If you’re sorting through winter RV destinations this year, put South Louisiana on the short list. From Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula, New Orleans is roughly an hour’s drive south. NOAA’s official climate normals put the average January high near Hammond at 61.5°F. Fireside RV Resort’s $650-a-month snowbird special on standard RV sites, good from November 1 until March 31, folds power and Wi-Fi into the price. Then there’s Mardi Gras.
Louisiana isn’t exactly a secret. The Louisiana Office of Tourism reported that Louisiana welcomed 45 million domestic and international visitors in 2025. A snowbird gets something most of those visitors never do, though: a whole winter to settle in.
- Where: Fireside’s snowbird page puts the resort just a mile from I-12 and close to I-55.
- Hookups: full hookups at every Fireside RV site, with 50-amp and 30-amp power.
- Family-owned: Fireside RV Resort is family-owned, and its homepage promises no nickel-and-diming.
- Winter fun: Renaissance Festival weekends, holiday lights in City Park, bowl games, king cake season and Carnival.
Is Louisiana one of the warm winter RV destinations?
South Louisiana counts as one of the warm winter RV destinations, with an honest footnote. NOAA’s climate normals for its Hammond 5 E station put average highs between 61.5°F and 65.2°F from December through February. Nights near Hammond run cooler, and NOAA’s Hammond 5 E station averages 10 nights at or below freezing in January, so think mild winter, not beach weather.
Month by month, the NOAA normals for Hammond 5 E cover a full snowbird season:
New Orleans nights run warmer than Hammond’s. New Orleans & Company says January in New Orleans brings an average high of 63°F and a low of 45°F. Pack shorts and a fleece, because a Louisiana winter week can call for both.
What makes the best winter RV destinations?
The best winter RV destinations get the basics right before anything fancy: weather you can actually live outside in, hookups that can run a space heater, a monthly price without surprise add-ons, an easy drive off the interstate, and enough going on that February doesn’t drag. Out in Ponchatoula, Fireside RV Resort’s 165 full-hookup RV sites line up with that checklist point by point, which is why Fireside belongs on any list of winter RV destinations.
- Power for cold nights. Fireside RV Resort rents 165 RV sites, and each one comes with water and sewer plus 30-amp and 50-amp electric hookups, per Fireside’s rules page.
- Room for big rigs. Fireside’s premium pull-through sites measure 20 by 65 feet, and standard sites are 20 by 50 feet.
- A price that stays put. Fireside’s homepage spells it out: there’s no resort fee. Nobody tacks on a site lock fee or a community impact fee at Fireside, either.
- Quiet that holds. At Fireside, quiet time starts at 10 p.m. and lasts until 8 a.m., which matters a lot more in month three than on night one.
- Little comforts. Fireside’s amenities page lists free Wi-Fi throughout the resort, spotless bath houses and on-site laundry.
There’s also the pond. Fireside’s rules say fishing in the pond is available as long as you bring your own fishing equipment, so pack the rods. No swimming in the pond, though.
What does a winter RV site cost at Fireside?
Fireside RV Resort’s snowbird special is $650 a month for a standard RV site, available November 1 to March 31, and that monthly price covers electricity and Wi-Fi. Fireside doesn’t take monthly bookings online, so ring the Fireside office at (985) 277-1059 to ask for one; the website’s contact form works too. Shorter winter stays use Fireside’s winter RV rates below.
Fireside’s rates page adds $10 per night, per site, on holidays, and Fireside’s holiday list includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Mardi Gras. On Fireside’s specials page, AARP cardholders, Good Sam members, military guests and seniors 65 and up each get 10% off, one discount at a time.
What’s there to do in winter near New Orleans?
Winter is festival season around New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Ponchatoula, so a snowbird staying at Fireside RV Resort won’t have any trouble filling November through February. From November 6, 2026, through Mardi Gras on February 9, 2027, these are the dates we’d circle on the fridge calendar.
- November 6 to 8: the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce lists the November Antique Trade Days from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the downtown commuter parking lot. According to the Ponchatoula Chamber, Trade Days is estimated to top 200 booths.
- November 7: Fireside’s Veterans Day Weekend party puts LSU against Alabama on the screen, with a halftime fireworks show and a live set from Na Na Sha.
- November 7 to December 13: the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in Hammond opens on select weekends in that stretch, plus Friday, November 27, from 8:45 a.m. until 5 p.m. Louisiana Renaissance Festival adult tickets cost $31.18 plus tax.
- November 27 to January 1: Celebration in the Oaks at New Orleans City Park promises over one million twinkling lights along a two-mile driving tour. The Celebration in the Oaks ticket page lists the light show as closed December 7, 14, 24 and 31.
- December 6 and December 27: the New Orleans Saints host the Green Bay Packers and then the Arizona Cardinals at the Caesars Superdome, both at noon.
- December 11 to 13: the Festival of the Bonfires fills Lutcher Recreational Park at 2545 Louisiana Avenue in Lutcher.
- December 12: the Ponchatoula Christmas Parade rolls at 5 p.m., starting at Memorial Park.
- December 31: the Fireside NYE Bash rings in 2027 with bingo, a live band and fireworks.
- January 15, 2027: the Allstate Sugar Bowl serves as a College Football Playoff semifinal.
- February 5, 2027: LSU men’s basketball hosts Ole Miss on a Friday night at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge.
- February 9, 2027: Mardi Gras 2027 falls on Tuesday, February 9, according to the Visit The Northshore Mardi Gras page. New Orleans & Company says king cake season traditionally runs from January 6 through Mardi Gras Day, so plan on a lot of king cake.
Ponchatoula itself is worth a slow Saturday. Tangipahoa Parish Tourism puts it this way: “Nicknamed America’s Antique City, Ponchatoula is stocked with numerous art, antiques and hand crafted items in the restored old buildings in the downtown area.” Golfers can head to Carter Plantation in Springfield, which calls itself “one of the best 18-hole public golf courses in Southern Louisiana.” For more dates, check Fireside’s event calendar.
How easy is Fireside to reach by interstate?
Driving from Fireside RV Resort, you’ll reach New Orleans in about an hour, and Baton Rouge is about 45 minutes west via I-12. Downtown Covington takes 25 to 30 minutes heading east, while Hammond is a 10 to 15 minute hop. New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the small towns in between all make for an easy day trip from Fireside.
Getting here from up north is simple, too. Interstate 55 runs from Chicago down into Louisiana and crosses I-12 at Hammond, so a snowbird leaving Chicago can ride one interstate most of the way and then turn east on I-12. Chicago is about 880 miles from Fireside by road, and Memphis is about 350 miles.
How do you prep an RV for Louisiana winters?
Prepping an RV for Louisiana winters mostly comes down to protecting your water hose on the few nights that dip below freezing, which takes a lot less work than up north. NOAA’s Hammond 5 E normals show freezing nights in every month from November through March, so plan for a handful of cold snaps. The National Weather Service’s cold-weather checklist puts it plainly: “Take precautions to ensure your water pipes do not freeze.”
- Bring a heated water hose, or plan to disconnect your hose and run off your fresh tank on the coldest nights.
- Pack a small electric heater. A space heater takes the chill off a cold morning, and Fireside’s 50-amp service gives you room to run one.
- Dress in layers. Afternoons can feel like spring while early mornings call for a jacket, sometimes on the same day.
- Think about a golf cart. Fireside charges $10 per day to bring your own electric cart, or rent one at $75 a day, or $350 if you keep the cart all week.
Why do snowbirds winter at Fireside RV Resort?
Snowbirds winter at Fireside RV Resort for the space and the quiet, plus a monthly rate without the nickel-and-diming. Fireside’s snowbird RV park page says it best: “We never shut down for the season. Trade ice and shoveling for mild southern days and cozy campfire evenings.”
Fireside’s snowbirds roll in from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Dakotas, Iowa, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, New England and across Canada, according to Fireside’s snowbird page. Returning guests can pick up a Fireside Rewards punch card, and every five visits to Fireside earns a free two-night stay on a standard RV site for a non-holiday date.
Fireside’s amenities page describes 165 RV sites set among tall Louisiana pines, and you get your own fire ring for grilling at each full-hookup RV site Fireside rents. A cool January night by your own fire beats scraping ice off the windshield back home!
Frequently Asked Questions
Fireside RV Resort offers its monthly snowbird rate on standard RV sites from November 1 to March 31. The monthly rate covers your electricity and Wi-Fi. Phone Fireside at (985) 277-1059, or message the office through the website, to request a monthly site.
Fireside’s monthly snowbird stays can’t be booked online, so request those by phone or through Fireside’s contact form. Nightly stays can be booked online through Fireside’s booking site.
Freezing nights do happen near Ponchatoula. NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals for the Hammond 5 E station show freezing nights in every month from November through March, most often in December and January. For RVers near Ponchatoula, a heated water hose takes care of most cold snaps.
Fireside RV Resort is open year-round, according to Fireside’s snowbird page, so winter guests get the same full-hookup sites Fireside offers in July.
Pets are welcome at Fireside’s RV sites, though not in Fireside’s cabins. Fireside’s rules ask owners to keep pets leashed (6 feet max) or in a contained area and to clean up after them, and there’s a Pet Park on site.
South Louisiana belongs among the top winter RV destinations if mild weather, big-city day trips and a full festival calendar sound good to you. For winter RV camping destinations near New Orleans, Fireside RV Resort puts the city about an hour away.
Since Fireside RV Resort is only about a mile off I-12 and New Orleans is an hour or so south, Mardi Gras, the Superdome and a quiet night back at camp all stay within reach. Call (985) 277-1059 to request a monthly snowbird site, or check open winter dates for a shorter stay!
