Day 3 of Our Southern Road Trip: Mississippi History and Louisiana Charm

So! Welcome back. If you’ve arrived to hear some more about the Southern Series, then you’re in the right place! (And if you’re thinking, hey Shelby, you totes forgot to finish the Half Dome/Mt. Whitney Series, I got you. We’ll tie up that series after this one, so be sure to stick around while my brain figures out which direction to go in). 😂 Anywhooo, thanks for joining me today to talk about Day 3!! It was a longer one with a bit more adventure packed in! So let’s get into it shall we?

entrance way — The main arch leading into the 16 mile loop featuring tons of the monuments on the roadside.

Actual canons near the opening of the park — You can visit these cannons right at the entrance if you need to wait until the park opened like we did!

Vicksburg, Mississippi

We got up early (with little sleep but sleep nonetheless), and made our way to Vicksburg, MS, which was about a 45 minute drive from our Airbnb in Jackson. It was actually nice to be so close to our next stop since the last two days held a bunch of driving. Once we got there, we realized that they didn’t open for another half hour or so, (Vicksburg National Military Park hours are 8:30am-4:30pm CT), so we used that time to walk around the front of the park on foot. It was cool to see the monuments up close, which really gave the feeling of being there instead of just driving by.

Unfortunately, it was still super cold outside this day and so when 8:30 rolled around, we headed back to the truck and started on the 16 mile stretch that is a loop around the park. It was surreal to be there in the early morning with the sun shining over the monuments and trees. It’s definitely somewhere we’d like to go back to one day with kids to teach them more about our country’s history. You could easily spend a long weekend there going up to all of the monuments one by one and reading them in full, then enjoying picnics on one of the many benches along the way.

Mississippi battles — This spot was a key turning point in the battle. Let me know in the comments if you’re familiar or come back and see the future post diving into more history! ✨

Mississippi River January 2026 — Looking out at the Mississippi River☀️

Check this post out from my social media if you’re interested in learning more in depth about what we experienced there!👇

habitual balance facebook — Habitual Balance Facebook

One of my favorite meals on this trip was the one we had when we finished the loop on the tailgate of the truck. Even though it was cold and windy, it was freeing to know we were doing ourselves a favor by saving some moolah and getting to actually enjoy “life on the road” style eating and making what we had out of the cooler on our little portable MSR stove we use for camping. It was also the first time we used the portable Ninja smoothie maker I got on Amazon as well, and OMG I use it basically everyday now. I’m obsessed. 💁‍♀️

Check that out here if you’re into easy smoothies and quick cleanup!

Vicksburg MS sign — I’ll have a special post just for this ship as well, but I did cover it in depth over on Fb if you don’t want to wait!

Monuments in Vicksburg Mississippi — Some of these monuments were so massive. This one especially caught my eye with how giant it was, you were able to really feel like you were standing next to the soldier himself.

Vicksburg Mississippi chicken sandwich — Leftover veggies and chicken turned into buffalo chicken sandwiches for the road! We used the stove to warm the ingredients and to toast the bread!

From Vicksburg Down To The Big Easy

From there we drove further south onto New Orleans, stopping at a few rest stops along the way to take bathroom breaks and grab some snacks from the back. (We kept the bigger bins strapped down in the back of the truck so that we had extra space in the cab). Peep these retractable ratchet straps the hubs found so I don’t have to struggle getting them open and closed anymore! 😂

PS! If you’re wondering what all we took along for the ride, check out my first post in this series where I go in depth about what we decided to pack.

One of my favorite parts of this drive was getting to move across the land portion and into more of the water crossings. Several times when looking to either side we saw houses on stilts in the water and boat paths to parking lots underneath the bridges. It was really cool to imagine living like that and although it would be super aesthetic and amazing, I’m not sure if having to take a boat to a parking lot and then a vehicle to where else I wanted would be the most efficient way of getting around…then again maybe that is the peace that a lot of us are always looking for…living with less objects, less stress, and less worry about why our DoorDash app isn’t working. (Me this morning)🙈

Homes on stilts in the south — One of the many houses on stilts we were able to see from the road, what a different life this must be. 🫶

Destrehan Airbnb — Our adorably cute Airbnb for the night in Destrehan! Come back at the end of the series to hear more about the plantation itself.💁‍♀️

Large trees in MS/LA — These trees have since become my absolute favorite. They’re so beautiful, majestic, and massive. I told Ben that I think they’re one of my favorite pieces of nature apart from the desert. 💛

Our Airbnb Located on a Plantation

The Airbnb we booked for this evening happened to be located on an actual plantation! It was insane when we got there to see the beautiful old home and property with the most gorgeous trees I’ve ever seen. (Check the pics above!) I wish they had these up north because they were just so awe-inspiring to take in.

I talk a bunch about the plantation in more depth on the socials, (and just like with the Vicksburg part of our trip, I’ll be dedicating a blog post solely to the plantation as well at the end of the series). Please come back so we can be forever friends. 🤓

Once checked in, we decided to stroll the grounds a little and stumbled upon a tour that was happening in like, 4 minutes!😂 We grabbed our tickets and were immediately immersed in the history of the property and even got to walk the rest of the grounds on a self-guided tour after the guide was done speaking on the inside of the home. It was definitely one of those happen-stance moments where we really felt like winging it was the way to go.

Which kind of travel do you prefer?

Images from inside the estate — I loved going inside the estate and seeing the difference in these pics from the different owners across the years. Can you spot the things that are remodeled? 👀

Destrehan Estate — The Destrehan estate itself. Massive, commanding, and full of history.

St. Rose Tavern and My First Catfish Meal

Once we finished the tour we asked the visitor center for some local food recommendations, and were *not* disappointed when we drove down the road a few minutes to the St. Rose Tavern. This was one of those little gems that you only get to stumble upon once in a while when traveling, and it was one of our favorite stops during the entire trip. We had a blast talking with the bartender (and granddaughter of the owner!), Amanda, and then tried catfish for the first time and their famous sandwich. 🤌

(You may be noticing a trend here, but this is another one of those places that deserved its own social post, so I’ve got more on that as well as a blog post coming up at the end). You can follow me on Facebook or Instagram for daily posts about life, travel, hiking and the outdoors. Thanks for considering being besties.🫶

When we finished chatting about their giant snowstorm last year with Amanda and another local, we headed back to the plantation property to see the walk-through Christmas light show they had going on! Since we didn’t get to see any of these at home before heading on our trip, it was a little treat to be able to experience them (especially since it was cold too, which added to the ambiance of it all). ❄️

Fried Catfish — My very first catfish! OMG. I *will* be having more in the future.😅

ST. Rose Tavern — The St. Rose Tavern, a local gem that should be on your bucket list! 🥰

Light Show and Hot Cocoa

The light show was put on by a local horse therapy company that helps kids with disabilities. Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center is the name of the company, and the ladies putting on the light show really made the whole experience that much better. We talked with them for a while about our travels, learned about where they were from and about their business, and got to walk through and enjoy the light show all to ourselves! (The crowd had settled some since it was so cold out that day!)

They had mentioned there was hot chocolate in the visitor center, so we walked over and grabbed some cups and also a few pastries for the road, which were affordable and delicious. While we walked back to our Airbnb, knowing a ton more about the property and the people around it, we were so grateful to be able to have experienced such a wonderful day. This was by far one of the top days that we had throughout the entire trip, and I truly believe the reason being so was that we were able to sink into the local culture and activities which truly made it feel like we were meant to be there. ❤️

Have you ever traveled to a place like this?

beautiful tree lit up at night — One of the giant trees lit up from the show! I love all of the different colors! ✨

Lights shaped like flamingos — Flamingos! Because, why not?😂🦩

Destrehan Visitor Center coffee shop — The little coffee shop inside the Destrehan visitor center. ☕️

Mississippi to Louisiana Day 3 Costs

So to recap, we traveled from Mississippi to Louisiana this day, and it was definitely our favorite states out of them all. (Including Florida!)😳 We spent only a day at this location in Destrehan, LA, but wish we would have spent more time there looking back. It seems like such a random place to visit, (and it was), but I would highly recommend if you’re in the area to stop by both the plantation and the tavern.

Okay, so here we go! The budget for the day is a little higher than the last few, but it included some really cool experiences which we have zero regrets partaking in. Check it out and see what you think…would you have spent this much on extras? Or found other free options instead?🤔

Southern States Road Trip Expenses for Day 3:

Museum: $6.37
Fuel: $64.10
Airbnb: $181.34
Tour & tip: $65.59
Magnet & book (souvenirs): $31.72
Xmas light tour: $22.66
Dinner: $134.05
Hot chocolate & desserts: $24.82
Coffee beans: $22.71
- Total: $553.36

As always, thank you for reading and for coming along on this road trip! I’m hopeful you’ll be back next week to hear about Day 4! Let me know in the comments if I missed any key parts of these locations and if you plan to visit any! 😊

Blue truck airbnb — The driveway back to our Airbnb coming from the front of the plantation. (Peep the blue truck that will appear in future posts! It traveled nearly 4,000 miles on this trip with zero problems! Such proud parents we are.)😂

Thank You For Traveling Along From Vicksburg to New Orleans

Day 3 was filled with lots of history starting out in Vicksburg and finishing up in New Orleans. As always, thank you for spending just a little bit of your day traveling alongside us. More exciting road trip posts on the way! Miss day 2? See below.

Southern States Road Trip Day 2: Nashville to Mississippi (Food, Miles & Lessons Learned)