Booking a Louisiana camping trip where part of the group wants a cabin and part wants to bring their own rig usually means picking two different parks. Lazy river, swim-up bar, lake views: those tend to come from a third place entirely.
Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula is the one place we know of where all three sit on the same property. We have 163 full-hookup RV sites, 10 modern cabins, and a lazy river that loops past two pools and a swim-up bar. We are one hour from New Orleans and one mile off I-12 at Exit 47.
TL;DR
- 10 cabins (sleep 6) and 163 RV sites at one resort in Ponchatoula, LA.
- Lazy river plus a family pool and an adults-only pool with a seasonal swim-up bar.
- Cabin rate in summer: $165/night, two-night minimum, $18 cleaning fee.
- Summer RV special: $35/night standard sites, $45/night premium sites, Sun–Wed through August.
- No resort fee, no site lock fee, no reservation service fee.
- One hour to the French Quarter, ten minutes to Hammond.
Which Louisiana RV parks have cabins AND a lazy river?
Very few. We built Fireside around exactly that combination. The property in Ponchatoula has 10 cabins for guests who want walls and a real bed, and 163 RV sites for travelers bringing their own rig. Both groups share the same lazy river, the same family pool, and the same adults-only pool with its swim-up bar.
That matters because most camping trips end up being a compromise. Grandma wants a cabin. Your nephew wants to bring the trailer he just bought. The kids want a pool. With everything on one property, nobody loses. Park the rig on a pull-thru, book a cabin a few sites over, and meet at the lazy river at noon.
What is a Fireside cabin like inside?
Each cabin is 532 square feet with a private bedroom, a full kitchen, and a 40-inch TV. The bedroom has a queen. The living area has a twin bunk and a full-size pull-out couch, which is how 6 people can sleep in a space that doesn’t feel cramped. There’s a real range, a real refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee maker, and the dishes and pots you’d expect. You can cook breakfast for the whole group without leaving the cabin.
A few practical notes that catch people off guard. Bring your own linens: sheets, pillows, blankets, towels. Cabins don’t come with them, and that’s how we keep the rate where it is. Pets are not allowed in the cabins. At least one guest in each cabin needs to be 21 or older. One of the 10 cabins is handicap-accessible, with an enlarged bathroom and no bunk beds.
For the full feature list, photos, and which cabin sleeps what, the cabins page has the details and the booking link.
How long is the lazy river, and when is it open?
The lazy river is open year-round, but it isn’t heated. From late fall through early spring, most guests leave the tubes alone and stick to the cabin porch. April through October is when the river gets daily use. It winds past the family pool, around the islands and the seating, and over to the adults-only pool with the swim-up bar (the bar is seasonal). Bring your own tube or grab one of ours, and you can spend the afternoon doing very little.
One detail trip-planners ask about: the lazy river is a perk for overnight guests, not a public day-use facility. There are no day passes. You stay at the resort, you use the river. It keeps things relaxed for the folks who paid for the night.
How much do cabins cost in summer, and what is the minimum stay?
A cabin runs $165 per night from April through August (plus October), with a two-night minimum and a one-time $18 cleaning fee. That rate covers up to 4 guests. Adding a fifth or sixth guest costs $10/night for ages 4 to 13 and $20/night for 13 and up. Kids under 3 stay free.
RV sites run on their own price sheet. Right now, through the end of August, we are running our summer special: standard sites at $35/night and premium sites at $45/night, Sunday through Wednesday (holidays excluded). That deal does not apply to cabins, but if you have flexibility on dates, it is the easiest way to cut your trip cost roughly in half.
And what you will not see on our checkout page: a resort fee, a site lock fee, or a reservation service fee. The number you book is the number you pay, plus tax. For the current cabin and site rates, check our pricing page.
What else is there to do near Ponchatoula?
Plenty, and most of it within a 30-minute drive. Ponchatoula calls itself America’s Antique City, and a Saturday morning walking the downtown blocks is a low-key day. Hammond is the closer hub, about ten minutes up the road, and the Hammond Farmer’s Market runs Saturdays from 8 AM to noon. The Global Wildlife Center is a half-hour west, where the tour bus rolls through a giraffe herd. The French Quarter is just under an hour by car if you want a day in the city before heading back to your cabin.
If you are timing your stay to an event, the Louisiana travel authority keeps the statewide calendar up to date. Locally, the Louisiana Renaissance Festival lands in Hammond every fall, and a couple of golf courses (Oak Knoll, Carter Plantation) are a short drive if anyone in the group wants 18 holes between pool sessions.
The full list of what we recommend, with drive times, lives on our amenities and things to do pages. The hours and directions page has the office hours if you are checking in late.
What to know before you book
A few small things make the trip smoother. Check-in is 3 PM and check-out is 11 AM. Quiet hours run 10 PM to 8 AM, which families with small kids tend to appreciate. Golf carts top out at 5 mph on the property. There is a Hunt Brothers Pizza on-site for the night you don’t feel like cooking. And if you come back, the Fireside Rewards Card gets you a free two-night standard-site stay after your fifth overnight visit.
Book the cabin and the RV site for the same weekend if you’ve got the crew for it. The tubes will be in the river.
Frequently asked questions
No. Pets are not allowed inside Fireside cabins. RV-site guests can bring leashed dogs that aren’t on the restricted-breed list. Guests found with a pet inside a cabin forfeit the remainder of their stay and a $150 cleaning charge.
Yes. Cabins don’t come with sheets, pillows, blankets, or towels. Bring what you’d bring to a friend’s beach house.
The lazy river is technically open year-round, but it isn’t heated. Most guests skip it from late fall through early spring. The April-through-October stretch is when it gets daily use.
A cabin sleeps 6 comfortably: queen bed in the private bedroom, twin bunk and a full pull-out couch in the living area.
Roughly an hour to the Superdome, depending on traffic on I-12 and I-55. Hammond is a ten-minute drive; the French Quarter is a few minutes under an hour.
