Fontainebleau State Park — Attraction in Mandeville

We stayed here for a week while visiting New Orleans, which is about an hour away. The campground is divided into two sections: north and south. The north campground is larger and generally more spacious, with lots of back-in sites and several crescent-shaped pull-throughs that can accommodate even the largest rigs. The southern campground also has a mix of back-in and pull-through sites, but with smaller, more traditional pull-throughs. Most sites have either asphalt or concrete pads (some have gravel) surrounded by grass yards. All of the sites have a picnic table and a fire ring.

We stayed in site 126 in the southern campground, a traditional but slightly curved pull-through site that was just barely long enough to contain our 37-foot fifth wheel and 21-foot truck. We parked our camper at the very back of the site, which made for some tense moments every time a new travel trailer struggled to back into the site behind us: the roads on either side of us were only about 12 feet wide. Many of the roads in the campground were just as narrow, and yet very few were marked as one way streets. That said, I never saw any incidents with vehicles trying to pass one another on the roads, and there were a lot of large RVs around during our stay. The southern campground section has two bathhouse buildings: a small one next to the section’s dump station with a soda vending machine, and a larger one with a small laundry room. The men’s bathroom in the smaller bathhouse had three bathroom stalls and two small showers, and was cleaned regularly. There is a large kids playground in the empty space between the two campground sections.

There is no fenced dog park, but there are plenty of open and wooded areas in and around the campground. You just have to watch your step in places where the leaves on the ground could be hiding mud: even though it didn’t really rain during our stay the ground was soft in a lot of places. I was surprised that we didn’t have any issues with mosquitoes despite the unusually warm weather and all the standing water in the drainage ditches and in the marshy areas bordering the campground.

In terms of cell service, the best speed I got on my Verizon Jetpack with MIMO antenna was 65 Mbps down and 23 up, so I was able to work remotely during the day and stream video in the evenings without any issues. The one speed test I ran on my 5G AT&T smartphone showed 59Mbps down and 8 up. The campground does not provide any WiFi.

The rest of this state park is a mix of forested areas with some marsh land and open fields with huge trees adorned with Spanish moss. Every late afternoon you would find folks doing photo shoots in the rows of trees not far from the southern end of the campground. There are a few hiking trails, and deer can frequently be seen along the edges of the woods during the twilight hours. The day use area is right along the shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and has a stone and steel pier, a small sandy beach area, a small water park, and a pond occupied by at least one alligator.

We would definitely...

The park is located about 10 minutes east of Mandeville. Signage is adequate. Check in was efficient and friendly. The rules are fairly basic. The interior roads are paved and in fair condition.

Our site, 134 was a back in that was just long enough for our Coach and Towed. Services (30 amp, and water only) were to the left side. Distancing is very close for a rural park. Each site has a table and a fire pit. Our site was flat and even asphalt. Overall the park was well groomed.

The park included wifi worked somewhat fair for checking e mail but that was about it. Our Verizon Hot Spot worked very well. There is no cable TV but we were able to find some OTA channels. Satellite might be difficult in some spots. We did not use the washrooms or showers but we checked and found them very dated but clean.

There are trails within the park as well as a sandy beach. It was cold and wet during our stay so we did attempt to use either. There are no restaurants or stores within easy walking distance but just a short drive away you can find food, shopping and convenience stores in Mandeville. One of the restaurants we can recommend is Mandeville Seafood. We have been there a few times and never disappointed. The Crayfish when in season are amazing, same with the shrimp, we have never had anything there that we didn’t like. We know this park can be a great base to use while visiting the local attractions but we aborted our planned stay early as our designated site was a small island surrounded by water and mud. There was no place for us to be able to enjoy the outdoors. It had rained a lot prior to our arrival and the ground was so saturated that it would not be usable for quite some time and we were not able to move to a dryer site. We also found the water had a very bad taste to it which we did not remember from our previous visits. We paid $25.00 per night weekdays and $33.00 for weekends (plus tax) and we feel we received fair poor value this time around. We will be back if in the area again if we could be assigned a...

I recently had the pleasure of visiting this state park, and it truly exceeded my expectations. The park offers a unique blend of history and tranquility. The remains of an old sugar factory add an intriguing touch, and the pottery course and sugar mill history tour were engaging experiences.

The park's ambiance is incredibly peaceful, making it an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The cabins and camps provided comfortable accommodations, and the meeting space was well-equipped for team building events. I particularly enjoyed the Spanish moss delicately draping over the ancient oak trees, creating a magical atmosphere.

The meeting space was practical with tables, chairs, and a kitchenette that included a full-size refrigerator. What impressed me the most was the option to conduct meetings either inside the building or outside under the shade of picnic tables.

However, I did notice one area for improvement: adding electrical outlets to the pavilions by the beach. With the growing number of remote workers, this addition could attract even more visitors to the park. Many people, myself included, prefer working with a nice view rather than being confined to a Starbucks. Providing charging ports would make it much more convenient.

Considering the reasonable $3 entrance fee, the park offers excellent value for money. The cabins and lodges are not only cost-effective but also spacious enough to accommodate large groups if needed.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this state park to anyone seeking a peaceful retreat with a touch of history and ample recreational opportunities. It's a hidden gem worth exploring, and with the addition of charging ports, it has the potential to attract even more visitors.

Oh... And there's a splash pad for...