Palmetto Island State Park

We spent the weekend with our children and grandchildren who live in Rayne, La.  Enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a nearby restaurant, played with the grandkids, attended mass and then spent a couple hours in our favorite state.  Palmetto Island State Park hasn't been over for very long, and Rory has mentioned it several times.  So we decided to drive down and check it out.

The park is very nice and has many amenities, although the gravel and shell roads are not one.  The dust was pretty bad and Richard and I wondered how much worse it will be come summertime.  I'm not one to "rough it" too much.  I've done my share of camping in sand, sun and grit while raising the boys.  These days I'm more of a clean, quiet cabin type when it comes to camping and such.  I don't have to have the luxuries of  five-star hotels, but they definitely get my high scores.

One of the amenities of the park is the water pad.  Imagine taking the kids out for a picnic, a long hike, fishing or boating and then top it off with a romp in the cool, clean water streaming from every angle.  Doesn't that sound like the perfect way to close out the day?  Clean them off and cool them down, then settle in the car for the drive home, everyone's irritations and weariness washed away on the large colorful water pad.

The photos on this page and the following description are all from the Louisiana State Office of State Parks website.


Palmetto Island State Park
Located on the Vermilion River, Palmetto Island State Park offers a real south Louisiana outdoors experience. A boat launch provides access to the river for fishing and boating, while the interior lagoons allow canoers and kayakers an up-close look at the native plant and animal life.

Overnight guests can stay in one of six vacation cabins, each sleeping up to 8 people comfortably. The cabins, nestled among the trees and foliage, are outfitted with a full kitchen and bathroom, fireplaces for those chilly winter evenings and a screened-in porch for listening to the crickets and frogs sing out their evening melodies.96 campsites are available for RV camping (20 sites include an extra tent camping pad), for those who like to get a little closer to nature.

The visitor center complex will defintely be a "must do" for the day-use visitor, with a water playground and bathhouse. A multi-purpose room can be rented for meetings, family gatherings, weddings and many other events.The ever-present palmetto plants, for which the park is named, are echoed in many of the architectural elements around the park; so pack a picnic and have a scavenger hunt for them all!

http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ipalmetto.ASPX#