January Fun!

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A Little January Fun


The best way to spend a week in January is not in the Chicago area. We took a 10 day trip south driving to Destin, FL and New Orleans, LA. We drove through Birmingham and Montgomery, AL on the way and  stopped at some of the civil rights memorials. One of the most meaningful one was the National Memorial for Peace and Justice which highlights the many lynchings (4400) that took place in this country between the years of 1877 and 1950.

We spent 2 1/2 days in Destin, enjoying walking on the beach and using the pool at the resort as well as trying different restaurants. Drove to New Orleans, stopping in Biloxi, MS to visit the last home of Jefferson Davis. Activities in New Orleans included exploring the French Quarter, taking a 2 hour cruise on the Natchez steam boat, and sipping coffee and eating beignets at Cafe Du Mond. 

The next day we visited a few plantations along Plantation Row - the Whitney Plantation and the Laura Plantation. Both were interesting in their own ways. The Whitney Plantation focuses on the lives of the slaves who lived on the planation. The Laura Plantation was a sugar plantation owned by a Creole family. Both were interesting and guides did very well sharing the stories of life on these plantations.

On our way home we stopped in Vicksburg, MS where we toured the battlefield. The battlefields we have visited are such peaceful places and it is hard to imagine what happened there over 150 years ago. We must continue to remember however.

A flat tire on the last leg of our journey home did not spoil this wonderful trip to these places, some of which we had been to before and some we explored for the first time.

 A few more photos


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