We all know that war is hell but sometimes there’s a brief pause in the suffering when the light shines through and we remember our humanity. U.S. Lt. Cmdr. John Elliott Hart happened to be commanding the Union gunboat…
Folks travel to Louisiana from around the world hoping to find French culture and language. After all, Louisiana as a European settlement was founded by the French. What tourists discover is that Louisiana’s unique heritage expands beyond its French…
I’m not into fishing, although I won’t pass up a chance to get out on a lake, especially during the Dog Days of summer. So, when tourism officials invited me out on a guided fishing excursion on Toledo Bend,…
The first time I discovered the unique Bayou Teche Museum in New Iberia was in advance of the inaugural El Festival Espanol de Nueva Iberia or Spanish Festival in 2012. I was so impressed with this small museum and…
It’s a lovely, although circuitous drive to Lorrain Parish Park, heading south from Welch and Interstate 10 and then west on rural West Niblett Road. You’ll pass bayous, cows and rows of ancient live oak trees until you reach…
When Sarah Shult needs to relax after a hectic week in retail, she often finds calm in the steady buzz of her beehives. “It’s where I find my peace,” Shult said. The 33-year-old Thibodaux resident and her wife, Rachel LeCompte,…
Summer’s here and the beaches are calling. Coastal Alabama is not only open for business but offers plenty of ways to get outside and stay at least six feet away from others. There are 60 miles of Gulf beaches and…
Mark Elliott had spent 70 straight days working in his kayak outfitter warehouse after having to send five of his employees home due to COVID-19. Spring was usually a time when interest in paddling surged, but the phones weren’t ringing…
Rich Mocha Ice Cream 1 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso ⅔ cup Dutchprocess cocoa 1 cup granulated sugar 2 cups heavy cream Combine coffee, cocoa and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add cream and whisk.…
Hospitals in both North and South Louisiana are at the forefront of care, not just in the state, but in the United States and world. By leading the way with the latest, most advanced new technologies, Louisiana healthcare institutions are…
While no longer under spring’s Stay-at-Home order, you can still stay at home in Louisiana and experience a wealth of travel adventures that await just down the road. The state offers a variety of experiences for vacationers, day trippers, and…
There is one major source that provides credible ongoing analysis of hospitals: Medicare, which, as the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities, often provides funding for many of the…
In 2013, New Orleanians Ginny and Dean Westphal built an 800-square-foot St. Francisville retreat with an eye toward the future. Dean, a retired designer of office furniture and former architecture student, sketched the space with a pair of floor-to-ceiling windows…
Randell Henry of Baton Rouge is a remarkable artist who creates vibrant and often cryptic paintings and collages that reflect an imagination and intellect drawn to the rhythms and cultures of Africa and the African-American experience. …
You see a lot of things out in the wild, but if nothing else, Sandra Walkin believes in resurrection. Reaching out beyond her sun-drenched, glassed-in porch, thousands of pines, pecans, winged elms, river birches and more stand as towering reminders…
JACKPOT DREAMS Louisiana Lucky: A Novel by Julie Pennell In “Louisiana Lucky: A Novel,” author Julie Pennell brings us the story of three sisters growing up with modest means in a small town. They fantasize about what it would be…
Total Wine & More, a wine superstore (with 205 locations in the U.S.), is slated to open soon in the former Stage retail space at 4407 Ambassador Caffery, featuring wines from every wine-producing region in the world, more than 2,500…
One semester in college I had a professor who started every class with the same question, “Is anybody here from Clarence?” After the first couple of classes it was evident that none of us was from the Natchitoches Parish village,…
Summer adventure awaits in one of Louisiana’s most impressive and diverse outdoor spaces Chalk it up to the impressive statistics, the 200 species of birds and incredible sports fishing and hunting. The massive Atchafalaya River Basin tops all U.S.…
I’m still skittish about moving into society — and with good reason, of course. But, a recent getaway to Monroe-West Monroe for rest and relaxation, plus a little antique shopping and good eating, allowed me a road trip fix without…
For those of you who grew up attending movie theaters that projected one film, sold popcorn so fresh you shoveled it into your mouth before the film began and lounged in chairs plush and soft, you’ll love the Fiske…
This month, Louisiana skies will be ablaze with energy. The fifth annual CenterPoint Energy Red River Balloon Rally, presented by the Louisiana Office of Tourism, will take place June 12-14, sending local and regional balloons over various neighborhoods in…
Normally this time of year, downtown Lafayette is bursting with live music and the Downtown Alive concert series, in addition to festivals, Second Saturday ArtWalk and incredible scents of cuisine emanating from popular eateries. Galleries and restaurants are beginning…
Dr. Edwin Lewis Stephens, the first president of the University of Southwestern Louisiana Institute, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was inspired by a Walt Whitman poem and started possibly the first organization for live oak trees. As…
