Culture in the Crescent City
How would you like to live an hour or so away from New Orleans in a bedroom community that has so much to offer, you may decide you never really want to venture into The Big Easy? It’s possible on Louisiana’s Northshore. The area is defined by its location on the “north shore” of Lake Pontchartrain, which is the large lake that forms the northern border of New Orleans. The area is known for its piney woods, natural beauty, both beautiful rural and upscale areas, and an extremely diverse range of activities. Once the playground of many New Orleanians back in the early 20th century, large numbers of the city dwellers permanently moved to the Northshore bringing with them many of the traditions and fun-filled approach to life that permeates The Crescent City. Like New Orleans, the area is a gumbo of French, German, Spanish, and African influences that all contribute to the unique flavor of the Northshore.
Fests and Fests and Fest
As you know, you can’t have a Louisiana weekend without a festival taking place and the Northshore has more than its fair share. Founded in 1972, the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival is the largest free harvest festival in the state. The Louisiana Renaissance Festival celebrates the 14th through 17th centuries bringing its lively and immersive merriment to the area from late fall through early December. A flotilla of fun, the Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival attracts scores of classic hand-crafted wooden boats from across the Gulf Coast offering visitors the chance to view and sometimes board the vessels. The quaint town of Abita Springs has a variety of festivals, but two of them stand out. The Whole Town Garage Sale is a yard sale on steroids, while the Abita Bicycle Festival treats attendees to a gaggle of art bikes, vintage bikes, custom wackadoodle bikes with multiple frames and handlebars, unicycles, recumbents and trikes. There’s the Bluesberry Music & Arts Festival, Three Rivers Art Festival, Slidell Antique District Fair, and of course, Mardi Gras, which is essentially celebrated for an entire month before Fat Tuesday. Catch the spirit and some throws at "Gee-rated" parades with an emphasis on family-fun entertainment. You’ll find them in Covington, Mandeville, Slidell and other communities across the Northshore.
Listen and Look
If you’re looking for great music and nightlife, the Northshore has it. From the 19th century jazz hall setting of the Dew Drop Jazz & Social Hall and Ruby’s Roadhouse in Mandeville to The Green Room in Covington. Want to sip wine and hear live music under the stars? Head out to Wild Bush Farm & Vineyard during its Jazz’n the Vines concert series each spring and fall. There are also a variety of art galleries and museums ranging from fine arts to history along with those to delight the kiddos. For something a little more funky (okay, a lot more funky), it’s the Abita Mystery House, which has been featured on "American Pickers" on the A&E Network and History Channel. Louisiana's most eccentric museum, you’ll find interactive vignettes of Southern life, memorabilia, old arcade machines, a hand-cranked piano, as well as more than 50,000 found and recycled objects. You have to see it to believe it.
If you’re looking to keep busy with plenty of options all year long, there’s a lot of culture to soak up on the Northshore.