Two Louisiana lakes, White Sands Lake in Franklinton and Lake Isabel near Bogalusa, offer unique summer day trip options for families and nature enthusiasts.
White Sands Lake is a spring-fed recreational day park featuring water toys, slides, kayaks, and more. “I am the owner-operator of White Sands Lake Bay Beach,” said Dione D’Luca, who opened the park with her late husband, Thomas D’Luca, in 2009.
“White Sands is a recreational day park. We have the toys in the water where you come and play on the toys, you can bring your own picnic-style pop-ups, grill, whatever you want to bring out to the beach,” D’Luca said.
The family-run business caters to families and draws hundreds of visitors each weekend.
“We’re in the middle of nowhere, and people do bring kids to play on the toys. One of my things I tell them is we’ll wear your kids out for you as they play on them all day long. His vision was just to have a place where people could come, families could come and enjoy the day,” D’Luca said.
While White Sands attracts visitors from across the Gulf Coast, it was designed with locals in mind.
“There’s not a lot to do up here in Washington Parish, so one of the ideas was just to have a local spot for the young people and the families to come and gather, just take a break, relax on the beach,” D’Luca said.
For those seeking a quieter retreat, Lake Isabel near Bogalusa offers eco-tourism opportunities. “I am the founder and owner of Lake Isabel,” said Anthony Sedlak.
“Lake Isabel Farm is a 422-acre, very biodiverse property. We have a 125-acre lake that’s almost a mile long, about 45 feet deep,” Sedlak said.
The property features rental lake houses, day passes for beach use, and walking trails.
“The goal is to provide an exquisite eco-tourism destination with our rental lake houses, as well as our day passes and day use of the beach. There’s also walking trails throughout the property,” Sedlak said.
Visitors may notice the striking blue water at Lake Isabel. “Kind of perceived the blue from just clean water, it’s just how it looks in general to our eyes, but also there’s freshwater algae that starts to form at the bottom,” Sedlak said.
On summer weekends, Lake Isabel offers a more tranquil experience, with only a few dozen visitors, nearby wildlife, and trails to explore. “You know, it’s something that most folks in Louisiana haven’t seen — blue water in the state before — and so first there’s kind of the shock and awe, and then there’s a deep appreciation,” Sedlak said.
Both destinations are affordable day trip options. White Sands Lake costs $20 for adults and $15 for kids, while Lake Isabel costs $55 for adults and $30 for kids. The next ticket drop for Lake Isabel is May 26.
For tickets or more information, you can visit their websites through the links below:
https://whitesandslake.com/
https://www.tixtree.com/o/lakeisabelfarm
READ MORE:Louisiana lakes offer summer fun with water activities and eco-tourism
