Louisiana State Park – Lake Bruin

Nothing makes my nerd heart beat faster than a trip to a state park. They are definitely hidden gems in most states and I simply adore exploring them with my family…even when they aren’t so sure! Their indifference often matches my exuberance! However, I feel like it’s a right of passage to be drug about on educational adventures as a child so they should really just buckle up…because we are just getting started! 😉

Due to my nerdy, crunchy passion for exploring and cultivating adventures for the Henrys, I’ve decided to try to document our state park visits so you can learn from our mistakes or follow suit with the things that worked! Enjoy!

Lake Bruin State Park

We recently spent a weekend at the Lake Bruin State Park in St. Joseph, Louisiana. The park is roughly 2.5 hours from Baton Rouge so it was a nice little trek up north! There isn’t much in the St. Joseph area but, in a way, that adds to the charm! It really allows you to step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a relaxing time in nature. The views of the lake are so peaceful and it’s very easy to get lost in thought while staring at the trees. Even in the heat of July, the tree coverage and breeze from the lake offered surprising comfort.

As the name implies, water fun on the lake is the primary activity at this state park. They have three fishing piers and a boat launch and we saw a ton of folks enjoying life on boats and jet skis. We aren’t that cool but we still had plenty to keep us occupied with the day use area. There is a swimming area with tree swings and a water playground close by that all of our kiddos LOVED. There is also a decent bathroom near by for easy access. I would definitely encourage water shoes for the swim because my kids kept commenting on how slimy the bottom of the lake felt. We also brought floats to enjoy and balls to toss…basically everything you would enjoy at a pool or ocean swim!

Another fun day-use option was their playground and covered pavilion. Both are well shaded while also offering a gorgeous lake view!

While the kids and hubs played in the lake, I went on a little walk about to see what else the park had to offer. I stayed along the roadways and the loop was almost exactly one mile, which offered the perfect morning exercise!

In addition to water activities, camping is also a major component of this state park. There were tons of RVs and traditional camping tents around the lake. The park offers 48 campsites with water and electrical hookups, ranging from $20-$33 per night, depending on location and day of the week. In addition, they have three cabins available for rent. They have two standard cabins directly in the park that can sleep up to 4 each (1 queen bed and a sofa sleeper). The deluxe cabin, which is right across the street from the park, can sleep up to 8 (1 queen bed, 1 double, 2 twin beds, and a sofa sleeper). These cabins range from $85 – $175 per night, depending on day of the week. All reservations can be made on their website.

We stayed in the deluxe cabin, which is essentially a three bedroom house fit with a full kitchen, large living room, and two full bathrooms. In addition, each bedroom is fit with a fairly large closet that, in all honestly, wouldn’t be a bad place to throw an air mattress for a kiddo that needs a little more privacy when they snooze. The cabin was equipped with all of the basic cooking/eating essentials (i.e. cookware, utensils, plates, cups, silverware) as well as basic linens for all of the beds, plenty of towels, and toilet paper. They even have a large washer/dryer, three televisions, and wifi available. So I wouldn’t classify this stay under “roughin’ it!”.

Here is a list of the things we either brought or wish we would have brought:

• Swimsuits, water shoes, beach towels, and whatever water floats/toys you wish!
• Fishing poles and whatever goes with that (I’m clearly not a fisherman!)
• Games (There is a giant dining table that just screams “please play cards or board games on me!”)
• Outdoor Games (The yard is HUGE and there is plenty of space for cornhole, bocce, or even a net for volleyball/badminton! Plus, they have some solid wooden rocking chairs!)
• Charcoal for the Outdoor Grill or wood for the Firepit
• A giant magnet on a rope (this is fun to drag along the lake bottom to see what fun you can find!)
• Everything you need to eat/drink (there is a full size fridge and giant pantry…don’t forget your basic seasonings like salt/pepper! We also brought a case of water because I’m weird about tap water.)
• Coffee filters (there is a standard coffee maker available as well as plenty of mugs.)
• Toilet Paper (yes they provide it but it’s the kind you buy in bulk-bulk, so if you’re particular, just bring it!)
• Cleaning Supplies (paper towels, all purpose spray, detergent, hand soap) (They do have dishwasher tablets and dish soap available but bring your own sponge for handwashing dishes. There is also a broom available as well.)
• Trash bags & Ziploc Bags (there is a standard trash can in the kitchen but we always go through more trash than we think we will so the extra bags are clutch! The baggies are good for any leftovers, etc.)
• Bed Linens (again, they are provided but if you are particular, bring your own!)
• First Aid Kit (You just never know what will happen during adventures! So in addition to your basic first aid kit, don’t forget your sunscreen, after-sun care, Tylenol for any dehydration headaches, and ALL THE BUG SPRAY!)
• Basic Toiletries (Both bathrooms offer full bath/showers and sinks so you’ll have plenty of space to clean up as usual. They also have hair dryers available but you’ll need to bring your own shampoo/soap, etc.)

Just a note to point out, animals aren’t allowed in the deluxe cabin so our pup had to stay behind. But, we hope to take her along on our future state park adventures.

As I mentioned, there isn’t a ton in St. Joseph so you’ll likely be eating in while you are there. However, in their super quaint downtown area, we did enjoy lunch at Maria’s Mexican Restaurant. They have the coolest murals painted throughout the interior and what appeared to be a stage and set up perfect for karaoke! They have an expansive menu and we all really enjoyed it! Right on brand, I ate my weight in their chips & salsa…very authentic and delicious! I would definitely stop there again for lunch or dinner!

All in all, this is a great state park! There isn’t a ton to do here so you really have to create your own adventures. However, it’s the perfect spot to truly get away and enjoy the views!