Mandeville Snapshots:
Exploring Life on Louisiana's Northshore
Exploring Life on Louisiana's Northshore
How do you come to call a place home?
What does it mean to become a local when your roots are from a far-off state?
What treasures can you find by focusing hyperlocal?
Mandeville Snapshots seeks to answer these questions as we explore the city of Mandeville from the perspective of a Louisiana transplant.
At its heart, Mandeville Snapshots is a launch point for families who want to call Mandeville home. It is a celebration of community gems, an exploration of local experiences, an opportunity to get involved in community, and an invitation to support small, family-owned businesses. Join me as we journey into the distinct culture of Mandeville through photos and stories. The goal of Mandeville Snapshots is to help new families feel quickly at home.
Mandeville is a thriving, small city nestled on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana just a short drive across the Causeway Bridge from Metairie and New Orleans. With a family-friendly atmosphere, top-rated schools, and a wealth of outdoor activities, Mandeville frequently attracts new families from out-of-state as an ideal place to settle. If you are one of these families looking for fun activities for your kids and ways to connect to community in Mandeville, you've come to the right place!
Mandeville Snapshots is also an invitation to join me in forming a deeper connection with our local community. From learning local history to meeting small business owners to exploring popular destinations, Mandeville Snapshots uses a hyperlocal lens as we look to build deeper roots in this place and space. While I moved to Mandeville from Washington State in 2014, I still have moments of seeing Mandeville from an outsider’s perspective. Mandeville Snapshots is my way of celebrating and giving back to our local community through sharing local stories, highlighting fun destinations, and elevating small businesses. Through Mandeville Snapshots I look forward to forging deeper connections with long time locals and newcomers to Mandeville alike. I can't wait to meet you!
Maybe you are like me and grew up somewhere far from the South? Don't worry! Mandeville Snapshots will also offer fun tips to help you acclimate to Louisiana culture. For example, “How do you pronounce ‘Geaux’”? and “What is Lagniappe?” and “How do you cook okra? Eat a crawfish?” Cultural adventures abound. It’s time to Geaux Explore Mandeville!
My Story
Our family moved to Mandeville, Louisiana in the summer of 2014 so that my husband could complete his residency in family medicine. Soon after unpacking, we pulled out our bikes and began exploring our new community courtesy of the St. Tammany Trace—a rails-to-trails bike path that stretches 31 miles from Downtown Covington all the way to the outskirts of Slidell weaving through Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Lacombe along the way. Completely unaccustomed to the hot, humid climate, we set off for our bicycle adventure around ten in the morning and returned wilted and wiped out around three in the afternoon. Despite having discovered two fun splash parks and a beautiful waterfront area, we had found hardly any other families or children! It took us a few days to realize that the locals beat the heat by exploring early in the morning or in the cool of the late afternoon.
We had a lot to learn about becoming a Mandeville local!
Mandeville Snapshots is a celebration of life in Mandeville, Louisiana, as well as an exploration of the journey of embracing a new place as home. I decided to focus hyperlocal as a means of learning more deeply about my community through story, relationship, and place.
I grew up in Washington State which has a vastly different culture from Louisiana. I find that even after nine years of living in Mandeville, I tend to think of myself as a transplant.
How does that change? What would make Mandeville more quickly feel like home for other new families? Does creating the type of resource I would have loved when we moved enhance my community?
I originally had the idea for Mandeville Snapshots several years ago when I wanted to explore the topic of entrepreneurship with my children over the summer. I really admire the way people on the Northshore support each other. Small businesses thrive in Mandeville due to the avid support of friends, neighbors, and community members who shop locally and spread the word. I wanted to interview small business owners that ran family-focused businesses and share their backstories in a centralized location. I also wanted to share fun family adventures along the Trace, at local destinations, museums, and parks, and through volunteer opportunities. I wanted to add value to my new community.
What makes me passionate about Mandeville Snapshots is the opportunity to forge deeper relationships within my community while offering a service that is of value to other new families. As a homeschooling/online schooling mom for the past five years, I also want a brand that can incorporate my family, learning, and discovery. I have a knack for asking people questions that uncover fascinating personal stories. Mandeville is full of rich local culture and history as well as entrepreneurs who are following their dreams. I look forward to developing these relationships as I create content.
I also really enjoy meeting people who have moved to Mandeville from other places. I love to travel and learn so much from conversations. Lately, I have also noticed an increase in international families settling in the area. My background living in both Japan and Mexico gives me insight into what it is like to not only settle in a new city but also potentially in a new country. I think my experiences living abroad also give me insight into the rich aspects of culture that are such a distinct part of Louisiana.
If there is one thing I have learned through homeschooling, it is that the deeper you go, the more fascinating a subject becomes. It is the richness that comes from depth, not breadth, that drives deep connection. I look forward to that richness in my hyperlocal exploration of Mandeville through Mandeville Snapshots.
