Strolling through four ecosystems on over a mile of boardwalks through Tickfaw State Park, visitors can experience the sights and sounds of a cypress/tupelo swamp, a bottomland hardwood forest, a mixed pine/hardwood forest and the Tickfaw River.

Periodically the park site serves the region by detaining floodwaters when winter and spring rains overflow the steep banks of the Tickfaw River. These periods of occasional flooding offer a unique opportunity to educate visitors on the importance of periodic flooding in the cycle of life that makes wetlands an invaluable habitat and breeding ground for wildlife and fisheries.

At Tickfaw State park, you can go night hiking or listen to the swamp nightlife from the porch of your vacation cabin. Check at the Nature Center for scheduled programs. While there, view the 800-gallon aquarium stocked with fish found in the Tickfaw River. There are also displays featuring the animals, history and culture of the area and of Louisiana. Be sure to watch the 8-minute introductory video about the history of the park area.

Bicycle, stroll or skate the interconnecting park roadways. Bring your canoe or kayak and take a fun-filled trip on this unique section of the Tickfaw River. The Water Playground offers refreshing fun for those not quite adventurous enough to explore the swamps and sloughs.

A gift shop in the Nature Center (open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily) offers souvenirs with a local flavor.

Tickfaw State Park

Scattered throughout the park beneath a canopy of huge oak trees, you will find numerous picnic tables, as well as a group pavilion, a playground, and comfort stations. Spend a relaxing afternoon on the river or venture out into the water for lively outdoor recreation.

If you prefer to stay on land, the park's nature trail will take you by the river where you can enjoy the view. Then, cap off the perfect day by staying overnight in the park's campground.

The cool, crystal-clear waters of the Tchefuncte River yield bass, bluegill, white perch, and bream near the park area, and channel catfish, speckled trout and redfish where the river meets the lake. Freshwater fishing from the river bank or a boat offers unmatched delights for even the most casual fisherman. Crabbing in the lake and the river is also popular.

Just two miles away by road and a few minutes by water is the Madisonville public boat launch. Many visitors use the launch for access to the calm waters of the Tchefuncte River or the exhilarating expanse of Lake Pontchartrain.

Otis House
When you enter the park, you will notice a large home facing the water. This is Otis House, originally built in the 1880s as the family home for sawmill owner William Theodore Jay. It was later purchased and renovated in the 1930s by Frank Otis, serving as his summer home until his death in 1962. Mr. Otis left the property to the State of Louisiana to be developed into a recreational site for visitors. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

The Otis House Museum offers tours Wednesday – Sunday and is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Museum admission is $4 per adult. Children (12 and under) and seniors (62 and over) are admitted free. Call 985-792-4652 for group tour information. 

Fairview-Riverside State Park

As a distributary of the Mississippi River and a route to the heartland of Louisiana through the Atchafalaya Basin, Bayou Plaquemine was used as a navigable artery centuries before the age of European exploration. From the early 1700s, Bayou Plaquemine served as a commercial transport route, promoting settlement and economic prosperity in southwest and northern Louisiana via the Atchafalaya, Red and other rivers.

The Plaquemine Lock was designed by Colonel George W. Goethals (1858-1928), the assistant to the chief engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Goethals later gained distinction as chairman and chief engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission for the design and construction of the Panama Canal.

When completed in 1909, the lock was significant for having the highest freshwater lift of any lock in the world – 51 feet – and a unique engineering design that used a gravity flow principle. The gates were later modernized by the installation of hydraulic pumps. The lock served its purpose well by providing a shortcut from the Mississippi River into Louisiana's interior. By 1925, Bayou Plaquemine had become the northern terminus of the Intracoastal Canal system.

Increased river traffic during and after World War II put a severe strain on the lock's capacity and demand increased for a larger lock at Port Allen. In 1961, a larger set of locks began operating at Port Allen and the Plaquemine Lock was closed after 52 years of service. Thirteen years after closing the lock, the Corps of Engineers supervised the construction of the present levee across the mouth of Bayou Plaquemine at the Mississippi River, giving the historic old structure greater stability and providing flood protection, while closing off access to the Mississippi River through Bayou Plaquemine.

In 1972 the Plaquemine Lock structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, an honorary designation for significant historic sites. In addition to the lock, the area includes the Gary James Hebert Memorial Lockhouse, which serves as a museum and visitors center. Hebert worked to prevent the destruction of the lock by the Corps of Engineers and campaigned to have the area preserved as a historic site. Facilities also include a stylized adaptation of the Lockmaster's house which provides open-air pavilion space to display various water craft used when the lock was operational.

Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site

The crumbling brick ruins of a sugar mill built in 1829 by Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville, founder of the nearby town of Mandeville, suggest an interesting history for this site, and indeed there is. The wealthy Marigny developed this area across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans as a sugar plantation until 1852. The plantation income helped support his lavish lifestyle. He named his large land holding Fontainebleau after the beautiful forest near Paris, a favorite recreation area of the French kings.

The 2,800-acre park is located on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. On a clear day, visitors can see the lake dotted with multi-colored sailboats of all sizes and types. The sandy beach also is a delight for sunbathers. An old railroad track that runs through the park has been converted into the Tammany Trace as a part of the Rails to Trails program. It is a wonderful route for cycling, hiking and in-line skating. After a full day of activities, overnight guests can enjoy the rustic charm of the campground or the scenic setting of the lakefront cabins.

The park's nature trail is a favorite of nature lovers. Interpretive signs along the trail will help you identify many of the common trees and shrubs. Always be on the lookout for birds and other animals, as over 400 different species live in and around Fontainebleau. Bordered on three sides by water – Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou Cane and Bayou Castine – and characterized by a convergence of diverse ecosystems, it has a multitude of habitats for birds.

Fontainebleau State Park

At Bogue Chitto State Park, visitors will experience a diversity of natural habitats on one of the most dynamic and scenic river systems in Louisiana. The 1,786-acre site includes small streams, cypress tupelo swamps, a hardwood forest, upland forests and a rolling landscape.

Overnight visitors will find accommodations from tent camping to RV camping to cabins overlooking the bluffs. For larger groups and family reunions, the park offers a group camp and a conference room.

Fricke's Cave, which – despite its name – resembles more of a gorge, possesses delicate sandstone spires created when water erodes the surface underneath pebbles. The pebbles remain perched atop the spires, while over time water splashes on the sandstone surface, forming the two-foot tall fingers of sandstone that shoot up from the now-lowered surface. Boardwalks have been built, so that visitors can admire the sandstone creations from afar, as the formations are too delicate to allow visitors to walk among them.

Fourteen miles of equestrian trails wind through some of the most interesting topography of southern Louisiana, with the trailhead located near Fricke's Cave. A day trip to Bogue Chitto State Park will be a full one, with a river perfect for canoeing or kayaking, 11 lakes stocked with a variety of freshwater fish, a water playground, numerous picnic pavilions and an outdoor classroom. 

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Bogue Chitto State Park

When New Orleans fell to Federal troops in late April 1862, Confederate control of the Mississippi was in jeopardy. The Confederate army had already fortified the river bluffs at Vicksburg, Mississippi, but it needed another series of river batteries below the mouth of the Red River. The Red River was the primary route for the shipment of supplies from Texas to the heartland of the Confederacy.

The bluffs near the small town of Port Hudson represented a perfect site for the river batteries. These bluffs were the first high ground upstream from Baton Rouge and overlooked a severe bend in the river. This bend presented an additional obstacle for Union warships.

The siege of Port Hudson began on May 23, 1863. Roughly 30,000 Union troops, under the command of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks, were pitted against 6,800 Confederates, under the command of Major General Franklin Gardner. The ensuing battles constituted some of the bloodiest and most severe fighting in the entire Civil War.

As the siege continued, the Confederates nearly exhausted their ammunition and were reduced to eating mules, horses and rats. When word reached Gardner that Vicksburg had surrendered, he realized that his situation was hopeless and nothing could be gained by continuing the defense of Port Hudson. Surrender terms were negotiated, and on July 9, 1863, after 48 days and thousands of casualties, the Union army entered Port Hudson. The siege became the longest in American military history.

Prior to one of the most intense attacks by the Union soldiers, on May 27, a bold experiment was decided upon. Two African-American regiments were chosen to participate in the fight. The First and Third Louisiana Native Guards proved their worth by pressing an attack against a well-fortified Confederate position. After the siege, the garrison at Port Hudson became a recruiting center for African-American troops.

In 1974, the Port Hudson battlefield was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It joined a select group of properties which have been recognized for their importance in American History. Port Hudson State Historic Site hosts several living history events, including the Battle of Port Hudson re-enactment held annually during the last full weekend of March. Visitors can watch authentically costumed interpreters demonstrate Civil War weapons and equipment.

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