Entry No. 41 — the New Orleans file — filed under: roadside-oddity
Cajun Pride Swamp Tours (Manchac Swamp)
This privately owned wildlife refuge sits in the Manchac Swamp about 25 miles from New Orleans, where flat-bottom boats glide under draped Spanish moss past free-roaming alligators. The bayou here is steeped in dark local lore: a voodoo priestess remembered as Julia Brown (also called Julie White) is said to have cursed the area before the September 1915 hurricane that wiped out three nearby settlements: Frenier, Ruddock, and Napton. Add in the rougarou werewolf legend and the drowned ghost towns, and the cypress threads feel a long way from anywhere.
The story
If you want to understand why New Orleans stays nervous about the water, drive 25 miles west of town to 110 Frenier Road in LaPlace. Here, on a privately owned patch of the Manchac Swamp, flat-bottom boats glide through duckweed under cypress trees heavily draped in Spanish moss. It looks like a classic bayou wildlife sanctuary with wild alligators lazily trailing the hull, but you are floating directly above the sunken remains of three logging towns—Frenier, Ruddock, and Napton—that were swallowed by the swamp more than a century ago.
The swamp's dark reputation centers on Julia Brown (often called Julie White), a local voodoo priestess who lived in Frenier in the early 1900s. As the story goes, she sat on her porch singing an ominous verse: 'When I die, I'm gonna take the whole town with me.' On September 29, 1915, the day she was buried, a massive hurricane slammed Lake Pontchartrain. The resulting storm surge flattened all three settlements and drowned hundreds of residents. The swamp reclaimed the timber camps, leaving behind drowned ghost towns, rumors of the beastly Rougarou, and a quiet stretch of water that feels remarkably isolated.
What it's like
Give yourself extra travel time and plan to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled tour—the highway route heading out of New Orleans into LaPlace is notoriously prone to sudden traffic delays. Once on board the covered flat-bottom boat, the ride is steady and low-key. Because Cajun Pride owns its stretch of swamp, you won't be deafened by passing airboats or jockeying with rival tour operators. You'll get up-close looks at wild alligators and heron nests while local captains narrate the ecosystem—just be sure to prompt your guide about Julia Brown's curse before you hit open water.
The move: Take an afternoon boat through the moss-hung bayou and ask the guide to tell you the Julie White curse story before you reach the open water.
- 📍 LaPlace
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 110 Frenier Rd, LaPlace, LA 70068
Hours: Added 2026-06-22 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Whitney Plantation — Pair a morning boat ride over the drowned settlements of Manchac Swamp with an afternoon at Louisiana's only plantation museum dedicated entirely to the lives of enslaved people.
- Metairie Cemetery (Lake Lawn Metairie) — Contrast the forgotten submerged graves of the 1915 Manchac storm with New Orleans' most extravagant above-ground marble tombs and mausoleums.
- Holt Cemetery — Follow up the ghost-town history of Manchac Swamp with a visit to this rare in-ground potter's field where families fashion hand-carved and improvised grave markers.
- The Mortuary — Shift from the outdoor swamp lore of Julia Brown's fatal curse to a historic Mid-City funeral home mansion steeped in eerie urban history.
Good to know
Where is Cajun Pride Swamp Tours located?
It sits at 110 Frenier Road in LaPlace, Louisiana, roughly 25 miles west of downtown New Orleans near Lake Pontchartrain.
Why do I need to arrive 30 minutes before my tour?
Traffic along the highway route from New Orleans to LaPlace can be unpredictable, and tours depart on a strict schedule.
What makes this tour different from other New Orleans swamp tours?
It takes place on a privately owned wildlife refuge in Manchac Swamp, which keeps outside airboat traffic away and preserves a quieter environment for spotting wildlife.
What is the history behind the Julia Brown curse?
Julia Brown was a voodoo priestess who lived in the logging settlement of Frenier. Legend says she warned she would take the town with her when she died; on September 29, 1915—the day of her funeral—a devastating hurricane swept away the towns of Frenier, Ruddock, and Napton.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Tripadvisor · mentalfloss.com · neworleans.com
last checked: 2026-06-22