Between New Orleans and Houston we stayed a few nights at Lorrain Parish Park not too far outside of Lake Charles. It was a nice small, and very quiet park with a very cool historic wooden bridge. The facilities were kept clean and the dock on the river was a perfect spot for the kids to try out their new fishing poles. Lucy had more luck catching baby grass shrimp and tiny minnows in her net than with the rod though.

On our way to Houston, we stopped at Holly Beach to stretch our legs and let the kids play on the beach. While the waters there were sorta muddy colored (due to “being on the wrong side of the Mississippi” according to a local we chatted with.) it was still a nice sandy beach. It was almost completely dead, apart from a couple of residents taking in sunset. It’s in a pretty remote spot so I imagine it never gets too busy, even in summer.