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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Mandeville, LA

Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

Causeway Blvd across Lake Pontchartrain, between Mandeville and Metairie · Mandeville, LA

Why you should go…

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is a pair of parallel bridges crossing the lake between Mandeville on the north shore and Metairie on the south. The longer span is 23.83 miles, and Guinness lists it as the longest continuous bridge over water. The first span opened in 1956 and the second in 1969, and the American Society of Civil Engineers named it a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2013. Tolls are collected only on the north shore, at the Mandeville end.

  • #scenic drive
  • #long bridge
  • #lake pontchartrain
  • #engineering landmark

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Visit The Northshore Visitor Center

    Free

    The official visitor center for St. Tammany Parish, promoting Louisiana's Northshore across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans.

    11 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    New Orleans Museum of Art

    Under $25

    See art from ancient times to today across three floors, then walk the free sculpture garden in City Park.

    15 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Family Favorite

    City Park

    Free

    1,300 acres of live oaks, lagoons, and a sculpture garden, bigger than Central Park.

    15 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Attractions
    Quirky Fun

    The Mortuary Haunted Mansion

    $25–$50

    Halloween season haunted house inside a historic 1872 New Orleans mortuary building.

    15 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Jefferson Parish

    Free

    The tourism office for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, covering suburbs and swamps just outside New Orleans.

    16 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Louis Armstrong Park

    Free

    A Tremé park honoring jazz, where you can stand in historic Congo Square and see a 12-foot statue of Louis Armstrong.

    17 mi awayMore like this