Rabbits are everywhere!  Where did they come from and what are they doing in the middle of a cosmopolitan area?  We were in Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego, Louisiana across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.  The rabbits were the first thing we noticed driving into the RV Park section.  A Park Ranger told us the rabbits have few predators and lots of feeding ground.  There was a fox in the area until Wildlife and Fisheries relocated him to the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain.  Every so often Coyotes will come through the park and get a few rabbits.  We enjoyed watching the rabbits feed and play.  In fact, we could get within four or five feet of the rabbits before they scampered off.  At one point we counted 75 rabbits before we decided to stop counting.

We could count rabbits for only so long.  It was time to see what Westwego had to offer.  The name itself is interesting and no one is quite sure how Westwego was named.  It all began in 1870 with the railroad when the Texas and Pacific placed a railroad yard in the area.  The railroad was compensated by the State to build rails west.   Folklore has it that conductors would yell “west we go” as travelers boarded.  It is believed that G.W.R. Bayley, a railroad engineer, first publicized the name in 1873 stating, “The construction of the railroad west of New Orleans was commenced at Westwego, opposite the Western boundary of the city (New Orleans), in the latter part of May 1870.”  The railroad found the town, yet many of the early settlers were fishermen, shrimpers, oystermen, and trappers.  The town offered the fastest route from the Gulf of Mexico.  Most of the catch was sold to markets in New Orleans.

Next door to the State Park is the Market Wego, better known as the Shrimp Lot.  It is a huge parking lot with vendor stalls lining each side, all selling fresh seafood.  Shrimp season had just opened so most vendors had shrimp all vying for our business.  Some vendors also had fish, oysters and crabs.  Watching customers come and go, it was obvious they had their favorite vendor.

Westwego has a farmers market.  The market resembles a town square with storefronts surrounding the center.  Unfortunately, the Saturday we went there were two vegetable vendors, two food vendors and two crafts vendors and about a dozen empty stalls.  It was very hot and the end of a growing season.  Even though the offerings were limited we had fantastic white chocolate bread pudding and Cajun custard pie.

The farmers market is located on historic Sala Avenue.  The village of Salaville was incorporated in Westwego.  The historic area is four blocks long and includes a museum, a theater, and an art gallery in addition to the farmers market.  The museum is located in the old Fisherman’s Exchange Building and features an early 1900 hardware store including upstairs living quarters, an outhouse and wooden cistern.

Back to Bayou Segnette State Park and the rabbits.  Bayou Segnette offers much more than rabbits.  The park offers three hiking trails all connected – Wildcat Walk, .3 miles; West We Go, .6miles; and Raccoon Right Away, .3 miles.  There is a wavepool and a pool for overnight guest as well as a day picnic area, playground and nature center.  The park is divided into two sections – day activities and overnight guest.   The park is large with many roads perfect for biking.

The RV sites are large with asphalt pads, concrete patios with a table, and some have wooden decks with a table.  Our site had a wooden deck and concrete patio each having a table.  We also had a fire ring, a grill, and a pole for a light.  The sites have water and electricity.  We camped during peak season, May-September, and the cost was $26.00 per night.  We found this expensive since there was no sewer and only one dump station.  Peak Season is the summer and it was HOT!  In fact it was too hot to really enjoy what the park had to offer.  Our suggestion would be camp during the off season, the fee is $18.00 per night and the weather should be more outdoor activities friendly.