Things to do nearBonnet Carre

Bonnet Carre Spillway was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and first opened in 1937, a direct response to the catastrophic Mississippi River flood of 1927. The structure spans roughly 7,700 feet and uses 350 wooden bays that can be opened individually to control how much water flows north toward Lake Pontchartrain, protecting New Orleans and surrounding parishes from flooding.

Between openings, the spillway serves as an accidental wildlife sanctuary. Bottomland hardwoods shade interior roads, and open grassy flats attract deer, nutria, and a wide range of migratory birds. Birdwatchers consider it one of the more productive sites along the Mississippi Flyway during spring and fall migration.

Fishing is popular along the spillway's interior waterways, and the wide gravel roads draw cyclists and joggers seeking flat, uncrowded terrain. The spillway also offers a direct view of the Mississippi River levee system, giving visitors a tangible sense of the engineering that shapes life across coastal Louisiana.

Few places in the region let you stand so close to the machinery of flood control while surrounded by functioning wetland habitat, making Bonnet Carre a destination that rewards both the curious and the outdoors-minded.