Travel Guide to Houma, Louisiana

Almost five years ago I came to Houma, Louisiana to work on recovery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. When going to a new place to work there are always questions about the place. Houma is now where I reside and I find it to be a nice place to live. Working first in the town in the context of being on the road and later making arrangements for others coming into town I have found a few tips.

After Katrina, Rita and Gustav hotel and housing became limited. I expect the new crop of disaster workers coming for the BP oil spill to have the same challenges. There have been some new hotels since then, but expect them to fill up. After Katrina a fold out bed in a conference room was costing me 2400 dollars a month and I felt lucky to have that. Fortunately, I was able to expense the hotel room. If your company arrange lodging for you it would be the best option.

If you do get a hotel room and get a few days off keep paying for the room as there is no guarantee you will get it back. Should you be working in town the Martin Luther King Blvd. area hotels have the best options for anything you need as the concentration of restaurants and businesses are there. A new Hooters was recently built on Martin Luther King and should prove popular with traveling workers. MLK is also close to BP and the office parks on Highway 311. Working "down the bayou" in areas such as Cocodrie, new hotels on Grand Caillou will knock a considerable amount off the commute.

Though the local crab and shrimp market may face challenges crawfish should remain unaffected. Boiled seafood shops are common in Houma, especially on Park avenue and Main street. In the seafood shops the boiled crawfish with all the extras are reasonably priced and readily available to take back to the hotel.

For entertainment there is a great local music scene in the downtown area. Popular bars include The Balcony and the City Club of Houma which has been bringing in some big national acts. The Amelia Belle casino is about twenty minutes west of Houma on Highway 90 for those who like to gamble. If going out to the bars in Houma it would be wise to take a cab for five to ten dollars. The police in the Houma area have a strong presence and will pull over people they don't recognize. The Louisiana State Troopers have a station at Highway 90 and Highway 24 and frequently have roadblocks. A cab ride would be inexpensive if you have a few beers after work.

All and all Houma is nice place with friendly people and working down here can be nice. The seafood and fishing is incredible, but there is no way to say how long it will last. If it is available on your trip it is worth your while to try it. Enjoy you're trip to Houma and we will see you next time at Mardi Gras!