Looking for a Ponchatoula RV park with something going on the first weekend of November? Fireside RV Resort has a Ponchatoula address on Highway 445, and Exit 47 on I-12 drops you at our road. Downtown is 10 to 15 minutes from the gate. The weekend of November 6 through 8, 2026 stacks three things on top of each other: Ponchatoula Antique Trade Days, opening weekend of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in Hammond, and LSU vs Alabama on Saturday night.
Quick rundown: book a full-hookup site in Ponchatoula for November 6 to 8, 2026. Trade Days runs downtown all three days, the Renaissance Festival opens Saturday over in Hammond, and Fireside throws a Veterans Day Weekend party on Saturday the 7th with halftime fireworks and a live band. Standard sites go for $55 a night in November, and nobody tacks a resort fee onto your bill.
What is there to do in Ponchatoula in November 2026?
Ponchatoula in early November 2026 gives you three real options inside a 20 minute drive. Ponchatoula Antique Trade Days takes over the downtown commuter parking lot November 6 through 8. Opening times shift a little by day, so glance at the Chamber listing the morning you go. The Louisiana Renaissance Festival opens its 2026 season November 7 and 8 in Hammond. And LSU hosts Alabama on Saturday the 7th up in Baton Rouge.
Trade Days has been going since 2006, and the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce puts it this way: “Trade Days have become a staple of Ponchatoula, allowing the community to sell antiques, collectibles, crafts, art, food, and you can even enjoy live music, face painting, and other children’s activities.” The Chamber estimates it tops 200 booths. The town is nicknamed “America’s Antique City,” so this is Ponchatoula doing exactly what it’s known for.
Opening weekend carries a “Fae & Fantasy” theme this year, and the grounds are open all day both days. It’s about a 20 minute drive from the resort. We already put together a full guide to dates, tickets and parking if you want the finer points: our Louisiana Renaissance Festival 2026 guide.
Where should you park an RV in Ponchatoula?
Fireside runs 165 sites with full hookups plus 10 cabins furnished to sleep 6, all on a Ponchatoula address just off the interstate. Exit 47 on I-12 puts you a mile from the gate, which means no crawling down narrow back roads with a big rig behind you. Standard, premium, double and triple sites are all in the mix, and you can see what’s open over on the RV camping page.
Here’s the part that matters when you’re price shopping. No resort fee here. Nothing charged to lock in your site. No “community impact fee” either. The price on the page is the price on your receipt, full stop. That’s the whole idea, and honestly it’s why a lot of folks keep coming back.
Drive times from the gate: downtown Ponchatoula is 10 to 15 minutes. Hammond is 6 miles and 10 minutes. Baton Rouge is 46 miles and 45 minutes. New Orleans sits 50 miles out, right around an hour, heading west on I-12 and picking up I-55 and I-10 into the city. Not towing anything? The cabins are $165 a night year round with an $18 cleaning fee charged once.
What happens at Fireside on November 7, 2026?
Fireside throws a Veterans Day Weekend party Saturday, November 7, 2026. We put the LSU vs Alabama game up, shoot fireworks at halftime, and bring in live music from Na Na Sha. It comes with your stay, and it’s the kind of night where the whole park ends up in one spot. The rest of the lineup lives on the events page.
LSU hosts Alabama at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge that Saturday. Check the official LSU football schedule for the kickoff time before you build your day around it. Either way, you don’t have to make the drive. The game is on right here.
One date note, because people mix this up every year: Veterans Day 2026 lands on Wednesday, November 11. Our November 7 party is the Saturday ahead of it.
Do veterans and military get a discount?
They do. There’s a standing 10% military discount for active duty and veterans who show a military ID when they check in. That same 10% covers AARP members, Good Sam members, and seniors 65 and up, but discounts can’t be stacked together.
Offers rotate, so give a look at the events calendar and the specials page before you lock in your dates.
How much is an RV site in Ponchatoula in November?
November falls in the lower season here, so a standard full-hookup site runs $55 a night and a premium runs $65. Doubles are $130, triples are $210. Cabins hold at $165 year round with that one $18 cleaning fee. Holiday dates, Veterans Day included, add $10 per night per site.
That Sunday through Wednesday deal runs in September, November and December and skips holidays, so it won’t cover the November 6 to 8 weekend itself. Staying a full week? Six nights earns you the seventh free. And if you’re the type who heads south for the whole winter, the monthly winter rate kicks in November 1. Double check current numbers on the pricing page, since specials rotate.
What else is within a short drive of Ponchatoula?
Plenty, if you’ve got an extra day in you. These four come up the most with guests, and every one is an easy run from a Ponchatoula RV park:
- Kliebert & Sons Alligator Tours, 40511 West I-55 Service Road, Ponchatoula. Adults 13 and up are $20, kids 3 to 12 are $15, and 2 and under get in free. Ring them for fall hours.
- Tickfaw State Park, 27225 Patterson Road, Springfield. Entry runs $3 a person, free for ages 3 and under and 62 and up. Closing time shifts with the day of the week, so check before you head out.
- Global Wildlife Center, 26389 Highway 40, Folsom. Open seven days a week. Wagon tour pricing runs the same all year: $21 for ages 12 to 61, $19 for seniors, $15 for ages 2 to 11 and free under 2.
- Ponchatoula Country Market, 10 East Pine Street, right downtown. Open year round outside major holidays, and it pairs perfectly with a Trade Days walk.
The Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market also runs Saturdays 8am to noon at 213 SW Railroad Avenue, roughly 10 minutes out. We keep a longer list going on the things to do page.
What is the weather like in Ponchatoula in November?
November is the nicest month to camp in this corner of Louisiana. Afternoons land in comfortable shirtsleeve territory, nights cool off enough to want a fire, and the sticky summer humidity has finally let go. If you want the long-run averages for the area, NOAA’s U.S. Climate Normals publish them by station.
In practice that means shorts in the afternoon and a jacket at the campfire. It’s also the tail end of storm season, since the NOAA National Hurricane Center states plainly that “the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30,” so it’s worth a glance at the forecast. Toss a light jacket in for the fireworks and you’re good.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Fireside RV Resort sits on Highway 445 in Ponchatoula, a mile off Exit 47. There are 165 RV sites with full hookups and 10 furnished cabins sleeping 6, and downtown Ponchatoula is a 10 to 15 minute drive.
Ponchatoula Antique Trade Days runs November 6, 7 and 8, 2026 at the downtown commuter parking lot. The Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce estimates it tops 200 booths of antiques, collectibles, crafts, art and food.
At Fireside, a standard full-hookup site is $55 a night in November 2026 and a premium is $65. Cabins are $165 with a single $18 cleaning fee. There’s no resort fee on the bill, no charge to lock a site, and no community impact fee.
Yes. A standing 10% discount applies to active duty and veterans who show a military ID at check in, and it also covers AARP members, Good Sam members and seniors 65 and up. Discounts cannot be stacked. Offers change through the year, so check the specials page before booking.
New Orleans is 50 miles and roughly an hour away, west on I-12 and in on I-55 and I-10. Baton Rouge is 46 miles and about 45 minutes on I-12. Hammond is only 6 miles out, 10 minutes.
Check in starts at 3:00pm and check out is 11:00am. Our address is 42053 Highway 445, Ponchatoula, Louisiana 70454, and the office number is (985) 277-1059.
Book the weekend
We’re 10 to 15 minutes from downtown Ponchatoula and Trade Days, 6 miles and 10 minutes from Hammond and the Renaissance Festival, and 46 miles from Baton Rouge straight up I-12. Park the rig once and hit all three. Check availability for that weekend, or call the front office, (985) 277-1059. Come see us, we’d love to have you for the weekend!
