I’m not a big road-tripper. I prefer to get to my destination and enjoy all it has to offer. Give me an airplane and I’m good to go. Whoever said “It’s more about the journey than the destination” (or however that quote goes) is a bit off in my book. That being said, we decided to save a little bit of moolah and drive to New Orleans from Richmond, Virginia.

This is about a 1,000-mile adventure (give or take). We took the east to west route (to avoid the north/south I-95 route), and let me just say “Virginia is one long state.” We left Virginia, heading for Tennessee, and felt like we were never going to get out of the Old Dominion (though it was a scenic drive).

Next up was a tiny corner of Georgia. Then Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

I missed the cute Georgia peach sign because I was checking Waze. Dang traffic.

In case you were wondering, the Mississippi  Delta is the home of the Blues, considered to be the only music truly recognized as “America’s music.” We had a lot of time with Google on this trip.

I missed the official Louisiana sign because I was turned around in my seat (fully seat-belted, just so you know) telling the teen we were almost at the Louisiana sign.

The itinerary for this road trip was a couple of days in New Orleans and then on to Pensacola, Florida and the Flora-Bama coastline. As often as we’ve been to the Sunshine State, we had never been to the Panhandle. But first … French Quarter fun!

The French Quarter

My favorite part of the French Quarter (besides the food) is the cast iron architecture, grand galleries (balconies) and hanging plants. New Orleans has the most cast iron of any U.S. city. Can you guess which city comes in second? That would be Richmond, Virginia.

Rather than horse-drawn carriages, New Orleans has mule-drawn carriages.

This is a pretty area right in front of Jackson Square. It’s a nice spot to sit and watch the river. Or listen to a guy playing the saxophone.

I love bridges of any type. The Crescent City Connection bridge is especially pretty at night. It’s a twin cantilever bridge crossing the Mississippi River along U.S. Highway 90. It’s the 5th longest of its type in the world. New Orleans’ nickname, among others, is the Crescent City – in case you were wondering where the name came from.

Steamboat Natchez

We are big boat fans, so a lunch cruise on the Steamboat Natchez was right up our alley (or wake, as the case may be). They also do dinner cruises.

The Natchez is one of only two true steam-powered sternwheelers on the Mississippi today. She was launched by the New Orleans Steam Company in 1975, but her engines date back to 1925. Her predecessor, the Natchez VI, raced (and beat) the Robert E. Lee steamboat in a famous race.

From the 32-note steam calliope and the jazz band, to the captain’s hand-held megaphone and the 25-ton white oak wheel, the Natchez is like stepping back in time. At least for two hours, anyway. The lunch buffet is also delicious.

You can also check out the massive engines, boilers and other interior workings.

Sights along the way

St. Louis Cathedral

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest active cathedral in the U.S. Built over the foundation of a 1727 Colonial church, it was completed in 1851. It is absolutely gorgeous. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves, though they really don’t do it justice. I could have sat in that peaceful sanctuary all day.

Big Easy Eats

Beignets, Gumbo, Jambalaya and hurricanes by the gallon – We wanted to try alllll the food!

The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant

The Old Coffee Pot had the feel of a casual coffee shop. We noticed a sign saying it had been featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” so of course we had to give it a try.

We later found out it had been on a recent episode of Gordon Ramsay’s “24 Hours to Hell and Back.” Now, if you know anything about this show (or paid attention to the title of the show), it’s not exactly a good thing to be featured on it. However, big kudos to Mr. Ramsay. This was our favorite meal of the whole trip. The waitstaff was excellent and the food was phenomenal. We almost went back a second time but had committed ourselves to trying all sorts of different places. It will be a go-to if we ever return to New Orleans.

Evangeline’s

The name Evangeline, of course, made me think of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog” (Ray and Evangeline are just the best). I can’t think of a better reason to try something new, can you?

Evangeline’s serves seasonal and locally-sourced Cajun and Creole dishes in a cozy atmosphere. They were setting up for live entertainment as we were leaving.

I tend to notice the most obscure details when I travel. At Evangeline’s, I noticed that the restrooms were labeled Evangeline (for the ladies) and Gabriel (for the men-folks). Okay, that’s cute, but what the heck does it mean (I knew there had to be a really good – and probably creative – reason)?

I called up my trusty friend Google. Turns out, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote an epic poem called “Evangeline A Tale of Acadie,” which was published in 1847. To make a long story short (there’s all sorts of dactylic hexameter and Greek and Latin inspiration), it’s about an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love, who just so happens to be named Gabriel. See, my “Princess and the Frog” feeling wasn’t so far off. Same story, reversed roles.

Cafe Beignet

Beignets were at the top of my list of Big Easy eats. Now, I know it’s probably some sort of a sin to go to New Orleans and NOT go to Cafe Du Monde (in our defense, we had tried the night before, but it was really crowded and we were actually quite stuffed from dinner). We just happened to be near Cafe Beignet and, being in a snack-ish kind of mood, decided to give it a try. The cafe is casual and friendly with an open-air French ambiance.

The beignets were soft, flaky, powdery and perfectly perfect in every way. It was unusually hot during the time we were in town, and that lemonade was a lifesaver. As were the napkins.

Click here to read Part 2 of this epic road trip.