With its extremely strong legs, clawed feet, and muscular tail, the alligator can move an astounding 30 m.p.h. for short spurts. By comparison, the fastest human sprinter achieves only 20 m.p.h.

A good place to stop and stretch (especially if you have kids in the car and brought along a cooler with lunch) is the Cameron Prairie Visitor Center. Picnic tables and clean bathrooms--plus an engaging high-tech presentation featuring life-like talking animatronics or holograms that are not only educational but really fun.

After spending time spotting the birds and avoiding the gators, you may want to hunt for seashells on the 26 miles of shelling beaches (which, I should add, suffered no ill effects from the BP oil spill).

Located west of the Mississippi Delta, the beaches are constantly replenished by the "muddy river's" southeast tidal flow that carries with it whelks, cockles, angel wings, cat eyes, wentletraps, and periwinkles. So, bring a bucket or two and walk the sandy shores. Low tide following a storm is an especially good time to find some beach treasures.

Wade fishing is another popular past time, and I saw a number of folks throwing out nets during my visit.

And if the kids have fallen asleep or the weather has turned, exploring the beaches doesn't even require getting out of your car. "You can drive on all the beaches in Cameron Parish," Megan Hartman of the Visitors Bureau