rental through Thrifty.

My practice in renting cars has been to decline the optional insurance, relying on my personal coverage and my credit card coverage. That hasn't been a problem -- until now.

MILLIE BALL / THE TIMES-PICAYUNETimes Square feels like it might be the center of the universe at night.

NEW YORK -- You don't need big bucks to enjoy the Big Apple big time. Travel like a New Yorker on the subway. Eat like a New Yorker on the street. And see the city like a New Yorker by visiting public spaces, landmarks and famous places, many of which can be enjoyed for free. Here are some strategies.

Getting around: Subway fare is $2. A MetroCard with unlimited rides on subways and buses is $7.50 for the day or $25 for seven days.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Distance from New Orleans, about 1,300 miles

(From left) Myra Gonzales, Lindsey Gonzales, Sasha Poche, Allison Rousseve, Kristin Byrd, Kim Byrd and Gail Rousseve

"Several members of the class of 2008 from Cabrini High School continued celebrating their high school graduation this summer with a road trip to Cabo," writes Gail Rousseve of New Orleans. "The girls and their mothers spent seven wonderful days snorkeling, jet skiing, para-sailing, horseback riding and swimming with the dolphins, in addition to shopping and touring.

FIND OTHER FANS

A month-old sports networking site -- www.sportsfanlive.com -- directs fans to U.S. sports bars on game day. Click on Fanfinder at the top right of the site, and a map will pop up.

Under it, type in New Orleans (Saints, Hornets and Privateers), click on the calendar, and the date of the next game will appear. Then type in the zip code of your hotel or go to the bottom of the page and type the name of the city, and find a list of sports bars.

The problem: My daughter and son-in-law will be traveling to South Africa to attend a cousin's wedding. They've been carefully watching ticket prices online and recently found a fare on South African Airways. They phoned the airline to book the tickets.

The problem is that my daughter's ticket is under her married name. My daughter has yet to secure a new passport and green card with her new name, and there isn't enough time to get them before they leave.

Cooperstown, New York

Distance from New Orleans, about 1,400 miles

(From left, front row) Blake Landry, Brooks Richard, Gage Plaisance, Seth Gravois, Rhett Clement; (from left, back row) Jai Bourg, Chance Verdin, Paul Faucheaux, Spencer Folse, Spencer Miller, Wesley Lassare

'My son Spencer became part of history when he was able to participate in a 12-year-old youth baseball tournament in Cooperstown, " writes Beth Folse of Thibodaux.

"The LA Diamond Jaxx traveled to Cooperstown New York to play baseball in the Cooperstown Dreams Park and American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational tournament the week of July 5.

The players were then inducted into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown Dream Park is a place where dreams really do come true. Missing from the picture are coaches Shane Trosclair, Rusty Lassere and Dondi Clement.

Tip: Go into the town of Cooperstown to get to know the people, and make sure you eat at TJ's Place at 124 Main St. It's the best breakfast in town."

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The problem: Is there a difference between the price you pay for an airline ticket online, compared with off-line? I recently tried to buy a ticket for my mother on Expedia. She wanted to fly to North Carolina to visit my brother, who was on life-support.

ROB O'NEAL / FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU / ASSOCIATED PRESS One of about 50 six-toed cats, which live in and around the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Fla., checks out her surroundings. /

CUDJOE KEY, FLA. -- When you leave the Florida mainland heading south, U.S. 1 becomes a series of bridges and two-lane roads connecting the 110-mile-long chain of islands known as the Keys.

Its historic charm is engulfing.

The first towns are Key Largo -- where "The African Queen" boat from the film now lives -- and Islamorada. Both have inspired countless movies.

GULFPORT: MUSIC AND CARS

The Cajun, Country, Swamp Pop Music Festival and Car Show next Friday and Saturday in Gulfport, Miss., just won the Shining Example Award Festival of the Year from the Southeast Tourism Society.

It will be held at the Harrison County Fairgrounds (6.5 miles north of Interstate 10, Long Beach exit 28), where performers will be on stage 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday. The car show is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Jim Morton / Grandfather Mountain / AP Photo Two years ago, peak fall color was in mid-October along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain in Linville, N.C. Want more Travel stories? Read Millie Ball's Blog.

New England's fall foliage typically peaks in late September and early October. But around the country, leaf-peeping season can run well into November.

The U.S. Forest Service links to fall color reports in all but a few states at www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/.

Precisely when the leaves turn, and how brilliant the colors will be, can't be predicted too far in advance, because it depends on early fall weather.

"One of the things that is really critical is cool nights," said Howard Neufeld, a professor of plant physiology at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. "Starting in September, if it starts to get cool but not below freezing, if you have clear cool days and cool nights, it stimulates fall color."