Things to Do in Covington, Covington, Louisiana (B)

The quaint town of Covington, Louisiana is part of the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area. I only visited for a day as I made my way back from Florida to Texas and wished I had scheduled more time to stay, as the city of 11,500 is quite charming.

Covington, Louisiana was founded as the Town of Wharton in 1813. The name was changed to Covington in 1816 after General Leonard Covington, a hero in the War of 1812. 

Covington relied heavily on commercial shipping across Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans. Severely impacted by the low freight costs from the launch of the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad, however, Covington developed into a tourist town.

With the onset of the Civil War, tourism died, but it eventually returned providing visitors with many things to do.

If you are visiting for more than a day, consider staying at the historic Southern Hotel. The hotel opened in 1907 with 43 rooms and boasted hot water, electric lights and carpeting. In 1912 a physician converted it to a sanitarium and resort for people with respiratory issues. In 1960, it closed it doors to overnight guests. It served as a drug store and a courthouse and fell into disarray after hurricane Katrina. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).