Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gretna, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gretna and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gretna
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Gretna:
- 29.915854, -90.054383
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Gretna
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a parish-by-parish basis. We have selected Jefferson Parish as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Jefferson Parish
- Since Gretna is near Orleans Parish and also Saint Bernard Parish, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Orleans Parish
- eBird sighting report for Saint Bernard Parish
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Gretna ...
We found thirteen communities that share the name Gretna.
Within Louisiana, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond Louisiana, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, eleven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Manitoba
- This Gretna lies 1,376 miles [2,214.5 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Gretna that is located in Jefferson Parish.
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 1,217 miles [1,958.6 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Gretna that is located in Jefferson Parish.
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gretna ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Cutoff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Forest Isle
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Isle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Isle
- Forest Isle is located in Orleans Parish
- Garden District
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden District have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden District
- Garden District is located in Orleans Parish
- Greenville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Greenville is located in Orleans Parish
- Harvey
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
- Harvey is located in Jefferson Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvey <3>
- Storyville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Storyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storyville
- Storyville is located in Orleans Parish
- Tall Timbers
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tall Timbers have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tall Timbers
- Tall Timbers is located in Orleans Parish
- Terrytown
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terrytown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrytown
- Terrytown is located in Jefferson Parish
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Terrytown <3>
- Timber Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timber Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Grove
- Timber Grove is located in Orleans Parish
- Walkertown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walkertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkertown
- Walkertown is located in Jefferson Parish
How Far From Gretna to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Gretna to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Gretna and extending to:
- Baton Rouge, which is the State Capital of Louisiana, lies 75 miles [120.7 km]<1> to the west northwest (WNW). If you could drive a straight line from Gretna to Baton Rouge, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 964 miles [1,551.4 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 38 days and walking would take 55 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,862 miles [11,043.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,566 miles [12,176.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,444 miles [8,761.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Gretna: www.gretnala.com/
The official website for Jefferson Parish: www.jeffparish.net/
The official website for State of Louisiana: louisiana.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gretna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gretna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.9159, Longitude: -90.0544 |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Gretna to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 315.308 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 310.691 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.218 degrees. |