Fountainebleau State Park - Mandeville, LA

This is a really nice park right on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, about 30 mins from downtown New Orleans.
It's also not far off of I-12 (east/west) making it easy to get to if you're simply passing through.
Being directly on the lake, this park took a big hit from Katrina, but has fully recovered to being better than it was originally.

The camping area is divided into two sections, appropriately named "old and new" sections. The new section has two sections; the "premium" section with full hook-ups with both loops and back-ins, and the other "primitive" section without hookups, with both loops and back-in strips. The 4 day weekend we were there, the primitive section was all but empty,while the "premium" section slowly filled to capacity. (For this reason I would recommend reservations.) This section looked to be more for adults and those looking for more peace and quiet. There is a large new bath-house in the center with nice hot showers and pay washer/dryer.
The old section has drive-thru strips, plus it had "general camping" where pitching a tent almost anywhere is accepted. This section tended to be full of kids, but with a nice family atmosphere. If you have little ones, this section would offer them plenty of fun. There is a new large bath-house under construction here.

As for activities, there are mainly two trails...one 1.25 mile trail that loops out to boardwalks that bring you out in the marsh. There are built-in binoculars on the ends of the boardwalks for viewing the many birds and wildlife. Lake Pontchartrain is in the background.
The other trail is a 4.8 miler that crosses over to the wilderness side of the park. There is also a "canoe trail" that circles the entire park, if you have a canoe.
There is huge day-use area with many picnic tables and bbq pits under many large old oak trees. At dusk the deer can be seen moving across this area. There is a new visitors center with a great "French Quarter" style patio that overlooks the ruins of an old sugar mill. Along with tables and chairs, there is a hand full of good old fashion rocking chairs here for sitting and relaxing.
Lastly, at the lakeshore there is a small man-made sandy beach with a nice cement pier leading out in the lake....great for fishing or just watching the sunset.
For supplies, the town of Mandeville is about 5 mins from the park entrance.

For us locals, the 40min drive from home makes it convenient, but the atmosphere makes you feel that you're at a distant location.
The close vicinity to I-12 and New Orleans also makes this a great place for travelers to stop and spend a few days while passing through.

[B_and_D]

Sounds really cool. Sometimes it's very relaxing to go camping not too far from home.