Located in the northwest corner of Arkansas, Bentonville used to be a sleepy little town. Then Sam Walton got the great idea of helping people save money and live better, opening a five-and-dime called Walton’s on the square and beginning…
Trust spring to fill us with urgency to get outdoors, and never more so than spring 2020 with cabin fever posing the second-greatest threat to our physical and mental wellbeing. So, what’s keeping you? Many of Louisiana’s great short-trip destinations…
Before Hurricane Rita washed me out of it, I lived on a small bayou that emptied into Vermilion Bay. I knew shrimp season was about to open when I heard my neighbor tuning up the engine on his boat, the…
The challenge was to give a voiceless house a voice,” says designer Lance Thomas, one half of the duo that runs Room Service, a Lake Charles interior design business and store specializing in Southern traditional mixed with a current and…
Louisiana photographer Cate Colvin Sampson, inspired by the writings of Southern novelist Flannery O’Connor, joins a growing chorus of artists and photographers raising warnings about South Louisiana’s endangered wetlands and a way of life for the people who have lived…
Rounding the corner past a path of palms, ferns and lilies in the expanse of the greenhouse, Harper runs beaming, her arms waving wide like falcon wings. The young girl refuses to take off her new jacket; she pleads with…
MAGICAL TALE The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata This book is a hard-to-describe tale of twists, turns and mysterious manuscripts. It starts in 1929 New Orleans, where a young woman writes a popular science fiction tale, falls…
At different times and to different degrees, all people experience anxiety in their lives. But how can you manage it? How can you keep your mind from racing nonstop, especially in times like now, amid the COVID-19 fallout? Awareness and…
LSU researchers and hospital leaders have recently created, obtained fast-track federal approval for and started running coronavirus tests at a newly minted River Road Testing Lab. The new lab testing capacities could give coronavirus test results to the most critical…
A SPECIAL EDITORIAL We have all experienced our Evangeline Oak moments this year. In 1928 Huey Long, a then little-known candidate for governor, stood beneath the oak and made a speech that is a classic in American politics. Referring to…
The Louisiana coast is many things to many people. Home. A livelihood. Vacation. Beauty. A breath of fresh air. With over 7,000 miles of squiggly coastline — more than any other U.S. state besides Alaska and Florida — Louisiana waterways…
Travel Louisiana Thanks to its many historical sites and outdoor sights and sounds, Louisiana is still a wonderful state to travel while practicing social distancing and protecting our loved ones and…
Digging into Louisiana genealogy led to me to understand an interesting history of Opelousas, the third oldest city in Louisiana following Natchitoches and New Orleans. The “poste” was established by the French colony’s government in 1720 for the French…
Despite the recent economic turndown due to COVID-19, Louisiana craft breweries are staying online, producing new products — even creating hand sanitizers! Take Urban South Brewery of New Orleans. This month the company has released more than 20 unique…
In the heart of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette lies a swamp, complete with alligators, turtles, fish and blooming Louisiana irises. It’s a sight representative of South Louisiana’s swampy terrain. According to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette…
Louisiana birthed many famous native sons and daughters, but other famous people traveled through our state, leaving an indelible mark. Since we’re stuck in our homes and unable to travel our beautiful region, here’s a trivia test to jog…
When I worked for The Advocate newspaper around the turn of the 21st century, I parked in an undeveloped lot overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge. Many of my colleagues would park in the non-descript gravel spaces…
You see them posted throughout South Louisiana but what exactly do those Atchafalaya National Heritage Trail signs mean? We’re here to explain, but even better to showcase the Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail that accompanies the designation. The Atchafalaya National…
We may be banished from crowds and busy public places, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up adventure. You can escape civilization and get back to nature at the many state parks and recreation areas located throughout Louisiana.…
First came the bonuts, then the secret tour. It was going to be a fun afternoon. I was in Baton Rouge for Travel South, a convention designed to educate tour operators and travel writers like myself about the joys…
Jennings has always been the place to view alligators and pet a few. Yes, you can pick these babies up and give them some lovin’. And now, the up close and personal gator experience has climbed up a notch. The…
FOOD Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa Martin Chef Melissa Martin is passionate about two things: food and helping to preserve and protect the fragile wetlands and fisheries of her native Louisiana, as well as…
Louisiana is a social state. Part of that social scene includes drinking — during Mardi Gras, at football tailgate parties, at neighborhood bars and often parents partake (a little) at children’s birthday parties. But what are the best ways to…
The 34th annual Festival International de Louisiane presents francophone music from 24 countries, including such headliners as Ayrad, a percussive Canadian group integrating gypsy funk with Moroccan gospel and desert rock. Lisa Stafford, the festival’s revered programming director of 20…
