says, " although select sections of some may be off limits due to new sand or dunes. This type of driving gives visitors an opportunity to experience the beaches in a way you might not get in other parts of the country."

In fact, a day trip combining elements of the Boudin and Creole Nature Trails gives visitors an experience you won't find anywhere else in the country. I've been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans many a time--but for sheer adrenaline-pumping excitement, watching a gator crawl across your path beats the world-famous festival's foot-stomping music any day. And for all their color, the brilliant costumes of the Mardi Gras dancers pale compared to the sight of a hundred monarchs descending to earth as they pause en route from the Northern United States to Mexico.