Like New Orleans, but before everyone knew about it
Covington, Louisiana – New Orleans Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain is one of those rare pockets of the New Orleans area that still feels like a secret —like NOLA before everyone knew where to eat, drink, and weekend.
It’s calmer, greener, and more local – but it’s just across the lake.
Why venture from Bourbon Street to Covington, St. Tammany Parish, and the Northshore?
Because you get live jazz, real Louisiana food, swamp tours, bike trails, and historic hotels — without the Quarter prices or the Bourbon Street riff raff.
It’s New Orleans’ quieter, cooler cousin, and honestly, it still is kind of a secret.
Here’s the quick lay of the land:
St. Tammany Parish is the larger county that includes Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Lacombe, Madisonville, and Slidell – as well as a handful of lake and swamp towns.
Covington is the walkable, food-forward town where you’ll probably stay, and how I’ll refer to this general area for much of the article.
“The Northshore” is all of these places together—the New Orleans-adjacent region north of Lake Pontchartrain that locals treat as one ecosystem.
What are the best things to in Covington, St. Tammany Parish - the Northshore of New Orleans in 2026?
📍 Location: North of Lake Pontchartrain, St. Tammany Parish with a few cities inside the Parish
🛬 Nearest Airport: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
🚗 Drive time from New Orleans: 30–60 minutes
🕒 Time zone: Central Time (CT)
🌿 Best for: Nature, slow travel, locals, weekend escapes
🗓️ How many days do you need: 2–3 days
🛍️ Vibe: Outdoorsy, artsy, residential, old-Louisiana
🌼 Spring
March through May is the sweet spot.
It’s warm but not punishing, humidity hasn’t fully arrived, and everything feels green and alive.
This is the best time for outdoor parks, biking, and swamp tours.
Spring also brings small-town festivals, art markets, and live music.
☀️ Summer
June through September is hot and humid.
Expect daily highs in the 90s, thick air, and afternoon storms that roll in fast and leave just as quickly.
Swamp tours still run and are dramatic in summer, but plan early mornings. Because they’re hot.
This is a slower, local season.
🍂 Fall
October and November are ideal.
The heat breaks, humidity drops, and the Northshore feels outdoorsy again.
This is one of the best times for hiking, kayaking, swamp tours, and exploring downtown Covington or Abita Springs.
Festivals return, crowds stay manageable, and the weather makes lingering outside actually enjoyable.
❄️ Winter
December through February is mild and quiet.
Highs usually sit in the 50s to 60s, with occasional rain.
Swamp tours still operate, especially on warmer days, and winter is surprisingly good for walking trails and state parks without bugs or crowds.
📍 Orientation to the Northshore neighborhoods
Covington
Covington is the Northshore’s cultural and food hub. The main character, if you will.
Downtown has real momentum, with galleries, coffee shops, an abundance of barber shops for some reason, and a dining scene worth traveling for.
The Tammany Trace runs straight through town, making it easy to arrive by bike or build a day around cycling, eating, and wandering.
It’s the most put-together town on this side of the lake.
Mandeville
Mandeville feels like a lake town that accidentally became aspirational.
The lakefront trail is the anchor here, especially around sunset when everyone seems to materialize for walks, bike rides, or just sitting and staring at Lake Pontchartrain.
Downtown stays mellow with antique shops, wine bars, and restaurants that feel designed for locals first, visitors second.
Abita Springs
Abita Springs is small, artsy, and proudly strange.
This is where folk art, beer culture, and low-grade weirdness collide.
The Abita Springs Brewery draws people in, but the town keeps them wandering, between the Mystery House, trailhead museum, and pop-up festivals that feel spontaneous rather than scheduled. It’s a place where live music, handmade signs, and creative clutter are part of the appeal, not something being polished away.
Lacombe
Lacombe is where the Northshore turns atmospheric.
This area leans hard into bayous, swamps, and slow-moving water, with fewer curated stops and more raw Louisiana energy.
You’ll find kayak launches, seafood shacks, and roads that feel like they’ve been here longer than any map.
Lacombe is about real Louisiana mood, landscape, and the quieter, older rhythms of the region.
Madisonville
Madisonville is quiet, coastal, and understated in a way that feels intentional.
It’s a working waterfront town with marinas, seafood restaurants, and a slower pace that attracts people who want lake views without crowds.
This is where you go for long lunches, boats instead of bikes, and a version of the Northshore that hasn’t tried to rebrand itself. It’s charming in a low-volume way.
Slidell
Slidell is less quaint than the rest of the Northshore, but more functional.
It’s the eastern gateway, closest to Honey Island Swamp, NASA’s Stennis Space Center, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Lodging is practical, dining is casual, and it works best as a base for outdoor excursions rather than a destination itself.
You stay here because it makes sense, not because it’s trying to impress you.
Fly into MSY + rental car
Most travelers fly into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and drive north across the Lake Pontchartrain
Causeway or I-10.
The Causeway is cool. It’s 24 miles long, and one of the longest continuous bridges over water in the world.
About halfway across, you lose sight of land in both directions. It kind of has that driving-into-the-void vibe.
Culturally, the Causeway is the line between New Orleans chaos and Northshore ease. People commute it daily, but crossing it for a weekend feels intentional—like you’re choosing quiet over noise, space over crowds.
Pro tip: drive it at sunset if you can.
With a car, you’re looking at about 30–60 minutes, depending on where you leave from.
The rental car option gives you flexibility for parks, swamp tours, and bouncing between the towns. And to be honest you kind of need a car for the Northshore.
You can check out rental car options below:
Ride share or taxi from New Orleans
This is my preferred move.
I usually fly into MSY and take a taxi or rideshare instead of renting a car.
Dealing with a car in New Orleans is annoying, you can’t drink if you’re driving, and hotel parking can easily hit $60 per night.
If you’re staying just in Covington, taxis make the whole trip feel lighter and less logistical. But as I said above, a car is kind of necessary if you plan to do more in the Northshore than just Covington.
Luxury Sedan
This would be my preferred move if I was a little more spendy.
Some people take buses, some people rent cars, and some people rent a driver with a luxury sedan. If you’re the latter, click below:
Driving & Parking
Driving is the most straightforward way to move around the Northshore, especially if you plan to visit state parks, swamp tours, or bounce between towns.
Roads are easy, traffic is minimal compared to New Orleans, and parking is generally free or inexpensive.
Town centers like Mandeville, Abita Springs, and Covington all have accessible street parking and small lots, making stops low-stress. Just note that once you’re out near swamps or parks, distances add up quickly, so plan routes ahead of time.
Biking (Tammany Trace)
The Tammany Trace is one of the Northshore’s biggest assets. This 31-mile paved rail-trail connects Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe, and Slidell.
It’s flat, shaded in parts, and ideal for casual rides rather than hardcore cycling. You can bike between towns, stop for lunch or a brewery break, and turn the ride itself into the activity instead of just transportation.
You can walk over to Brooks’ Bike Shop or check out bike rentals below:
Ride shares & taxis
Ride shares and taxis work well for point-to-point trips, especially if you’re staying mostly in one town or heading out for dinner or live music. Availability is generally reliable in Mandeville and Covington, with slightly fewer cars late at night or farther into swampy areas. This option is great if you want to drink, avoid parking, or keep the trip low-effort.
Outdoor & nature experiences
This is where the Northshore earns its reputation. Wide-open space, water in every direction, and parks that feel cinematic instead of manicured.
- Fontainebleau State Park is the headline act: oak-lined paths, lake views, sugar mill ruins, kayaking access, and sunsets that make you forget you’re less than an hour from the city.
- Fairview Riverside State Park is quieter and more contemplative, trading lakefront drama for calm river scenery and uncrowded walking trails.
- Kayaking and lakefront walks are woven into daily life here, especially around Mandeville and Lacombe, where water access feels casual rather than touristic.
Arts, music & culture
The Northshore’s culture is quieter but deeper, less performative and more rooted.
- Abita Mystery House is a full-on roadside fever dream, packed with folk art, political commentary, and found objects that somehow cohere into something unforgettable.
- Dew Drop Jazz Hall I’m so sad I haven’t made it to one of these shows yet. This legendary music hall opened in 1895 and is one of the most important small jazz venues in Louisiana. Every famous jazz musician you’ve ever hear of has played here (you may have heard of Ray Charles..) It’s intimate, historic, and stubbornly uncommercial. They never sell out, you just pay at the entrance and they add more people to the open space outside if they need to (but get there 45 minutes early if you want the good seats, inside). Tix have been $10 since 2006. Apparetly you go buy to-go food from the church next door and bring it into the venue, low-key style. This is the opposite of Bourbon Street. Email Mark for tickets – friends@dewdropjazzhall.com.
Swamps & wildlife
If you want the version of Louisiana that people imagine but don’t always experience, this is it.
Cypress trees, dark water, and wildlife that reminds you you’re not fully in charge.
- Insta-Gator Ranch & Hatchery is exactly what it sounds like: educational, blunt, and oddly fascinating, especially if you want to understand how closely Louisiana lives alongside its wildlife.
- A sunset cruise with Captain Mike at Louisiana Tours and Adventures offers a low-key way to experience Lake Pontchartrain from the water, with golden-hour light, open lake views, and a pass by Madisonville’s historic Madisonville Lighthouse — a reminder that this town has always been shaped by the lake.
- Honey Island Swamp Tours is my favorite swamp tour I’ve done. We literally were feeding a racoon and an alligator at the same time, with a family of pigs on the shore. It was amazing and stressful at the same time because we were afraid nature was going to do its circle of life thing and we were going to have to watch the gator eat one of the baby pigs. (It didn’t happen, thank God)
Of course there are plenty of other things to do in St. Tammany Parish, Northshore of New Orleans – click below to explore more things:
The Northshore doesn’t really do flashy resorts, and that’s the point.
Lodging here leans cozy, character-driven, and quietly charming—think historic inns, nature-forward cabins, and a handful of dependable chain hotels if you want simplicity.
It’s a place where you stay somewhere that feels rooted, then spend your days bouncing between lakefront walks, breweries, and long meals you didn’t plan on having.
Here are the standouts, by town:
Mandeville
Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast
Quieter, more residential, and very Southern in the wraparound-porch sense.
Good if you want something personal and low-key, less good if you want nightlife within walking distance.
💵 Price: $219–$290 per night
☕️ Amenities: Wraparound porch, garden courtyard, complimentary breakfast, on-site restaurant & bar
💅 Vibe: Classic Southern, quiet, intimate
⭐ Booking.com Rating: 9.2 / 10
📍 Location: Mandeville (about 45 minutes from New Orleans)
Pontchartrain Winds Hotel
Right on Lake Pontchartrain with balconies facing the water.
It’s not luxury, but the location is the point — morning lake walks, sunset views, and quick access to the Causeway.
💵 Price: $150–$230 per night
☕️ Amenities: Lakefront balconies, outdoor pool, free parking, direct lake access
💅 Vibe: Relaxed, practical, lake-house energy
⭐ Booking.com Rating: 8.2 / 10
📍 Location: Mandeville, directly on Lake Pontchartrain near the Causeway
Comfort Suites Mandeville
Clean, reliable, and well-located if you’re prioritizing convenience over character. Solid option for families or short stays.
💵 Price: $120–$190 per night
☕️ Amenities: Indoor pool, free breakfast, fitness center, free parking
💅 Vibe: Clean, convenient, no-frills
⭐ Booking.com Rating: 7.9 / 10
📍 Location: Mandeville (easy access to Covington and the Causeway)
Abita Springs
Abita Springs Hotel
Small, local, and walkable to the Abita Mystery House, brewery, and festivals.
Best if you’re leaning into the town’s folk-art, weird-Louisiana energy rather than using it as a base.
💵 Price: $140–$220 per night
☕️ Amenities: Boutique-style rooms, walkable town location, free parking
💅 Vibe: Artsy, quirky, very Abita
⭐ Booking.com Rating: 8.6 / 10
📍 Location: Abita Springs (steps from the Abita Mystery House, brewery, and festivals)
Slidell
Homewood Suites Slidell
Useful stopover if you’re coming from the Gulf Coast or doing Honey Island Swamp Tours.
Not super charming, but comfortable and functional.
💵 Price: $130–$210 per night (can also use Hilton points!)
☕️ Amenities: Spacious suites, free breakfast, outdoor pool, fitness center, free parking
💅 Vibe: Comfortable, practical, road-trip friendly
⭐ Booking.com Rating: 8.3 / 10
📍 Location: Slidell (convenient for Honey Island Swamp Tours and Gulf Coast routes)
Covington
The Southern Hotel
Arguably the best hotel on the Northshore.
A restored 1907 landmark with modern rooms, a proper lobby bar, and one of the best restaurants in the area on site.
Walkable to downtown Covington galleries, coffee shops, and the Tammany Trace. They have a great on-site bar and the cutest on-site restaurant ever.
This is where you stay if you want charm without sacrificing comfort or food, and they also have a large 5-bed house with living areas separate from the rest of the hotel that people rent out for groups (lots of bachelorette parties!). It’s really cute.
💵 Price: $219–$290 per night
☕️ Amenities: Outdoor pool, courtyard, on-site bar & restaurant
💅 Vibe: Elegant, artsy, peaceful
⭐ Booking.com Rating: 9.2 / 10
📍 Location: Covington (about 45 minutes from New Orleans)
Didn’t find what you were looking for? Check out more hotels in the Northshore area of New Orleans:
Planning a longer trip that includes New Orleans proper?
The Northshore food scene is local and deeply Southern – built around comfort food, Gulf seafood, and long, slow meals that turn into entire evenings.
Here are some of our favorites:
Coffee shops & daytime hangs
Coffee on the Northshore isn’t about rushing out the door—it’s about lingering, talking to strangers, and letting the day unfold slowly.
- Haven Coffee & Cocktails: You know those coffee cups that say “coffee is what I drink until it’s appropriate to have a cocktail,” or whatever? That was invented here.
- The English Tea Room: Proper afternoon tea energy in the middle of Louisiana. Think scones, finger sandwiches, china, and a wildly charming dining room. It’s old-school in the best way, with the British flag and call box outside, and multiple, disjointed rooms that make you feel like you’re in your grandma’s house instead of a restaurant.
- The Gloriette: Inside the Southern Hotel, this cozy café-bistro hybrid works for breakfast, lunch, or a casual daytime meet-up. Seasonal menus, thoughtful sourcing, and a neighborhood feel make this one easy to love.
Casual spots & easy meals
Casual spots matter here, and the brewery scene is its own ecosystem, with taprooms functioning as community living rooms.
- Abita Brew Pub: Where beer culture meets comfort food. It’s casual, social, and very Northshore, especially after a bike ride or festival afternoon.
- Liz’s Where Y’at Diner: A beloved breakfast-and-lunch institution that locals will defend aggressively.
Marina Bella: Waterfront Italian-leaning comfort food with marina views. Not fancy, but relaxed and reliable, especially for sunset dinners or group meals near the water.
Dinner spots & date-night culture
Dinner on the Northshore is unhurried and intentional, built for long conversations, shared plates, and meals that quietly stretch into the night.
- Tchefuncte’s: This place is a Northshore institution for elevated Creole classics and reliable Louisiana staples
- Gallagher’s Grill: For destination dining, Gallagher’s delivers white-tablecloth steaks, seafood, and power-dinner energy
- Lola: This institution brings Spanish-influenced Southern cooking, paella, and a loyal local following. It’s housed in a restored historic train depot, giving it that “only on the Northshore” character.
- Del Porto Ristorante: This is the go-to for handmade pastas, Neapolitan-style pizza, and date-night vibes done right.
- Social: where the menu skews modern Southern and the cocktail program keeps the dining room buzzing every night of the week.
Abita Brewing Company is the obvious stop, anchoring Abita Springs with beer, live music energy, and an easygoing hangout vibe. This is the actual brewery brand—the company that makes Abita Amber, Purple Haze, etc. The production brewery and main taproom are in Covington now, not in Abita Springs anymore. This is where the beer is brewed at scale, and apparently it’s the water here that makes the beer so great.
In my opinion the crown jewel locale to have a drink is the Dew Drop Jazz Hall, one of the most historically significant Black-owned music venues in the South. They don’t actually sell drinks on-site, so it’s BYOB but it’s way cooler than any place with an actual bar license.
If you want something looser afterward, The Chimes is a classic post-show move with a massive beer list and late-night energy.
The Green Room hosts regular live music and DJs in a casual, slightly gritty bar setting that locals actually hang out in.
For cocktails with a little polish, Meribo blends a wine-forward bar program with small plates and an intimate vibe that works well before or after a show.
The Cypress Bar at The Southern Hotel is the Northshore’s most elegant place to drink—classic cocktails, a refined Southern setting, and a crowd that skews grown and intentional. It’s ideal for a pre-dinner martini, a nightcap after downtown Covington, or a low-key date that wants atmosphere without noise. Think old-school hotel bar energy, done quietly well.
Covington Beer Garden (pictured, above) is the laid-back, locals-only counterpoint to the hotel bars and music venues—an open-air hangout with picnic tables, rotating food trucks, and an easy mix of craft beer, cocktails, and conversation that turns into an all-afternoon affair if you let it.
What to buy
Shopping on the Northshore leans thoughtful and local rather than flashy.
Look for Louisiana-made food products, small-batch art, and objects that feel a little eccentric in the best way.
Abita Mystery House doubles as one of the most surreal museums you’ll ever visit and a genuinely great place to pick up weird Louisiana souvenirs you won’t see anywhere else.
Downtown Covington galleries and boutiques focus on regional artists, ceramics, jewelry, and home goods that feel rooted in place, not touristy.
Areas, markets, & shops
Downtown Covington, especially along and around Columbia Street, is the most walkable and rewarding place to browse—art galleries, independent shops, and cafés stitched together into a low-pressure afternoon.
The Covington Farmers Market is worth timing your visit around, offering local produce, baked goods, preserves, and crafts that give you a real sense of the community.
Abita Springs has a smaller but funkier shopping scene, best explored slowly and without a strict plan.
Some store to pop into:
OX Landing: A sharply curated men’s shop focused on elevated basics, linen shirts, summer tailoring, hats, grooming goods, and small lifestyle pieces. Polished but relaxed—very Northshore grown-up energy.
Lucy’s Artisan Apothecary: A local favorite for small-batch skincare, candles, soaps, and wellness products. Everything feels intentional, giftable, and rooted in Louisiana craftsmanship.
Lions’ Den: Part gentleman’s salon, part lifestyle space. Even if you’re not getting a cut, it’s worth stepping inside for the design, grooming products, and old-school barbershop atmosphere.
Arrive Friday afternoon and check into The Southern Hotel, then stay put for a bit. Walk the downtown blocks, grab a drink on property, and ease into dinner at Tchefuncte’s for classic Creole and Louisiana comfort done right. Call it an early night or linger—both feel correct here.
Saturday is for outside time. Start with a casual bike ride along the Tammany Trace, the shaded rail trail that runs through pine forest and small towns. Clean up, then head to Mandeville for shopping, dinner, and cocktails at Social, where the vibe is lively but still very local.
On Sunday, start out proper at the English Tea Room and then go full Louisiana with Honey Island Swamp Tours—an easy, unforgettable way to see the wilder side of the region.
Grab a late lunch and coffee or a cocktail at Haven Coffee & Cocktails back on the Northshore, then drive home calm, full, and slightly smug about not staying in the Quarter.
🎵 What to watch or listen to before you go
Film & documentaries
Treme is slow and immersive, obsessed with music, survival, and post-Katrina cultural preservation. It’s less about plot and more about atmosphere—which is exactly the point.
The podcast!
If you’re going to the Northshore of NOLA give the official podcast a listen! It’s called Tune in to all the Waves, and it’s a New Orleans–rooted podcast that dives deep into music as lived culture, not just sound. It explores how scenes form, how records travel, and how local communities shape what we hear—moving fluidly between vinyl culture, live music, underground history, and personal storytelling.
If you’re looking for a place that feels distinctly Southern without feeling overexposed, Covington, Louisiana quietly delivers.
From long, unhurried meals and live music rooted in real history to bike trails, swamp tours, and hotel bars that still value conversation, this corner of the New Orleans Northshore rewards travelers who slow down.
It’s close enough to the city to feel connected, but far enough to feel like you’ve opted out—of crowds, noise, and the pressure to do too much.
What makes Covington, Louisiana work isn’t one headline attraction; it’s the way everything fits together. Walkable streets, locally owned restaurants, meaningful cultural landmarks, and just enough polish to make a weekend feel special.
Save the guide for your planning, read our full New Orleans guide, and check out flights below:
As always, if you have any questions or want specific recommendations leave them in the comments and I’ll respond.
If you want to message me privately, I’ll respond on Instagram @Le_Gipset
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