America's Second-Largest Estuary Is A Breezy Louisiana Escape With Sailing, Seafood, And Sunsets

New Orleans is rightly associated with the mighty Mississippi River, but there's another notable body of water nearby. Just north of the Big Easy, the hustle of the city slows along Lake Pontchartrain, which is the second-largest inland saltwater body in the United States (after Utah's Great Salt Lake). Covering 630 square miles and offering recreation options such as boating and eating fresh seafood while watching an epic sunset, Lake Pontchartrain actually isn't technically a lake – it's an estuary, a place where fresh and salt water mix. The Gulf of Mexico provides the saltwater, and the freshwater enters the lake from rivers and bayous to the north. 

Something else notable about the lake: The longest continuous bridge over water in the world crosses it, verified by Guinness World Records. One of the most iconic ways to experience Lake Pontchartrain is by driving across it. The 24-mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway connects the New Orleans suburb of Metairie to the lakeside retreat of Mandeville, known for its wonderful food, waterfront trails, and great shopping. But beware of traffic jams – the crossing can paralyze drivers with fear. Without traffic, it takes about 30 minutes, giving you time to watch the skyline and land vanish and feel the sensation of floating. 

The causeway entrance in Metairie is about 8 miles from downtown New Orleans and 11 miles from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. It's also roughly 32 miles from the beach, lake, and cabins at Fontainebleau State Park, on the other side of the causeway.

Boating is a way of life on Lake Pontchartrain. Wednesday evenings bring the lively sight of the New Orleans Yacht Club's regatta, a weekly race held from March through November. Visitors can get out on the calm water by booking a cruise, renting kayaks or paddleboards, or chartering a fishing boat. Anglers can also cast a line from scenic piers such as Sunset Point in Mandeville and the St. Tammany Parish Fishing Pier in Slidell in hopes of landing species like speckled trout and redfish. 

When you've worked up an appetite, there are plenty of restaurants serving fresh, regionally sourced seafood. Along the southern shore in Lakeview, local favorites like Felix's and Landry's serve fresh Gulf oysters, shrimp, and crawfish on open-air patios overlooking the water. On the Northshore, Rips and Palmettos pair seafood with sunset views. No matter where you find yourself around the lake at the end of the day, sit and watch one of Lake Pontchartrain's famous sunsets. Sunset Point Park is an obvious choice to see the sky ignite into vivid hues reflected in the lake's vast, still surface. Other good sunset viewpoints include the beach at Fontainebleau State Park and the photogenic New Canal Lighthouse. Whether you're dining lakeside on fried soft-shell crabs, biking along a lakefront path, or sipping a to-go frozen daiquiri on a Lakeshore Drive bench, the stillness and beauty of a Lake Pontchartrain sunset will be memorable.

Fishing is good in Lake Pontchartrain because estuaries are productive ecosystems. They serve as nurseries for marine life and act as buffers that protect coastlines from storms. In the now-clean Lake Pontchartrain, you can find fish, crabs, pelicans, otters, manatees, dolphins, and even sharks in summer, drawn by the mix of salt and fresh water and the abundance of food. Sunlight easily penetrates the lake's shallow water, which averages about 14 feet deep, reaching the lakebed where it helps grasses grow — sustaining clams and other organisms up the food chain. So don't worry about eating seafood caught in Lake Pontchartrain. And if you're planning to swim, there's a range of beaches to choose from, but it's always a good idea to check the latest weekly water monitoring results.

For lakefront accommodations in Metairie, Rose Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn has a 4.8 Google rating. It's steps from Lakeshore Park and the causeway entrance, with rates starting at about $145 a night. On the other side of the causeway in Mandeville, de la Bleau B&B has a 4.9 Google rating and charges $211 per night; it's just down the street from the restaurant Rip's. Although not directly on the lake, there are many chain hotels on the Northshore, with rates starting under $100 in Covington and Slidell, and in Metairie near both New Orleans International Airport and New Orleans Lakefront Airport.