Entry No. 42 — the New Orleans file — filed under: roadside-oddity

Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tours

Founded in 1982 by Tulane wetland ecologist Dr. Paul Wagner (now retired), these reservation-only boat tours run into the West Pearl River and Honey Island Swamp, one of the least-altered river swamps in the country. The roughly 70,000-acre swamp is famous for the Honey Island Swamp Monster, a Bigfoot-style cryptid first reported in 1963 by retired air traffic controller and amateur wildlife photographer Harlan Ford. Beyond the legend, the trips are genuinely ecology-forward, threading bottomland hardwoods that shelter alligators, wild boar, and migratory birds. Tours now launch at 55345 US-90 in Slidell.

The move: Book a morning two-hour boat into the Pearl River bottomlands and keep an eye out for the swamp monster's supposed three-toed tracks along the mudbanks.

• 📍 Slidell
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 41490 Crawford Landing Rd, Slidell, LA 70461

Hours: Added 2026-06-22 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-22