On the Northshore, Mother’s Day moves at a different pace. There is no parade route to navigate, no two-hour wait at a French Quarter brunch spot. Instead, there is a slower morning along the Mandeville lakefront, a quiet drive through Old Mandeville, and a long lunch on a covered porch in Covington or Madisonville. May 10 is a chance to honor the woman who raised you in the way she would actually want — close to home, surrounded by family, without a crowd.
Whether you live in Mandeville, Covington, Madisonville, Abita Springs, or Slidell, the Northshore offers a Mother’s Day that feels personal rather than performative. We have put together our top Mother’s Day ideas on the Northshore for 2026 to help you plan a day she will actually remember.
Mother's Day 2026 falls on Sunday, May 10.
Check back every year for an upated calendar, links to events, and Mother's Day happenings on Louisiana's Northshore.
2026 Mother’s Day Events Calendar on the Northshore
Some events are still being announced. We will update this list as more details go live.
May 9 | 2026 Northshore Heart Walk | Covington Trailhead, 419 N. New Hampshire Street. Check-in opens at 8:00 a.m., and the walk steps off at 9:00 a.m. for the American Heart Association’s annual 1.6-mile Northshore walk through downtown Covington, with a health fair, refreshments, and family activities. Free to participate; registration is open online.
May 10 | Old Mandeville Historic Association 2026 Mother’s Day Home Tour: “Timeless and Today” | Wristbands and tour maps at the Jean Baptiste Lang House, 605 Carroll Street, Mandeville. The Northshore’s signature Mother’s Day tradition returns for its 15th year. From 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., the OMHA opens five private historic homes, plus the historic Newell Chapel and the c. 1850 Lang House, for a self-paced walking tour—advance tickets $25 for adults and $15 for students; day-of tickets $30. Several houses are not handicap accessible due to stairs.
May 10 | Mother’s Day Brunch at The Gloriette | Inside the Southern Hotel, 428 E. Boston Street, Covington. The Gloriette’s prix fixe Mother’s Day brunch runs 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at $50 per adult (children 6–12 from the children’s menu, kids under 5 free). A buffet version is also offered in the Camellia Ballroom at the same rate. Reservations: (985) 202-8090 or book on OpenTable.
More events typically go live in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Visit the Northshore events calendar and the Northshore weekend events page for the latest.
What Mother’s Day Really Means When You Are the One Making Decisions
Mother’s Day carries a particular weight when you are the adult child navigating a parent’s care. The greeting cards assume a simple relationship: flowers, brunch, a phone call. For many families on the Northshore, the day arrives with more complicated feelings. You may be the daughter who closed up Mom’s house in Old Covington last year. You may be the son who drives to Mandeville every Saturday to sit with a mother who does not always know your name.
That does not make the day less important. It makes it more so. Mother’s Day is a chance to show up, even when showing up is hard, and to find a way to honor the woman she is and the woman she was. Whether that means a slow brunch in Covington or a quiet morning on her porch with a cup of community coffee, the best gift is your presence.
Outdoor Activities for Mother’s Day Weekend
The Northshore in May is warm but not yet heavy, especially in the morning. An early walk is one of the simplest and best ways to spend time together.
The Mandeville Lakefront along Lakeshore Drive offers about a mile of paved walkway facing Lake Pontchartrain, with benches, oak shade, and an easy grade, making it accessible to mothers of all mobility levels. The Mandeville Trailhead at 675 Lafitte Street serves as the southern endpoint of the Tammany Trace, the 31-mile rail-trail running through Abita Springs and on to Slidell. The Mandeville Trailhead Community Market runs every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. — a perfect Mother’s Day Eve outing for a bouquet from a local grower.
If Mom prefers gardens to lakefronts, Fontainebleau State Park on Highway 1089 in Mandeville offers shaded picnic areas, the ruins of the 1829 sugar mill, and a beach on the lake. Bogue Falaya Wayside Park in downtown Covington at 213 Park Drive is smaller and more intimate, with the Bogue Falaya River winding past pavilions perfect for a family lunch.
Indoor Activities and Things To Do When the Heat Picks Up
By midday in May, the humidity arrives in earnest. Plan — many Northshore cultural venues are closed on Sundays, so weekend visitors may want to do their indoor activities on Saturday, May 9.
The St. Tammany Art Association at 320 N. Columbia Street in downtown Covington rotates regional exhibits in its historic Art House and is small enough to walk through in an hour without exhausting anyone. The Art House is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; it is closed Sunday and Monday.
The Abita Brewery at 21084 Highway 36 in Covington is a different kind of indoor stop, open Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Guided tours run several times a day for $10 (includes 4 4-oz tastings); self-guided tours during business hours are free. The taproom and gift shop welcome guests of all ages.
If Mom prefers shopping, downtown Covington’s Lee Lane and Boston Street are lined with locally owned boutiques, antique shops, and galleries. Old Mandeville’s Girod Street and the surrounding blocks offer a walkable alternative with the lake at the end of the road. Pick up something personal rather than something generic.
Where To Eat: Mother’s Day Brunch and Dinner on the Northshore
No Mother’s Day on the Northshore is complete without a proper meal. Reserve early. Walk-ins on Mother’s Day are a gamble you will lose.
Refined Brunch:
- The Gloriette at the Southern Hotel, 428 E. Boston Street, Covington. Prix fixe Mother’s Day brunch, May 10, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., $50 per adult. Reservations: (985) 202-8090 or OpenTable.
- Tchefuncte’s, 407 St. Tammany Street, Madisonville. White-tablecloth dining on the Tchefuncte River, with Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and water views from nearly every table.
- Impastato Cellars, 240 Highway 22E, Madisonville. Open for Mother’s Day Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. with a five-course Italian lunch in a winery setting. Reservations strongly recommended.
On the Water:
- Pat’s Rest Awhile, 2129 Lakeshore Drive, Mandeville. A historic 1880s lakefront hotel turned restaurant, with a porch facing Lake Pontchartrain and a Sunday brunch built around Gulf seafood. Open Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Rips on the Lake, 1917 Lakeshore Drive, Mandeville. A Mandeville institution since 1935 with second-story lake views. Sunday hours 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Phone reservations only: (985) 727-2829.
Neighborhood Favorites:
- The English Tea Room & Eatery, 737 Rutland Street, Covington. Two unique Mother’s Day services running May 4–12, 2026 — a genteel choice for mothers and grandmothers who would rather share a pot of tea than a champagne flute. Reservations highly recommended.
- Mandina’s of Mandeville, 4240 Highway 22. Old-school New Orleans Italian, brought across the lake. Mom orders the trout amandine, and you do not argue. Open Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
For more options, visit the Northshore’s restaurant directory and book before your first choice fills up.
Celebrating Mom When Her Needs Have Changed
Mother’s Day looks different when your mother needs more support than she used to. Maybe she is living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Maybe she tires easily in the afternoon. Maybe a two-hour brunch at a loud restaurant isn’t the right fit anymore.
That does not mean the day has to shrink. It means it has to be more intentional. A slow drive down Lakeshore Drive with the windows down. A small bouquet from the Mandeville Trailhead Market was arranged together at the kitchen table. Sitting with her in a courtyard and letting the conversation go wherever it goes, or nowhere at all.
If your loved one is in residential care, ask her care team what would make the day special. Caregivers who truly know the resident — her routine, her preferences, the song that still lights her face up — will already have ideas. A visit does not have to be long to be meaningful. It has to be real.
At The Peristyle at Beau West, we understand that Mother’s Day is personal and sometimes bittersweet. As the only memory care exclusive assisted living community on the Northshore — and the only one in our market to be honored with the Dementia Care Specialists’ Distinguished Provider Award — we are built around knowing each resident as an individual, not managing a room number. Our 40 private suites in The Pontchartrain and The Fontainebleau neighborhoods are designed for the dignity and individuality of every senior in our care.
If you are exploring memory care options for your mother on the Northshore, we would welcome the chance to talk. Contact The Peristyle at Beau West to schedule a tour. Locally owned and operated in Mandeville, we offer memory care and life enrichment programming in a therapeutic environment that honors every stage of cognitive decline.
Looking for guidance on caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s or dementia? Browse our Family Resources for help recognizing warning signs, navigating caregiver burnout, and deciding when it may be time to consider memory care.
