Hi, Michelle and Laurie here for “Rollin’ On TV.” As we were crossing the country with our RV, we decided to head to New Orleans, also known as NOLA and the Big Easy. This time, we specifically headed to the French Quarter so Laurie could see it for the first time.

Join us on this foggy morning as we eat traditional beignets at the oldest cafe, enjoy a Hurricane at the historic Pat O’Brien Bar, and see some of the sights and sounds of the crown jewel of New Orleans, established in 1718. 

The French Quarter of New Orleans is ideally explored on foot, as it’s quite compact and easy to get around. We did see a class C and a few class Bs slowly making their way through the French Quarter, but it’s really much easier to park and walk. One good idea is to settle into a campground first. We stayed at the KOA New Orleans and drove the short distance to Basin Station to park. But there are many RV parks in the area. One is actually right in the French Quarter, and there are also shuttle options from the campgrounds.

We decided to purchase a three day pass for the hop-on, hop-off tour bus that starts and ends at Basin Station. During this trip, one day passes were $39, and three day passes were $49 per adult. You get to see a good overview of New Orleans. It’s a two hour loop, and you get on and off at different spots. If you do decide to go this route, try to take the whole two hour loop if you can. The guys we had were fun and knowledgeable. We were focused on the French Quarter, so we hopped off after only a few stops and didn’t get the true value. In fact, if the French Quarter is your destination, park at Basin Station, pay the parking fee, and walk. It’s only a few blocks away.

Here we are at stop number one, the original oldest coffee house called Cafe Du Monde. And we’re going to sample some beignets.

This is Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana. And this is where the flag ceremony happened, where ownership of Louisiana went to the United States in 1903.

Bourbon Street was first laid out in 1721, and is named after the Royal French ‘Bourbon’ family. Bourbon Street boasts about 20 bars, and it’s legal to walk those streets of the French Quarter with drinks in plastic glasses. Our first bar was Pat O’Brien’s. During prohibition, Pat O’Brien ran a speakeasy in the 600 block of St. Peters Street in the French Quarter. In 1933, once prohibition was repealed, it officially opened as a bar. 

Today, there are multiple entrances to this huge block, and atmospheres from a dining courtyard, to private venues, to historical bars, and dueling grand piano nights. Although you can purchase the souvenir glass, which we did, along with the famous Hurricane drink. Please remember you need to transport those glasses back to your campground safely.

Another cool bar is Lafitte’s blacksmith shop, which is allegedly the oldest building to house a bar in the country. We ate at the Cornet, which serves authentic Cajun and creole cuisine, inspired by the cradle of jazz. The restaurant was founded by the family who gave Louis Armstrong his first horn, a cornet.

We just couldn’t visit Louisiana without paying a visit to Cox Sports television, who, by the way, has been airing “Rollin’ On TV” since our first show ten years ago. And now, we’re here at the CST studio with Jeff Brenner, executive producer, and Ashley Coleman, the programming coordinator.

So Jeff,  “Rollin’ On TV” has been with CST since we started in 2010. And we’re now the number one weekly RV television show in the country, and have been right along. A good part of that is because of you.

Jeff: I thank you, but it’s a partnership. You know, we love the show. Ashley, as you met earlier, airs it so many times during the time. And people just begin to know who you are. And down here, it’s a different type of RVing family. And so, it’s just a great fit for us when we go, “Hey, this belongs in our outdoor block. And we’re fishers and fishermen and hunters,” but they use campers all the time. So, it’s just a perfect marriage.

Michelle: I think we have to come down here and do more projects, what do you think? Jeff: I think so, get you down here for an LSU football game or a Saints football game, and see how we tailgate out of our trailers would be unbelievable. If you go down to the fishing areas, people will have trailers set up, and that’s where they will go spend the night, go fishing, come back, spend more time. And you have those communities as you get further down into the bayou. Michelle: Sounds like some great stories coming up in the future.

CST has been in existence since 2002. We just had our 17th anniversary on October 28 at 6:30 p.m. That’s when we launched, so just being around this Louisiana family and then expanding throughout the country, it’s just been a great run so far. And it’s just a lot of fun to do television down here, meet great people, deal with great people like yourselves. It’s just–it’s been a great run.

And this young lady, Ashley Coleman, is very instrumental in getting our show actually out there, aren’t you? Ashley Coleman: Yes, ma’am. It’s one of the better shows that we’ve aired on CST, and I absolutely love it. And it inspires me to want to become an RVer.

And yes, “Rollin’ On TV” is recognizable here. We asked the bartender at Pat O’Brien’s, and he went, “Rollin’ On.” We mentioned it to the KOA, we’re staying at the New Orleans KOA. And she went, “Oh my goodness, Rollin’ On, we know you, we know you!” So, the word is getting out there, and we really appreciate working with you both.

Jeff: No, it’s been a great partnership from both of us. And Ashley’s the one that makes it happen.