For over a decade, visitors of Westwego’s Bayou Segnette have been able to see live alligators on an airboat and eat lunch at a harbor-front restaurant afterward — or buy live Louisiana shellfish to cook for themselves instead.
But now, Westwego leaders are revamping that cluster of businesses into a designated tourist hub known as “Gator Town,” with hopes of attracting new visitors to the area as a new youth sports complex in nearby Avondale is slated to bring thousands of out-of-towners to the area each weekend.
Gator Town encompasses the area south of the Westbank Expressway between Louisiana and Laroussini Streets and extends to the Lapalco Boulevard bridge. It includes the Westwego Shrimp Lot, Segnette Landing restaurant and Ultimate Swamp Adventures.
Just outside of Gator Town is Bayou Segnette State Park, with its own boat launch and floating cabins for rent…