From bayous to Bourbon Street, there’s no place like southern Louisiana. The region’s diverse blend of cultures — French, African American and Italian are only the beginning —make for a setting that’s as complex as a rich bowl of gumbo and every bit as satisfying.
A soulful place, southern Louisiana’s byways and boulevards bear the traces of wars and weather, turmoil and tragedy. But its people have never lost the joyful spirit that sustains them in good times and bad, and visitors can share in the life-affirming culture evident in its architecture, tasted in its incomparable cuisine and heard in its lively music.
Native Americans have lived in the southern part of what is now Louisiana for at least 11,000 years, hunting among dense stands of hardwood forest and harvesting the bounty of its meandering waterways and the Gulf of Mexico. Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Piñeda mapped the coastline in 1519. But it was the French who claimed the territory and established the first settlements in the early 1700s. They brought enslaved Africans, some of whom escaped with the help of local Indian tribes and formed their own independent settlements in the bayous and woods. Subsequent waves of immigrants staked their claims, and today this region is a true melting pot with residents whose roots stretch around the globe.
A tour of southern Louisiana guarantees a trip filled with memorable experiences and meals. Summers can be steamy, but the climate is generally temperate throughout the year, with festivals, events and celebrations in any season.
New Orleans
The best-known city in the Bayou State, New Orleans is located about 100 miles north of where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The original town, the Vieux Carré (Old Quarter), was established in 1718 on a sharp bend in the Mississippi, giving rise to one of New Orleans’ nicknames, “the Crescent City.”
The river is the heart of New Orleans, and there’s no better way to experience it than on a cruise aboard a steam-powered paddleboat. The Steamboat Natchez has three decks and a variety of sightseeing cruises, which can be enhanced with food and cocktails, all accompanied by jazz (New Orleans is the birthplace of the genre). Group discounts and private VIP events are available. To start the cruise in style, arrange a second line parade to accompany your group to the wharf. A New Orleans tradition, these joyful processions feature brass bands, dancing and colorful costumes.
New Orleans became the home of the cocktail when Antoine Peychaud stirred up the Sazerac in 1832 at his apothecary on Royal Street. That location now houses a coin store, but you can learn more about cocktails at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, which is home to the Museum of the American Cocktail. The museum also includes the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking, where groups can take a hands-on cooking class and then enjoy the delicious results. The venue is available for private events for groups of 20 to 400.
For an experience that’s truly local, veteran journalist Barry Yeoman recommends catching some music at Bullet’s Sports Bar in the Seventh Ward’s Treme neighborhood.
“It’s a fun off-the-beaten-track place,” said Yeoman, “Black-owned, and one of the last ‘back o’ town’ neighborhood bars. One group that plays there a lot is The Original Pinettes Brass Band, which is — as far as I know — the only all-women brass band in New Orleans. And a great place for lunch is the Parkway Bakery and Tavern, which has, in my mind, the best po’boys in town.”
Baton Rouge
The state capital, Baton Rouge, is a city with a long history. Two earthen mounds on the LSU campus date back 11,000 years, making them the oldest human-made structures in the Americas. The Old Louisiana Governor’s Mansion is now an elegant museum, with guided tours available. Built by legendary governor Huey P. Long in 1930, “Louisiana’s White House” and its rose garden sit on a live oak-lined boulevard downtown.
Josie Evans, vice president of marketing for the Louisiana Travel Association, says people should not miss the Old State Capitol and the Capitol Park Museum.
“You can book a private tour and it showcases the history of Louisiana, from pre-Colonial times to modern day,” she said. “It’s got a lot of interactive exhibits and covers everything from the state’s musical heritage to its politics.”
She also touts the capital’s food and brewery tours. “We have a growing craft brewery scene. There are places like Tin Roof Brewing and Rally Cap Brewing, with all different kinds of craft beer, and you can get local cuisine paired with it as well.”
A vibrant arts and cultural scene is evident in abundant galleries, the Shaw Center for Arts, a contemporary visual and performing arts facility; the Manship Theatre; and the LSU Museum of Art and LSU School of Art Gallery. Souvenirs at the museum’s store highlight ceramics, paintings, jewelry, toys, stationery and more made by local talent.
Lafayette
Lafayette is the epicenter of the state’s rich Cajun heritage and the largest Francophone community in the United States. When French-speaking Catholic inhabitants of Acadie (now Nova Scotia) were expelled by the British governor in 1755, many of the exiles found their way to New Orleans, then settled along the bayous west of the city where they practiced their own beliefs and customs and preserved their dialect and heritage.
That heritage is on display at Acadian Village, a reconstruction of earlier days where groups can tour historic cabins and structures and watch demonstrations of traditional arts, crafts and cooking. Groups will also want to tour the Lafayette Museum Historic Home and Gardens. Constructed around 1800 by Jean Mouton, one of the first settlers of southwest Louisiana, the original property was a one-room structure with a detached kitchen before it was expanded by Mouton’s son Alexandre, the state’s first Democratic governor.
Cajuns are famed for their food and their music, and no visit is complete without an evening at a traditional dance hall. Prejean’s and Randols, which have moved to the nearby town of Breaux Bridge serve authentic cuisine — don’t miss the etouffee — and live zydeco music. Zydeco blends French accordion music and Afro-Caribbean beats and will have your group two-stepping in no time.
A raucous evening of music can be followed by a peaceful morning paddle on Bayou Vermillion or along the Lafayette Parish Paddle Trail.
Lake Charles
The bustling port city of Lake Charles combines Cajun culture with Texas swagger, and there’s plenty of natural beauty as lagniappe (“something extra”). Get back to nature along the Creole Nature Trail, where marshlands and estuaries teem with alligators and over 400 species of birds.
With 26 miles of Gulf of Mexico beaches and fishing areas “This is Louisiana’s outdoor playground,” said the Louisiana Travel Association’s Evans. “There’s so much to enjoy. Charter fishing trips take you out into the Gulf or any of the inland lakes so you can catch redfish, speckled trout or catfish. And there’s Sam Houston Jones State Park, with hiking, bird watching and picnicking, all in a serene, natural environment.”
Golfers and gamblers will be spoiled for choices, with four casinos and numerous public golf courses that are playable year-round. Shoppers will head straight downtown, where they can select one-of-a-kind, handcrafted headgear at Bespoke Hat Company, where each hat is custom made to order. Visitors can take a piece of southwest Louisiana’s culture and cuisine home with locally produced Cajun goods including crafts, sauces and spices from Bux Kajun Korner.
Groups should be sure to sample the state’s signature sausage at the mom-and-pop food establishments, specialty meat shops and grocery stores along the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail. The traditional version of boudin incorporates cooked pork, chicken or pig’s liver, rice, bell pepper, celery, green onions, parsley and spices, but crawdad, catfish, shrimp and crab make a tasty seafood alternative. Treat the group to an elegant evening at the award-winning Pat’s of Henderson. Open since 1948, the restaurant’s stuffed red snapper and lobster bisque are local favorites.
Lake Charles has no shortage of nightlife, from nationally known touring performers at the area’s casinos to zydeco, country and rock at the Panorama Music House and other bars and clubs.
