The Mini Road Trip

When we went to Jackson in December to shoot a wedding, we purposely planned an extra couple of days and turned it into a mini road trip.  We flew into New Orleans and were joined by our friends Kaitlin & Andrew for a little fun before driving up to Jackson, an easy 3 hours north. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday. I don't know why we all look so terrified in the picture above, I promise, I'm a good driver :)

We were in New Orleans for less than 24 hours, so we really wanted to make sure it counted. We stayed at LaFitte Guest House on the quiet end of Bourbon Street. It was full of quirky French Quarter charm,  our room featured a giant four poster bed and an AMAZING balcony (see view above). We had a lovely dinner at Muriel's, peeking into all of it's spooky nooks and crannies, including the meal they set out nightly for their resident ghost. Then we wandered around to jazz bars. The next morning, enjoyed coffee on our balcony in the sun, as captured in the photo here. 

But the best part of road trips are always the unexpected gems you find along the way. The things you wouldn't necessarily go out of your way to visit, but since you're there, you might as well stop and take a peek. For us, that was Kentwood, Louisiana, hometown of Britney Spears.  In the years since high school,  I've forgotten how to do any sort of complex math,  but I have retained the knowledge of Britney Spear's origins. 

Thankfully I was in a car with three other people who were equally as excited check out Kentwood. The economy has recked havoc on this small town, the brick building ruins in the photo of Kaitlin & Andrew above is what half the town looks like now. But fret not, the tiny Kentwood Museum is filled with Britney paraphernalia and the friendly woman who runs it will tell you her memories of Britney as a child. That's me posing with Britney's wings from her Femme Fatale tour and check out Jason and I in the mirror of Britney's bedroom, which had been moved from her childhood home. 

We stopped for lunch at Nyla's Burger Basket just across the border in Mississippi, the woman at the museum told us it was Britney's favorite spot. 

After a couple days in Jackson, we hopped back in the car and made the trip in reverse, this time really enjoying the scenery you go from woods, to swamps and open waters as you cruise down the raised roads and back into New Orleans. 

All in all, it was a great trip, and one that has me inspired to looking into other mini-road trip detours I can take in future travels.