We are finally getting to one of the famous rail to trail biking destinations: The Tammany Trace! We were so excited and hopeful it wouldn’t rain. It was cloudy but beautiful .

The Tammany Trace is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It is a beautiful trail going through five St. Tammany Parish (counties to us) communities. The trail is 27.5-miles with just beautiful views of woods and wetlands and runs through wonderful little towns like Covington, Abita Springs and Mandeville.

As it turns out, they share a history of being summer resorts where the New Orleans folks traveled on boats to get out of the hot summers. There are piney woods and moss-draped oaks all along the trail. The western endpoint is in Covington where we stayed for 2 nights at the Staybridge Suites. It was a comfortable place to stay and best of all, they take dogs. The staff was very nice and they gave you breakfast. The location was good. It was very convenient to get to the trail as well as restaurants.

The first night, we went to dinner early and found a very nice steak restaurant called Gallagher’s Grill.

Since I always look for restaurant reviews on numbers of sites, Gallagher’s was highly recommended. Besides that, steak and chicken are usually “safe” to eat. Seriously though, it was empty when we walked in (I called for reservations at 5:00 and was told we needed them) but within a half hour, it was packed with people.

It was (and is)  a very good steak restaurant with a good wine list. The service was very good and so was the food. No wonder it was so crowded. We also found out that everyone in Covington eats between 5 and 6 o’clock and after that every restaurant was empty. The waiter told us the town closes at 7:30.  We would definitely recommend it if you are visiting Covington Louisiana.

Covington is located at the confluence of three rivers. It was founded in 1813 by the Warton family. Interestingly, this area was not part of the Louisiana Purchase but belonged to western Florida. It actually voted to stay in the Union during the Civil War.  In 1888, the train came through and the Tammany Trace runs along those tracks.

The beginning of the trail at Covington is located in the historic part of the town.  Once we figured out which way to go, we traveled past some funky little businesses.

As you ride along the beginning of the trail, it travels under the main roads through the town.

The first trailhead is 7 miles east in Albita Springs. There is parking and restrooms. It is a cute little town that has been restored with shops, restaurants, and water fountains). We stopped there and a ranger told us that dogs are NOT allowed on the trail. We told him Mac wasn’t on the trail, he was in a trailer and didn’t touch the ground himself.  The ranger wasn’t amused but said that unless there were complaints, he wouldn’t stop us.

We happened to riding by when we saw the Abita Springs Art and Farmers Market. What we loved about the town is that it celebrated the trail. The Farmers Market was next to the trail so you can’t miss it. They had locally grown produce and we saw local honey, jellies, baked goods, and other delicious goodies.

There was live music and everyone (especially the kids) was having a great time. We passed by a local beer brewery called Albita Springs Brewery. Too bad I don’t like beer but Mike was ready and Mac would love it too although he is too young to drink.

As we rode south, the next town we went by was Mandeville. One thing about the Tammany Trace is that there are several street crossings.  Mandeville also has lots of shops and restaurants.  Once we went past Mandeville, the trail went through the damp, heavy wetlands climate.

 

As we rode by the towns, we started to get hungry there wasn’t anywhere to stop when we wanted to have lunch. We met someone who told us to eat at CharLou’s. I still cannot believe we ate there but Mike challenged me to do it. Have to say eating all you want catfish isn’t my idea of a date.

It is a little family restaurant that looks pretty dumpy on the outside (and just okay inside) but the people were wonderful and they let us eat in an overhang (sort of). If you thought the sign was a jewel, the front was even more unappealing.

Our picnic table view was the road and the garbage area for the restaurant. We had to sit outside because we didn’t want to leave Mac. The food was actually better than okay but I stayed safe with a burger figuring there isn’t too much you can do to it. They did have a bathroom so that was the best.

Back on the trail, we found an old cemetery that we decided to go in and visit since it fit in with our tour of the funeral museum back in Texas. This was a very old and, in need of maintenance, cemetery in Mandeville.

Then we continued to the end and turned around. On the way back, we rode past a marina and stopped in to see the boats. It seemed that it was one of the marinas furthest in from Lake Pontchartrain and safest for the boats but it was for sale. Hmmm, maybe we should buy a marina. That would be pretty funny.

We rode it both ways in one day and by the end of the day, all of us were a bit tired. Mac gets exhausted because he stands up the whole way.

For dinner that night we went to the Acme Oyster House. It is the same as the one in New Orleans but not as good. Maybe the atmosphere was different but it was still a pretty fun place to go, but the food was a bit disappointing.  Oh well, I should have had the oysters..maybe.

The next morning was a Sunday and we were leaving for Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Since we had a bit of a drive we looked for a fun breakfast place. We left Mac in the room and found a wonderful restaurant called Liz’s Where Y’at Diner.

It was crowded and delicious. It was a funky place in Mandeville. According to legend, Liz always wanted a diner so after 15 years of waitressing, she bought a funny little restaurant. The food is good and the people watching even better.

We went back to the hotel, packed up the car and left for our next destination: Hattiesburg, Mississippi.