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BATON ROUGE – As 18 Louisiana State Parks reopen to Louisiana residents today, visitors will have more options as previously closed campsites are reopened, new amenities are offered at a number of campsites, and a new discount code takes effect.

Also, site staff and in-house maintenance teams have worked to upgrade and repair facilities in order to have them available for visitors to the parks.

Bogue Chitto State Park, near Franklinton, is reopening campsites 108-118 in the bottomland campground. These 10 sites have been closed since August 2016 due to flood damages to the nearby bathhouse.

Palmetto Island State Park, south of Abbeville, has added sewer hookups to 12 campsites, bringing the total of premium campsites at the park to 20. The project was made available through the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Palmetto Island State Park Inc.

Louisiana residents can begin making reservations to stay at 18 Louisiana State Parks starting Friday, May 15, while out-of-state visitors will be welcomed back on Friday, May 29. As part of the reopening, Louisiana State Parks is offering a special discount of booking four nights for the price of three. The promo code – WELCOMEBACK – can be used at checkout for stays through September 7, 2020.

In addition to overnight facilities reopening at parks, tours will be available at State Historic Sites effective Friday, May 15. In keeping with CDC guidelines, tour groups will be kept to 10 or fewer people including the tour guide.

Each state park and state historic site will follow guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) to ensure all areas are disinfected and safe for visitors. All employees working in fee stations, and coming into contact with visitors, will wear masks and gloves; they will follow proper prevention hygiene such as washing their hands frequently and using alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available. Additional measures will be taken, following the CDC guidelines, on proper cleaning and sanitizing after guests leave to prepare for the next set of visitors.

Three state parks, which were used as isolation areas for patients, will remain closed. Those state parks are Chicot State Park in Ville Platte, Lake Bistineau State Park in Doyline, and Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego. Before opening each of these facilities to the public, certified cleaning crews will perform a decontamination cleaning of each area of the park.

For more information about Louisiana State Parks visit LaStateParks.com, or follow Louisiana State Parks on Facebook and Twitter.