OurVacays Home Trips Guides About ← all trips

A Travel Diary

Gulf Coast 2013

New Orleans & Mobile at Christmas — December 2013

25Photographs

4Days

4Places

Scroll to explore ↓

New Orleans & the Bay

A Christmas-week road trip along the Gulf Coast — the steel and bronze of New Orleans City Park's Besthoff Sculpture Garden, the live oaks of the same park lit head to foot for Celebration in the Oaks, the science halls of Mobile's Exploreum, and the great grey battleship USS Alabama at her berth in Mobile Bay. Tap any photo to enlarge it, or open the map.

Day 1

Tue 24 Dec

Besthoff Sculpture Garden

Besthoff Sculpture Garden — Besthoff Sculpture GardenA stainless burst of a sculpture in New Orleans City Park.

Besthoff Sculpture Garden — Besthoff Sculpture GardenThe LOVE sculpture, red against the winter green.

Besthoff Sculpture Garden — Besthoff Sculpture GardenKinetic steel reaching into a blue Louisiana sky.

Besthoff Sculpture Garden — Besthoff Sculpture GardenBronze figures in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

Day 2

Wed 25 Dec

Celebration in the Oaks

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksCelebration in the Oaks, City Park lit up for Christmas.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksA glowing Santa in the dark.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksA snowman of light among the live oaks.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksSea creatures in light against a wall of blue.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksAn octopus picked out in bulbs.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksA carriage and horse drawn in light.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksThe little park train winding past candy canes.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksA live oak wrapped head to foot in lights.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksA rocking horse of light in the dark.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksOld park rides outlined in color.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksA whole menagerie glowing under the Spanish moss.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksCelebration in the Oaks, City Park lit up for Christmas.

Celebration in the Oaks — Celebration in the OaksA glowing Santa in the dark.

Day 3

Thu 26 Dec

The Gulf Coast Exploreum

The Gulf Coast Exploreum — The Gulf Coast ExploreumA LEGO rocket standing tall at the Exploreum.

The Gulf Coast Exploreum — The Gulf Coast ExploreumA space capsule you could climb inside.

Day 4

Fri 27 Dec

USS Alabama

USS Alabama — USS AlabamaThe USS Alabama at her berth in Mobile Bay.

USS Alabama — USS AlabamaThe great guns of the battleship against the evening sky.

USS Alabama — USS AlabamaLooking down the teak deck between the turrets.

USS Alabama — USS AlabamaThe superstructure rising into a winter dusk.

USS Alabama — USS AlabamaThe whole ship and the aircraft park from above.

USS Alabama — USS AlabamaA tank on the lawn beside the battleship.

Where we wandered