Thursday, March 21, 2013

Abbeville, Louisiana…

Abbeville LA 017

Abbeville LA 011We had a large thunderstorm pass through the night before we left but when we awoke we had overcast skies and a bit of drizzle. We got an early start and were on the road before 9:00 am. The first half of the drive was mostly under similar weather conditions but about midway to our destination we had clear blue skies. Everything was going smoothly so nothing could go wrong… right? Wrong!

We pulled into Betty's RV Park and if you have never been here before the first though might be “Uh Oh! What have we done!” Betty;’s RV Park is nothing more than Betty’s house surrounded by a large gravel lot with 17 full hookup RV sites squeezed into the lot. I mean the RV’s are right on top of each other reminiscent of many of the west coast waterfront parks. To compound our concerns we walked into the office where Betty informed us that we were a day early and she had no available space for us. In two years of traveling this was a first for us… Yikes!!!

Abbeville LA 012After discussing all of our alternatives Betty finally asked if we would be okay with a 30 amp site because she thought she had a site we could squeeze into. We agreed to taking the site and then we had to reposition the RV until we finally got landed in the site adjacent to a fifth wheel and sticking a wee bit out into Betty's driveway. The squeezing and repositioning does stress Sharon out a little but Betty reminded us that there was a 4:30 pm happy hour gathering on her front porch that we should not miss. As we usually like to do we hustled off to explore our immediate area and hopped in the car to see downtown Abbeville, Louisiana.

Abbeville LA 021What can I say Abbeville is a delightful small town that has a really nice feel about it and as we strolled the streets we had the feeling of stepping back in time. People in this little town are so friendly they will stop you to chat or tell you about what is going in town, its history and what to see. We noticed lots of people milling about so we asked a young lady what was going on and she informed us that a parade route was blocked off and the town had gathered to honor the local girls basketball team who had just won the State Championship. We stayed to watch the small Abbeville LA 016town parade complete with fire trucks and police escorts. When the winning basketball team’s float passed they tossed Sharon some Mardis Gras beads and candy! As the parade passed by we headed back to the car where out in front of a quaint town home we met two elderly (we assumed sisters) sipping on their coffee who stopped and chatted with us about how they thought the whole town was burning down when they heard all the sirens… but then remembered the parade. Too funny…

Abbeville LA 019Back to Betty’s for happy hour and all I can say is that after visiting the small town of Abbeville and meeting all the other folks staying here at Betty’s while enjoying the happy hour we overcame any initial concerns we may have had about staying here. The group embraced us and made plans to include us in the next few days planned activities. What a welcoming place this is and we can't wait to see the surprises that await us.

9 comments:

  1. It's that jockeying around of the rig that would make me nervous too.

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  2. So nice that you made it there and were able to experience Betty's. We have heard so much about it and still have not been there. (one of these days!).
    We have found too its not all about the campsite but about the friendly owners and managers that can really make for a fantastic experience.
    Hope to more happening there that you experience.

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  3. We had a great time at Betty's a few years back. She can recommend the best swamp boat ride. We loved her happy hours. We were there over 4th of July and she had a wonderful spread. Enjoy.

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  4. Be sure to wish Betty well on her upcoming 70th birthday!

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  5. I've read of other folks staying at Betty's who had the same reaction and blogged about how great it was. I'd love to do it. And a small town parade to honor a state championship women's basketball team sounds terrific to me. Love following these adventures.

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  6. Hey, it sounds like you got the same parking spot we did, with only 30 amps.

    When we pulled up, we kept asking each other "is this the place?" ...lol.

    Like everyone says, you go for the experience and not the RV park.

    Take care ... TnT

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  7. Bet that Zydeco music sure beats the band we heard in Eugene. Sounds like a blast.

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  8. The ambiance more than makes up for the tight fit :) I know there are some people parked that were there when we stayed 6 months ago! You'll have a great time with all of them :)

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  9. Betty's is definitely on our 'must stay' bucket list when we retire! Everything I read about her and the park says WELCOME and have fun with us...enjoy your stay.

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