Pleasure seekers have visited Lake Pontchartrain destinations for more than two centuries. From grand resorts like the Pontchartrain Hotel to simple camps at Little Woods, these shores welcomed visitors by steamboat and train to dance, dine, drink and gamble. Milneburg was home to a noted hotel and bathhouses, while Mandeville was a popular spot to escape the heat. Entertainment included the contortionist "Happy Frog" Holman, the Great Wallendas and Armand Piron's Jazz Orchestra. Join author Catherine Campanella for a fascinating look back at the camps, restaurants and amusement parks lost to nature, neglect and changing times.

Humans first inhabited Metairie after the Mississippi River flowed through it, leaving behind natural levees--as well as Bayou Metairie--along Metairie Road. After the surrounding swampland was drained, other areas were developed, and in 2020, Metairie became the sixth-largest census designated place in the nation.

"Recreation without Humiliation is the first comprehensive study of Black amusement venues established by Black Americans for Black Americans. Mary Stanton's extensive research on African American amusement parks in America explores not only segregation, class, and social barriers but also the notion of the 'pursuit of happiness' as an inalienable right for all races and classes of people. Inspired by summers spent on Coney Island, where Stanton became curious about the existence of African American amusement parks in America, Stanton's research uncovered more than fifty such venues, most of which operated during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These were parks, theaters, juke joints, country clubs, summer colonies, baseball diamonds, and arenas. Although these venues provided much needed recreational services to an underserved Black population, many were threatened by whites, and some destroyed by them. Through her study of these sites of recreation, Stanton illuminates the history of African Americans who strove to create and maintain safe and satisfying entertainment despite segregation. In her research, Stanton also found class divisions among Black American entertainment venues. At the pinnacle of Black society in this era were the upper class, who could afford exclusive Black summer cottages and country clubs. General entertainment for Black working-class families consisted of dancing and drinking in juke joints or patronizing small amusement parks, playgrounds, movie theaters, church-sponsored functions, and Black county fairs. African Americans in the twentieth century, especially in the South, transformed segregation into what historian Earl Lewis calls "congregation." Congregation implies choice, and this congregation "provided space and support for establishing new amusements, entertainments, music, and dance" without interference or oppression"--

Current climatic and environmental trends mean that a large number of important coastal destinations across the globe are under threat of change or gradual disappearance. Many of these locations are also significant tourist destinations, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Everglades National Park or large swathes of the Mediterranean basin. Tourism activity both exacerbates the problem and highlights the importance of protecting these often fragile environments. This book discusses threats to, and consequences of, tourism growth and the impacts of climate change on such coastal zones. It examines policy initiatives, local and national options for managing the potential crisis and recommends steps and management options towards ameliorating projected impacts on coastal tourism infrastructure. This is an important book for researchers and students of leisure and tourism, land-use planning, environmental and coastal management and all those interested in and working with the environment, conservation and sustainability.

Bryan Batt grew up amid the rides and attractions of Pontchartrain Beach amusement park run by his grandfather Harry Batt Sr. While clearing out his mother's estate Batt uncovered a treasure trove of unpublished photographs and memorabilia from the iconic beachfront attraction. With these ephemera as a focal point, Batt began collecting reminiscences from celebrities, former employees, and frequent park-goers. Batt and Danos have created a snapshot of time and place filled with candid moments with musical stars, tales of beauty pageants, and photographic traces of the exciting rides and attractions that drew families from throughout the region. It will be a treasured keepsake for those who visited the regional attraction over the years.

For more than 50 years, there was no more iconic Florida tourist attraction than Silver Springs. Its sheer popularity meant that the surrounding area--indeed, the entirety of Marion County--serviced the entertainment, gas, food, and lodging needs of millions of tourists annually. Visitors flocked to places like Ross Allen's Reptile Institute, Tommy Bartlett's Deer Ranch, and natural attractions like Rainbow Springs and Ocala Caverns. Sadly, as Florida tourism moved into the theme park era, scores of smaller attractions and their related businesses were abandoned. Author Tim Hollis revisits these once-thriving tourist spots and what happened when those tourists stopped coming.