Winter RV Park in Louisiana: Rates, Weather and What’s On Near New Orleans

In Ponchatoula, Fireside RV Resort is a winter RV park that never closes for the cold months, a mile off Interstate 12, with New Orleans about an hour to the south. Fireside charges $55 a night for a standard full-hookup site in winter and $65 for a premium one. For the snowbird window of November 1 to March 31, a full month on a standard site at Fireside costs $650, and Fireside folds the electricity and Wi-Fi into that rate.

Winter here is the slow season in the nicest sense. Campfires after dark, coffee at the picnic table, maybe a fishing rod leaning against the camper.

Quick take:

• Fireside stays open all winter, and every one of its 165 RV sites has full hookups.
• Sunday-through-Wednesday nights cost less at Fireside in November and December, holidays excluded.
• Power and Wi-Fi come with the snowbird month, which you set up by phone or the contact form.
• December highs average 63.7°F at NOAA’s Hammond 5 E station, though freezing nights do happen.
• Fat Tuesday falls on February 9, 2027, and New Orleans is an easy day trip.

Are RV parks open in the winter in Louisiana?

Plenty of Louisiana RV parks stay open in winter, and Fireside RV Resort doesn’t close for the season at all. Fireside’s snowbird RV park page names Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Dakotas and Canada among the places its winter guests drive down from.

Winter RVing has been picking up, too. In a November 2025 release, the RV Industry Association reported that “28 million Americans are choosing RVing as their holiday travel choice,” up 33% from the year before.

Plan ahead if you want the whole season. Fireside’s rules page says monthly sites are limited, and each one is subject to the approval and discretion of the general manager.

So if you’ve been searching “winter RV parks near me” from a rest stop on I-55, Fireside is worth a phone call. For the bigger picture on where snowbirds head in this state, our guide to winter RV destinations in Louisiana covers it.

What does a winter RV park cost near New Orleans?

A winter RV site near New Orleans costs less at Fireside than an April-through-October one, because all four of Fireside’s RV rates drop for November through March. Fireside also runs a Sunday-to-Wednesday weeknight deal in November and December, and long-stay guests can take the flat snowbird month. Every option comes straight from Fireside’s winter RV rates, laid side by side below.

That electricity line deserves a second look. RV LIFE warns that some campgrounds “turn on the meter for weekly or monthly reservations,” and a metered month can wreck a cheap headline rate. With the power already built into Fireside’s snowbird price, there’s no separate electric bill to sweat.

Fireside’s home page rules out a resort fee. Fireside also skips the site lock fee and any “community impact fee,” according to that same home page.

Holiday nights are one bump to watch for. On holidays, Fireside adds $10 per site per night, and Fireside’s long holiday list takes in Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, New Year’s and Christmas, among others.

Paying by the night? Fireside’s specials page offers 10% off to AARP and Good Sam members, to military guests, and to anyone 65 or older, one discount at a time.

How cold does a Louisiana winter get in an RV?

Cool, mostly, and rarely harsh. The official NOAA climate normals for a station called Hammond 5 E put December at a 63.7°F average high and a 40.5°F average low. NOAA’s Hammond 5 E figures for February come in at a 65.2°F average high and a 41.9°F average low.

Expect a few frosty mornings anyway. NOAA’s annual normals for Hammond 5 E count an average of 31.4 days a year when the low reaches freezing or below. NOAA’s Hammond 5 E normals also put even odds on the first fall freeze arriving by November 19 and on the last spring freeze passing by March 8.

This particular winter is shaping up wet. NOAA’s U.S. Winter Outlook, released October 15, 2026, says wetter-than-average conditions are most likely across the southern tier, from the Southwest to the Southeast, and along the East Coast. “As we know from decades of observations, a very strong El Nino will likely bring a southward and eastward shift to the jet stream for the contiguous U.S., which tilts the odds toward stormier weather across the South,” said Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.

A wet week is when you’ll be glad of good footing. Fireside’s amenities page says the paved roads and crushed-limestone pads stay clean and easy to use no matter the season.

When a hard freeze is in the forecast, handle the water line like you would up north. Disconnect and drain the hose before bed and use your fresh tank overnight, or run a heated hose. All of Fireside’s sites carry 30-amp and 50-amp hookups, and Fireside’s snowbird month already includes the electricity, so a little space heater on a cold night is covered.

What makes the best winter RV park near New Orleans?

For a snowbird, the best winter RV park near New Orleans charges you exactly what the rate sheet says, keeps your hookups running through a cold snap, and still puts the city close enough for a day trip. Campspot’s guide to picking a snowbird RV park puts full 30/50-amp hookups, reliable high-speed internet and laundry on its list of essentials. Fireside checks those boxes and a few more.

• Power included. The snowbird month at Fireside comes with electricity and Wi-Fi.
• Full hookups at every site. Water, sewer and electric (30 and 50 amp) reach every one of Fireside’s 165 RV sites.
• The everyday stuff. Fireside has free resort-wide Wi-Fi, laundry on the property, a camp store, and bath houses the resort describes as spotless.
• Quiet after dark. Fireside asks for quiet from 10 p.m. until 8 a.m.
• Your dog is welcome. Fireside lets pets stay at RV sites as long as they’re on a leash of six feet at most or kept in a contained area, and a Pet Park gives them room to roam.
• Medical care nearby. North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond keeps its emergency department open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. North Oaks is about 15 minutes from Fireside by car.
• Interstate access. Fireside is a mile off I-12, and I-55 is close by.

A campfire just feels better in January than it does in July. It might be the best part of a Fireside winter!

How do snowbirds get to Fireside from up north?

Coming from the Midwest, you’ll spend most of the trip on Interstate 55. The Federal Highway Administration’s interstate route log lists Chicago, Memphis and Jackson among the cities I-55 serves, and in Louisiana it lists Hammond, LaPlace and Ponchatoula.

I-55 meets I-12 in Hammond. From there, ride I-12 to Exit 47; Fireside sits about a mile off the interstate. Gulf Coast snowbirds traveling between Texas and Florida can use I-12 as a bypass of New Orleans. The FHWA route log lists Baton Rouge, Hammond and Slidell among the cities I-12 serves.

Once you’re parked and settled in, everything’s close by. From Fireside, Hammond is roughly 10 minutes away, Baton Rouge roughly 45 minutes, and New Orleans roughly an hour.

What is there to do near Ponchatoula this winter?

Quite a bit, with most of it packed between Thanksgiving and Fat Tuesday. Hammond’s events are right around the corner from Fireside, starting with the Louisiana Renaissance Festival on select days through December 13, 2026. The bigger New Orleans and Baton Rouge events make easy day trips for anyone doing winter RV camping near New Orleans.

Since the Louisiana Renaissance Festival sits right in Hammond, it makes an easy day out from Fireside. Our Louisiana Renaissance Festival guide covers the details.

Saturday mornings around here mean the Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market, which sets up in downtown Hammond each Saturday, 8 a.m. until noon.

Fireside’s own 2026 event calendar has holiday weekends too, with Thanksgiving Weekend set for November 28 and Christmas Weekend for December 26.

How do you book a monthly winter RV site at Fireside?

Fireside doesn’t sell the snowbird month online, so you’ll reserve it by calling (985) 277-1059 or filling out the contact form. Shorter nightly stays at Fireside go through the online booking site instead. The steps below keep it simple.

1. Reach out by phone or the form and ask for a monthly standard site.
2. Pick dates that fit inside the November 1 to March 31 window.
3. Know the cancellation terms. If you cancel more than 72 hours before you arrive, Fireside converts the reservation into a voucher or credit you can use within one year.

Frequently asked questions

Fireside RV Resort is a mile off I-12 in Ponchatoula. From the gate, Baton Rouge takes 45 minutes or so, and the drive to New Orleans runs about an hour. Grab your winter dates on Fireside’s booking site, or phone (985) 277-1059 about a snowbird month.