Louisiana has much to offer, from its astounding wildlife to its rich Cajun history. We’ve rounded up some oft-overlooked spots for the epicure, music lover, or outdoorsman. You can add many of these to a New Orleans itinerary or slide down to the Northern part of the state for some unexplored Southern landscape.
CULINARY CULTURE
Avery Island & The Home of Tabasco
Iberia Parish, LA
The history and production of arguably the world’s most famous hot sauce has grown on Avery Island, LA, since the 1800s. The island — a mysterious, buoyant salt dome millions of years in the making — fosters abundant wildlife like red peppers and other flora. After the fascinating factory tour, and museum visit, you can dine at the delicious restaurant. This is THE Louisiana pit stop for any fan of hot sauce as dressing.
After you’re Tabasco-d out, check out the 170-acre Jungle Gardens on Avery Island. You’ll spot this peculiarly placed Buddha shrine! Image: Kent Kanouse via Flickr
Cajun Bayou Food Trail
Lafourche Parish & Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou
This trail is located about 45 minutes outside New Orleans, and every stop is an authentic restaurant run by people of Cajun descent using old family recipes. You won’t find many white tablecloths on this trail, but you will find a wealth of delicious meals and purely Louisiana moments. Anyone looking for a fun and filling day trip from New Orleans or a food-tasting weekend getaway will love this.
LOLA
Covington, LA
After Hurricane Katrina, many decorated chefs dispersed to small towns outside the city centers to regroup and start over. When owners Nealy and Keith were 23 and 28, respectively, the couple evacuated to Covington and realized their dream of opening a restaurant. LOLA was born in January 2006 in an old train depot, and they’re still serving locally sourced seafood and Southern classics. Before LOLA, they both held sous-chef positions at the world-famous Brennan’s Restaurant on Royal Street in New Orleans.
Located in downtown Covington, LOLA is housed in the city’s historic train depot, and the kitchen is in an actual train caboose! The original doors, brick, and seasonally festive decor make this restaurant a worthwhile foray. Image: LOLA via Facebook
Hambone
Mandeville, LA
The little town of Mandeville on Lake Pontchartrain’s lively Northshore will pop up a lot in any article on off-the-beaten-path Louisiana gems. Hambone serves comfort food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a cute cottage with ample outdoor space. The kitchen is operated by Chef Luke Hidalgo from prestigious NOLA mainstays Galatoire’s and Commander’s Palace.
Fried boudin topped with crab, boiled mozzarella, and stone fruit preserve? Yes, please. Image: Hambone via Facebook
Suire’s
Kaplan, LA
Whenever Suire’s gets big-paper press, the owners — often oblivious to the media published — will pick up the pace to feed the curiously large crowds. Focused on food more than marketing, you may drive by it a few times before you spot this grocery cafe. Rotating, authentic Cajun specialties (posted daily on Facebook) and a surprisingly extensive menu of regional classics (like fig cake and crawfish pistolette) create flavors that are only surpassed by the smiles and service.
Part of Suire’s allure is its off-beat locale in “The Most Cajun Place In The World,” Vermillion Parish. Image: Suire’s Grocery and Restaurant via Facebook
ART, MUSIC, & ENTERTAINMENT
The Dew Drop Jazz and Social Hall
Mandeville, LA
Believed to be the world’s oldest unaltered rural jazz hall, The Dew Drop is perched on the famous North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, about 30 minutes from New Orleans. This tiny wooden venue played an essential role in the lives of the Black community from its opening in 1895. It hosts a series of concerts each year that are open to the general public and draw standing-room-only crowds.
The church next door hosts suppers to raise funds for the community, and you can have a picnic on the lawn before or during the concert. Image: @ticosoto via Instagram
Abita Mystery House
Abita Springs, LA
Now in its 24th year, this eclectic roadside attraction was modeled after Tinkertown Museum in Albuquerque, NM. John Preble created a spectacular folk art environment in Abita Springs, a historic small town known for its brewery, spring water, and bike trails. Abita Mystery House showcases Louisiana folk art, thousands of found objects, miniatures galore, vintage bikes, and wacky homemade inventions. Visitors can see a replica mini Southern town, explore many other odd exhibits, and play rare old arcade games.
One club in town started an Art Car Festival in 2019, where you can see a collection of the eccentrically decorated art cars that pepper the area. Image: Abita Mystery House via Facebook
Mardi Gras World
New Orleans, LA
Mardi Gras World gives you a year-round, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put on this revelrous annual celebration! Blaine Kern Studios is an operating workshop that has created jaw-dropping floats for Mardi Gras and other parades worldwide since 1947. You’ll explore the massive studio where artists and architects build ornate floats while also gaining a deeper understanding of the origins of Mardi Gras throughout history.
Artisans create jaw-dropping floats for more than 40 parades each year. On your tour, snap photos in front of hundreds of floats and props throughout the warehouse and workshop. Image: Mardi Gras World via Facebook
Chauvin Sculpture Garden
Chauvin, LA
This colorful, bayou-side art center showcases more than 60 larger-than-life concrete works of Kenny Hill, a mysterious recluse who championed his local people and culture through weird art adorned with found everyday objects. Kenny made strangely powerful art on this same site until he abandoned the endeavor and disappeared in 2000, never to be seen again.
Knowledgeable tour guides tell artist folklore as you walk through the whimsical garden. Image: Janet Knight Ward via Facebook
OUTDOORS
Honey Island Swamp
Slidell, LA
While we cannot begin to scratch the surface of all there is to do outside in Louisiana — especially in the swamps that make the state famous (or infamous in some pirate circles) — we have a few suggestions of places to see the best wildlife. St. Tammany Parish is home to Honey Island, one of the most unaltered and preserved swamps. Here, wild pigs swim alongside alligators, and legend has it that the gators are scared of the pigs, not the other way around! You will see raccoons, turtles, birds, and other species.
Book a professionally navigated and narrated tour from Honey Island Swamp Tours or Cajun Encounters. Image: Leigh Klotz via Flickr
Kisatchie National Forest
Near Natchitoches, LA
Whether your outdoor flavor of choice is hiking, off-roading, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, boating, swimming, picnicking, or bird watching, Louisiana’s only national forest and park by the same name have something for everyone year-round. Don’t skip the forest’s nearby small-town gems like Natchitoches: Louisiana’s oldest city and a beloved small town that goes all out for Christmas!
Kisatchie National Forest comprises 604,000 acres of forests, trails, clear lakes, and pristinely protected land in North Louisiana, an often overlooked region. Image: Nicolas Nova via Flickr
The Creole Nature Trail
Near Lake Charles, LA
Designated an All-American Road in 2002, this 180-mile trail was one of the first National Scenic Byways in the Gulf South. It’s an exciting and free way to explore the nicknamed “Louisiana’s Outback.” The trail starts near Lake Charles and goes through Calcasieu and Cameron parishes along the Louisiana/Texas border. Here, alligators outnumber humans (in a ratio of 10 to 1 in some places)! During migration times (April and October), you can count hundreds of the more than 400 bird species recorded here. The trail has many beaches, and while you won’t sunbathe here, they’re great for collecting shells and watching birds. You can download a brochure or use the free tour app to pick your stops along this trail.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
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