Mandeville Trailhead

It’s summer in south Louisiana. Your kids are out of school. They’re bored, hot, grumpy and being annoying. What’s a parent to do? Drop them off anywhere and speed off never to return? I can’t say that thought hasn’t crossed my mind. But here is a better (and legal) alternative.
The splash pad at the Mandeville Trailhead is so much fun on a hot day. There are bathrooms and water fountains there too. The kids have a blast trying to guess when the water jets will shoot up and they are worn out when it’s time to go home.
The Mandeville Trailhead is a great place to take your little brats… oh I mean darlings… anytime, but especially in the summer.

Mandeville Trailhead is one of those places you hear people talk about, see the announcements for events at it on the electronic signs leading to the Causeway Bridge, and still have no clue where it is. Until you stumble on it one day while trying to find another place. Once I knew where it was, it wasn’t too hard to make the decision to visit at a later date.
The Trailhead wasn’t too crowded when we did finally visit. I enjoyed walking through the Trailhead museum. Learned a few things about the Northshore and Mandeville. I’ve had friends tell me I needed to visit it on a Saturday (which I did) but I must of caught the farmer’s market on a bad day. I wasn’t too impressed with the produce selection. There was enough crafts stuff to spend some time looking at. I didn’t rent a bike from the Kickstand Café; that will have to be a separate review after another visit.

I went to the sunset show tonight at the trailhead. Baby daddy was playing drums for the band so I was obligated to go out there. It was really nice. My son is a runner so I spend most of my times at events like this chasing him. So that I did. But in between I was able to check some of the vendors and facilities. The Shiver Shack had a huge selection of food and fabulous cookies. My son ended up at the water spouts and got totally soaked. He had a blast. I love those water spouts and the huge United States painted on the ground. The show was really nice. A good family crowd.

The Mandeville Trailhead is a great little place in downtown old Mandeville.
The trailhead has an amphitheater for performance, a splash area for kids and hosts numerous events.
The splash area is a must attend during the hot summer months. There is a large fountain shooting water out of numerous holes in the ground where kids can splash and rollick in the cool water. Parents can bring a chair and sit back and relax while their kids expend all of their energy.
There is also a trailhead museum which is pretty neat. The museum is kept quite cool so it is a nice break from the hot sun as well. Inside there is a model of the old Mandeville Lakefront wooden slide and beach area. The museum focuses on old Mandeville history ad I was able to learn many things about this area that I had not previously known.
If you’re in the area, this trailhead should definitely be on your list of places to see.