Author: Ashley Bravata

The Official First Day of LSU New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS – On Wednesday, at 10 a.m., the Louisiana State University (LSU) system hosted a sign-unveiling ceremony, officially recognizing the transition of the former University of New Orleans (UNO) campus to LSU New Orleans. Originally established in 1958…

Delacroix Restaurant to Represent U.S. for July 4th Events in Paris

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Delacroix Restaurant, a New Orleans dining destination, was selected by the U.S. Embassy in France as the sole restaurant representative during this summer's Paris en Seine celebrations, including Paris Plages and the internationally renowned Carnaval…

Editor's Note: A New Orleans Secret Spot

Wherever you live, there’s probably a spot you like to go for fun, to relax or even to hide. Maybe it’s not so secret, but it hasn’t yet made the top ten things to do in your city or town.…

Bayou St. John: The Water That Made a City

Stand at the edge of Bayou St. John on a quiet morning and the city seems to fall away. The water shifts through several faces in a single day — steam rising from the surface as temperatures change at dawn,…

Dr. Alexander Mulamula Uses New Treatment for Lung Cancer

Dr. Alexander Mulamula, head of the pulmonology department at Ochsner Baton Rouge, recently started using a revolutionary new technology that will enable earlier detection and treatment of lung cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives. According to 2025 statistics from the…

Monroe Native Jackson Culp Creates “Vampire Rock”

For every artist who creates music effortlessly, there are many millions more who just need the right push and passion to find their song. Monroe native Jackson Culp, whose self-styled brand of “vampire rock” can be heard in his debut…

New Things to Do in Chattanooga, Tennessee

We’d jump at any chance to visit Chattanooga, with its unlimited outdoors adventures and attractions, accessibility to Lookout Mountain, great dining scene and unique history. The nation’s first National Park City now has more…

Chuck-Full of Fun: Visiting Lake Charles

The last time my husband, Mark, and I were in Lake Charles was before COVID-19 lockdowns, and boy, has a lot changed in six years. It has been a long road to recovery from multiple natural disasters, including Hurricanes Laura…

Ajoonii, a French Quarter Boutique with India-Inspired Jewelry

Describe a river-shaped city whose humidity burrows deep in the skin, that fervently throws festivals for almost everything, that cares for its culinary character with the reverence of spiritual devotion  and cranks it up for a wild and multiethnic music…

Louisiana Books with Introspective Journeys

The High Heaven In Joshua Wheeler’s debut novel, “The High Heaven,” we follow the protagonist, Izzy, after her parents are killed on the night of the first Apollo mission. This novel explores Izzy’s life, along with the eccentricities of New…

What Are We Reading this Year?

July - August Edmund D. Fountain Widow’s Bay I love the performances from Stephen Root, Matthew Rhys and Dale Dickey. My favorite show of all time is the first season of True Detective. Fritz Esker Rooster Steve Carell plays an…

Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Two camouflaged camera lenses poke through the brush. The photographers, also camouflaged, follow. Four weeks earlier, an ice storm struck northern Louisiana, leaving many here without electricity for more than a week. Now, in late February, the photographers move through…

July Events in Louisiana

The 24th annual Tales of the Cocktail returns to the Ritz-Carlton (July 19-24), with the theme “Spark,” highlighting the idea that every great movement begins with a single spark. The global event features over 60 seminars, workshops, labs, networking opportunities,…

Louisiana Summer Recipes

Late summer is a great time in Louisiana. Fishing and other water activities are the ideal relaxation. Whether you are on a lake or a bayou, there are many culinary treasures in the water. And for those who favor wild…

The Best Southern Summer Travel

The sun is bright, and there is a whole world worth exploring. Find your new Summer Travel obsession somewhere among these beautiful Gulf Coast destinations and attractions. Lafayette CVC Summer in Lafayette is packed with live music, outdoor adventures, and…

July Festivals in Louisiana

Louisiana is a state filled with many amazing things: music, food, diverse heritage, fishing, hunting, festivals and more. While there are many resources for most of the Louisiana treasures–food influencers, magazines like ours, cultural centers and museums, wildlife and fisheries–there…

July 4th Events in Louisiana: Celebrating 250

July 4th events in Louisiana range from local fireworks shows to full-scale festivals and everything in between. This July 4th, in addition to the normal Independence Day festivities, America celebrates its 250th anniversary. While we offer the Louisiana Life Festival…

Louisiana Cat Festival With a Cause in Mandeville

MANDEVILLE. La. – Big Sky Community Animal Resource and Education Services (CARES), a non-profit animal rescue organization and animal care provider, and Art for Cats' Sake, an organization dedicated to raising awareness for feline health, will host The Louisiana Cat…

United Houma Nation Powwow Has New Presentations

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The United Houma Nation will present its "14th Annual Celebrating Abilities/Disabilities Powwow," a gathering of citizens from various Native nations for traditional dance competitions, in Houma,…

Two BRG Hospitality Restaurants Win St. Tammany Awards

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – BRG Hospitality announced that two of its Northshore restaurants were recognized in the 2026 Best of St. Tammany Awards. Tavi earned Gold for Best Mediterranean Restaurant for the second year in a row, and Feliciana Bistrôt…

Episode 248: The Ban on Mass Balloon Release in Louisiana

In Louisiana, conservation and protecting our wildlife and farming communities has always been at the forefront, safeguarding our way of life and the environment around it. With this in mind, House Bill 851, Act 196 was recently passed in Baton…

Three Louisiana Restaurants Rank in North America's Best 50

NEW ORLEANS – On May 28, the Sheraton New Orleans hosted North America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, a ceremony celebrating the standout restaurants and industry leaders across the region, including three Louisiana restaurants. Sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, the…

“The Monsters We Sometimes Become” at Shaw Center for the Arts

BATON ROUGE (press release) – Ellemnop.Art will present “The Monsters We Sometimes Become,” a multimedia art exhibition featuring the original works of artist Nathaniel A.J. Landry.  Ellemnop.Art is a Baton Rouge-based arts collective dedicated to connecting artists and audiences through…

Pokémon International Championships Return to New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS – The Pokémon Company International will return to New Orleans for the 2026 Pokémon North America International Championships (NAIC) for its third year, June 12-14. Organizers share that the NAIC draws thousands of fans and top Pokémon players…

Peggy Martin Rose: Now the Louisiana State Rose

BATON ROUGE (press release) – The Louisiana Legislature proclaimed the Peggy Martin Rose as the official state rose through the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 55 (SCR 55), authored by Senator Patrick Connick…

2026 Louisiana Peach Festival Events and Peach Recipes

RUSTON, La. – The 2026 Louisiana Peach Festival, the 76th annual event, takes place in Downtown Ruston on Saturday, June 6. The Louisiana Peach Festival is a long-standing tradition created by local peach farmers in 1951, organizers share on the…

The Search for the Holy Grail of Laughter is Found in "Spamalot"

The famed "Monty Python" comedy troupe’s off-color, inappropriate and otherwise unapologetically politically incorrect humor of "Spamalot" has theatre fans equally shocked and aghast, as much as they relished the irreverent fun. "Spamalot" is less a retelling of Camelot and more…

LWF Responds to Louisiana Balloon Release Ban

BATON ROUGE – On May 15, House Bill No. 851, the Louisiana balloon release ban, became part of Louisiana law under Act 196, without the governor's signature. Effective beginning Aug. 1, the balloon release ban prohibits the intentional, outdoor release…

TerraBella Village Annual Classic Car Show

COVINGTON, La. (press release) – TerraBella Village is a Traditional Neighborhood Development located in Covington, La. that artfully combines homes, shops, businesses, parks and other civic services within close proximity to each other at the heart of the community, to…

Northshore Summer Guide: Quick Getaway Unpacked

NORTHSHORE, La. (press release) – Visit the Northshore shares that the Northshore is known as Louisiana’s easy escape. Just 40 minutes north of New Orleans, halfway between Baton Rouge and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it is a quick escape. And…

Restore Grand Isle Purchased Historic Oleander Hotel

GRAND ISLE, La. (press release) — Restore Grand Isle officially purchased the historic Oleander Hotel from the Augustin family on Thursday, May 21, during a closing held at Grand Isle Town Hall, securing the future of one of the island’s…

June Festivals in Louisiana

Louisiana is a state filled with many amazing things: music, food, diverse heritage, fishing, hunting, festivals and more. While there are many resources for most of the Louisiana treasures–food influencers, magazines like ours, cultural centers and museums, wildlife and fisheries–there…

New Community Coffee Flavors Released

BATON ROUGE (press release) – New Community Coffee flavors were added to the brand's core, permanent lineup: Chocolate Lava Cake and Cinnamon Roll. Available now, organizers share that both flavors deliver a sweet, indulgent coffee experience, with no added sugar or sweeteners.…

Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival Lineup, Contests and Sponsors

BATON ROUGE (press release) – The 9th Annual Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival announced the talent lineup, contests and sponsors for the upcoming festival, May 23-24 at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library (Main Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd.) From 11…

LWF Opposes Transfer of Kisatchie National Forest Land

On May 14, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) released an action alert, a briefing and an official statement in response to a new proposed tax policy for Grant Parish that would affect Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana's only national forest. The…

"God of Carnage" Lives Up to Its Name at Le Petit Theatre

It is with good reason that Yasmina Reza’s "God of Carnage" was an international hit the moment it was first performed on the French stage in 2006. The dark comedy quickly went global when Christopher Hampton’s translated adaptation took the…

Lafayette Tourism Tent at Upcoming Festival in France

LAFAYETTE, La. (press release) – Lafayette’s music, food, tourism and French heritage will take stage this summer in Brittany, France, with a new Lafayette tourism tent planned for the upcoming Festival Interceltique de Lorient, one of France’s largest urban festivals,…

Celebrate National Shrimp Day: 11 Shrimp Recipes

If you need a break from the abundance of crawfish in your life, or just an excuse to make a delicious shrimp dish, the perfect day for you is coming. May 10 is National Shrimp Day. I’m not sure how…

Is Louisiana Trending? Sea Level, SpaceX and More

Louisianians have a strong love for their state, but that love isn’t blind – well, not fully. We often rank the worst in national lists on topics like health and crime. And even though most of us are aware of the…