Away from the Crowds in Louisiana

Louisiana, the Pelican State, has a lot of places off the beaten path to explore and enjoy.

Abita Mystery House is located in Abita Springs and is an eclectic roadside attraction. It is modeled after the Tinkertown Museum in Albuquerque, NM. This folk art environment was created by John Preble in Abita Springs, a small town known for its brewery, spring water, and bike trails. The Abita Mystery House displays 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.

Avery Island, the Home of Tabasco in Iberia Parish, is the place where the famous hot sauce got its start. The island has abundant wildlife. It is a unique salt dome known for its production of Tabasco sauce. 

Visitors enjoy a factory tour and museum.

Highlights:

Jungle Gardens, a lush botanical garden featuring subtropical plants and wildlife.

Bird City is a wildlife refuge that attracts various bird species, ideal for birdwatching.

Take the Cajun Bayou Food Trail in Lafourche Parish and the Louisiana Cajun Bayou. The trail starts about 45 minutes outside of New Orleans. You’ll enjoy the Cajun food, as every stop is an authentic restaurant run by Cajun people with old family recipes. You get to venture off the main road and follow the bayou flowing through wetlands and authentic Cajun communities.

Chauvin Sculpture Garden in Chauvin is a colorful bayou-side art center that showcases over sixty larger-than-life concrete artworks by 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.

The Creole Nature Trail was designated as an All-American road in 2002. It was one of the first National Scenic Byways in the Gulf South. It has been nicknamed the “Louisiana Outback.” The trail begins near Lake Charles and stretches through Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes along the Louisiana and Texas border.

In the area are many alligators, and during migration there are over 400 bird species. The trail has beaches that are great for birdwatching and collecting shells.

The Dew Drop Jazz and Social Hall in Mandeville is the world’s oldest unaltered rural jazz hall. It is located on the famous North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The tiny wooden venue has played an essential role in the lives of the African American community from its opening in 1895. The hall hosts a series of concerts each year open to the general public and draws standing room only crowds.

Sharing the small stage inside the building were New Orleans jazz icons Kid Ory, Bunk Johnson, The Independence Band with brothers Lucien, Isidore, Louis, and Joe Fritz (often called the Fritz Brothers Band); the legendary Buddy Mandalay on banjo, often with Buddie Petit’s band; Leon Lurent, Edmon Hall, Papa Celestin, Sam Morgan, Andy Anderson, George Lewis, the city’s first of many legendary clarinet players, Klebert Cagnolatti, and Tommy Ladner, just to name a few.

Honey Island Swamp is located in Slidell in St. Tammany Parish. It is among the most unaltered and preserved swamps. Visitors can see wild pigs, alligators, raccoons, turtles, birds, and other species.

Visitors enjoy a boat tour through the swamp.

Kisatchie National Forest is located near Natchitoches. This is the place for recreation with hiking, off-roading, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, boating, swimming, picnicking, camping, and bird watching.

It is Louisiana's only national forest, covering over 604,000 acres across seven parishes in central and northern Louisiana. It features diverse ecosystems, including pine and hardwood forests.

The nearby town of Natchitoches is the oldest in Louisiana, and this small town makes Christmas magic.

Mardi Gras World in New Orleans is a year-round workshop where you can see amazing floats for Mardi Gras and other parades. Visitors can explore the studio where artists and architects build ornate floats and learn about the origin and the history of Mardi Gras.