Visitation numbers at local state parks encouraging

Even with all of today’s new gadgets and gizmos, people still seem to be getting out, according to visitation numbers to St. Tammany Parish’s two state parks.

The 2,800-acre Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville, the parish’s and one of the state’s largest parks, saw a dramatic increase in visitors compared to the 2007-2008 fiscal year when 79,000 people visited.

That’s a stark contrast from this year’s current figures, which show more than 97,000 people have visited the park, nearly 20,000 more than all of last year, Sharon Broussard with Louisiana State Parks said.

Those figures are expected to increase even further when the fiscal year officially ends in June.

Broussard attributes the spike in numbers to several factors, including the lakeside cabins that opened earlier this year.

Other facilities at the park also reopened recently, including the marsh boardwalk and additional campgrounds.

The Mandeville Seafood Festival was also held at the park for the first time this year and attracted nearly 30,000 people during its three-day stint.

The event was expecting to attract near 40,000 people, but one of the days was rained out.

On the other hand, Fairview-Riverside State Park near Madisonville is about even with last year’s figures. More than 78,000 frequented the park during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. About 32,000 patrons have visited the park so far this year. At that rate, Broussard expects the numbers to equal last year’s total.