When the weather finally cools off, Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville is one of the easiest ways to get outside on the North Shore. You get a Lake Pontchartrain beach, a rails-to-trails bike path and the brick ruins of an 1829 sugar mill, all for $3 a person.

A bit of history

The crumbling brick ruins near the entrance belong to a sugar mill built in 1829 by Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville, the founder of Mandeville. He ran the land as a sugar plantation until 1852 and named it after the forest near Paris that French kings used as a retreat. Two historic markers at the park mark where the cabins of enslaved people once stood and honor the Native Americans who lived in the area before European settlement.

Things to do

The 2,800-acre park sits on the lakeshore, bordered on three sides by Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou Cane and Bayou Castine. There's a sandy beach, a 4.8-mile hiking trail and a 1.25-mile nature trail with signs that help identify trees and shrubs.

The Tammany Trace, a rails-to-trails path, runs right through the park for biking, walking and skating. Birders can look for some of the more than 400 species that live in and around the park.

Kayaks rent for $35 for two hours for a single or $50 for a tandem, with longer blocks available. Kids also get an all-inclusive playground built for children of different abilities.

Fees and hours

Admission is $3 per person, free for seniors 62 and older and children 3 and under. The entrance station is staffed 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and days before holidays.

Stay the night

Deluxe cabins sleep up to eight and run $175 to $262.50 a night plus tax, with cookware, linens and towels provided. Campsites are also available. Call 985-624-4443 to plan a stay.