1 | Take a Swamp Tour It’s so easy to enjoy the vast swamps and marshes of Louisiana, whether by a speedy airboat or something slow and nature-oriented. Swamp tours are available in the Atchafalaya Basin, Lake Martin near Lafayette…
Dauphin Island lies only 3 miles south of Mobile Bay and a short drive from downtown Mobile. It’s an even shorter jaunt from the exquisite Bellingrath Gardens and its dramatic flowering gardens. Yet, the 14-mile-long barrier island with its small-town…
August saw great fanfare with the launch of the restored Gulf Coast Amtrak railway line — now dubbed the Mardi Gras Service. Louisiana residents can now hop on a train in New Orleans, kick up their feet and visit…
In the 1950s, my mother and grandmother used to steal away to Gulf Hills Hotel & Resort in Ocean Springs where they lounged by the pool and rode horses. Harkening back…
Historic Natchez on a dramatic bluff overlooking the Mississippi River makes for the perfect weekend getaway. Stroll down oak-draped streets with antebellum homes and historic buildings and churches, dine at restaurants overlooking the river, learn its extensive history at the…
We brake for anything weird, unusual or off the beaten path and a tour through Louisiana never disappoints. Everyone knows…
“Dogtown” might be fighting words in North Little Rock. Some residents embrace the nickname — as does the city, which is home to an…
Acadiana In addition to the Cajun and Creole traditions, Acadiana offers numerous visual arts galleries, performing arts venues, theater and, of course, music and dance halls. “There’s always something to do here,” said Jackie Lyle, who’s helmed the Performing Arts…
It’s been years in the making, but Amtrak seems poised to debut train service between New Orleans and Mobile. This fall, visitors may travel twice a day between the two colonial French…
Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival March 26-30 // New Orleans // tennesseewilliams.net When a young Tennessee Williams arrived in New Orleans, the Mississippi native wrote that he had found his special place. “In New Orleans … I found…
Exit the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and you’re smack dab in Grapevine, Texas. This quaint, historic town 30 minutes from both downtown Dallas and Fort Worth is known for its massive resorts, fine dining…
Vicksburg hails back to 1811, but most visitors equate the Mississippi town with its Civil War history as the site of a major battle that resulted in the Confederacy losing control of…
Starting this month, Shreveport-Bossier and its neighboring town of Minden take part in the annual Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights, spotlighting holiday…
Coastal Mississippi offers the world’s longest man-made beach — miles of sand framing the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. There’s plenty to enjoy along the coast, from Bay St. Louis and Waveland at one end to Pascagoula bookending…
BATON ROUGE | LSU & Southern Baton Rouge practically doubles in size when the LSU Tigers fill up Death Valley stadium with ticket holders and the parking lots on campus and beyond with tailgaters. On the north side of town,…
Natchitoches is a joy in itself. Louisiana’s oldest city offers historic bed and breakfasts, unique shopping along Front Street and exciting dining options. But drive a few miles south along Cane River, and visitors will discover a unique blending of…
Fall arrives in brilliant colors to the Ozarks, making trips to Branson and Eureka Springs special this time of year. Both cities marry attractions and entertainment well with the stark beauty of the northern Arkansas and southern Missouri natural landscape,…
For years, I would travel to Mississippi in summer to paddle cool creeks and streams, never thinking I might find similar adventures in Louisiana. After all, our state’s waterways tend to move slowly and remain rather warm, less so than…
It’s hot out there. But we don’t have to tell y’all that. We do love our state, but summers can be long and a bit on the sweltering side. However, there’s good news. Throughout Louisiana there are numerous hotels offering…
We take our state crustacean for granted, routinely imbibing crawfish at those enormous family crawfish boils or enjoying the more sophisticated crawfish étouffée or bisque in a white tablecloth restaurant. But serving up those popular crawfish experiences wasn’t always a…
Situated between two Florida hotspots — Pensacola and Destin — lies a more natural coastal getaway. Navarre Beach sits nestled around the Santa Rosa Sound with a quick bridge crossing to Santa Rosa Island with both public beaches and the…
Nothing beats a vacation getaway more than a room with a view. And we’ve compiled a great list of hotels and lodges throughout Louisiana that deliver. Whether for a weekend away…
There’s much to see and enjoy throughout the Florida Parishes eight-parish region, especially this time of year. There’s the Slidell Spring Antique Street Fair March 30-31 and the Abita Springs Busker Festival with its live performances on Sunday, April…
There’s a reason Southern Living magazine named Fairhope one of “The South’s Best Small Towns of 2023.” The quaint city dating to 1894 lies along the east side of Mobile Bay and sports the only bluff from Interstate 10…
In March 1699, French Canadian Pierre Le Moyne traveled down the Mississippi River to explore the Louisiana colony. It was Mardi Gras, the celebratory Tuesday before Ash Wednesday when French residents have long “lived it up before giving it up.”…
Acadiana arguably hosts the second-largest Carnival celebration in Louisiana with the requisite balls, parades and special events akin to its massive cousin to the east. But a group of Lafayette residents thought something new was called for, something intimate,…
Sixty years ago this month, hundreds of African Americans supported by pastors and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) entered the Forrest County Courthouse in Hattiesburg to register to vote. Later that summer of 1964 the protest evolved into…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year to shop and Louisiana delivers. We’ve compiled a few shopping districts throughout the state offering everything from antiques and collectibles to clothing and furniture.…
Fear runs deep in humans. Fear of the dark, alligators, public speaking — Alabama football. But some fear is exciting. Throughout Louisiana this time of year haunted attractions and structures built with creepy settings animated by costumed actors abound.…
It’s believed that when Greek Archimedes understood how to determine the purity of gold he exclaimed, “Heureka,” meaning “I have found it!” Today, we use that expression as…
When we think of a cabin getaway, mountains and deep woods spring to mind. In Louisiana, visitors may find similar escapes — although actual mountains may be hard to find — but…
Tree stumps in the lake at Toledo Bend are one of the reasons the area has become a hot spot for fishing. …
At first glance, walking across a suspension bridge above Gatlinburg, Tennessee didn’t raise my anxiety levels, but when kids moved past enjoying the rollicking motion of the bridge, my heart skipped…
“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” - Tennessee Williams We would amend Williams’ comment to include all of Louisiana. With apologies to Cleveland — seriously, we mean no harm…
We love our furry friends, so why not take them on the road when we travel? Recent polls show that pet owners want to bring their dogs and cats with them when they travel, which is why many accommodations, attractions…
photo courtesy delta biscuit; herons on the bayou; landry vineyards We must admit we’re skeptical when people rave about Louisiana red and white varietal wines. Most vineyards in the Deep South produce sweet muscadine or fruit-based wines. But we…
Photos Courtesy: Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum Hold on, St. Augustine. You may be the oldest town in Florida, but Pensacola has a few bragging rights too. Spanish conquistador Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano landed in the Panhandle in…
In 1986, Mabyn Shingleton, her husband, TV personality Pat Shingleton, and her baby son Michael in a stroller, lined up at the Baton Rouge City Park Golf Course and headed toward Perkins Road where the couple owned Zee Zee Gardens…
Monroe/West Monroe West Monroe native Becky Thompson always loved baking, so it was only natural that she earned her degree in hospitality management at Ole Miss, then the L’Art de la Pâtisserie at the French Pastry School in Chicago.…
A chill in the air doesn’t hamper the fun along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Even when temperatures drop too low for walks on the world’s longest man-made beach, there are indoor activities, including great dining and casinos. Coastal Carnival…
Like most South Louisiana cities, Lake Charles pulls out the stops for its annual Carnival festivities — more than 60 krewes and a host of related events. What makes this southwest city unique, however, is the annual gala that…
The Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights, a connection of cities along Interstates 20 and 49 that promote the holidays to visitors and residents, have added two new destinations. Ruston and Logansport join the festivities in Shreveport-Bossier, Minden, Natchitoches, Alexandria-Pineville and…
The Myrtles For years, owners have marketed The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville as “America’s most haunted house.” Several apparitions apparently haunt The Myrtles, but the most famous is Chloe, an enslaved woman who purportedly had her left ear…
Brian Schwieger begins his tour of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas by displaying a history book he studied in the 11th grade. The National Park Ranger from Tennessee learned how President Dwight D. Eisenhower and U.S.…
It’s an Acadiana tradition about to hit its golden anniversary. And even though it hit a speedbump during the pandemic, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles has returned. Twofold. The annual fall festival, which turns 50 in 2024, has been celebrating…
Marie-Madeleine Hachard arrived in New Orleans in the early 1700s with a group of Ursuline nuns. She wrote of her new home in the French colony and that collection of personal accounts would become one of the first books about…
Summertime and the living is … hot! Louisiana may be a sportsman’s paradise, but finding places to cool off this time of year can be daunting, especially in the great outdoors where waterways veer toward tepid and slow-moving. For those…
Mention Louisiana and most people identity with New Orleans, Cajun Country, casinos and LSU. When it comes to the state’s coastline, a fog often settles in their gaze. Sure, our coastline is famous for its fishing and surrounding marshlands teeming…
Festivals are coming back in a big way to Alabama beaches, including the enormously popular Hangout Music Festival May 20-22, which combines music, food and activities such as roller disco and beach volleyball. Speaking of volleyball, the National Collegiate Women’s…
Photo courtey: The Biedenharn Museum; Melrose Plantation; Whitney Plantation; Bentley Hotel A Trip Back in Time There’s plenty of history to love in Monroe and West Monroe, but Abby Wise, public relations and media coordinator for the twin cities, has…
