Around The State

Gulfport, Mississippi Sparkles for the Holidays

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…

A Guide to Louisiana's Football Towns and Teams

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,…

Spooky Festivities and More Around Louisiana

The first annual Natchitoches Louisiana Bigfoot Festival (September 7) features an enthusiastic gathering of fans, devoted researchers and investigators sharing documented field knowledge of the ever-elusive, hairy bipedal creature. It’s held near Kisatchie National Forest, known for hundreds of Bigfoot…

Fishing in Venice

You can tell by the sudden, unusually violent squeal of the line spinning out that this time we’ve hooked a big one. That, of course, is the goal of fishing offshore from Venice, Louisiana: to hook big ones, particularly big…

News Around the State: Bears, Essence Fest and more

Louisiana’s first black bear hunting season was unanimously approved by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for the first time since 1987 (five years later, Louisiana’s black bear was put on the Endangered Species List). The 16-day lottery-based…

Exploring the Creole Nature Trail

Staff at Adventure Point in Sulphur change the spices in the Louisiana culinary corner once every six months. You smell the exhibit long before you see it. It’s Proustian, an aroma that invokes memories of crawfish boils past. This is…

Hurricane Protection via Coastal Conservation

  Thanks to a generous grant administered by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, construction is underway for Phase 2 of the Houma Navigation Canal Lock Complex, led by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the Terrebonne Levee…

Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge

Cat Island is home to a 1,500-year-old Champion Bald Cypress, the largest bald cypress specimen in the United States. At 96-feet tall, 17 feet in diameter, and 56 feet in circumference, it’s the largest tree in…

Krewe de Canailles

  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,…

Freedom Summer

  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…

Holding Down the Fort

(Left) This plaque on the grounds of Fort Jackson commemorates Louisiana’s first Mardi Gras. Across the Mississippi River from what later became Fort Jackson, Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville camped with his party on March 3, 1699,…

Mardi Gras Updates

  Due to a police shortage, New Orleans is spending millions of dollars to add  law enforcement to keep Carnival safe in 2024. New rules: Only 34 parades are allowed in 2024, no more silly string or mylar confetti canons…

Hog Wild

“There are two types of people in Louisiana,” says Shane Kessler. “Those that have a hog problem, and those that are about to have a hog problem.” Outside of Grand Ecore, Kessler turns onto the Campti Cutoff and glides along…

Eateries to Explore

An entire social media universe recently emerged about the unprecedented surge of New Orleans’ hip, new, in-demand Uptown eateries, most notably among fans trying to land a table at Osteria Lupo. A…

Holiday Shopping Hotspots

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.…

Bringing an Ecosystem Back

Wafer Creek, the landmark for which the ranch was named, runs through an intact bottomland forest. For more than a century, it has been left mostly uncut, meaning that Wafer Creek Ranch thrives in its natural…

La Nouvelle Louisiane

While it may also be known as Sportsman’s Paradise, Louisiana is home to more than just natural beauty. From top restaurants and breweries to music venues, museums and dance halls, the state is brimming with individuals keen to make Louisiana…

The Rush of Chasing Haints

  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.…

Gumbo Gusto

  Recently ranked as the third most festival-obsessed state in the U.S., Louisiana boasts three competitive gumbo festivals in a single weekend: New Iberia’s 33rd annual World Championship Gumbo Cookoff features 100 teams of gumbo pros Oct. 14-15; (iberiachamber.org/gumbocookoff). Chackbay…

Protect and Preserve

At a Glance Location Cameron and Vermilion parishes Fauna Each year from November through January, biologists conduct aerial waterfowl surveys that cover more than 550,000 acres of LDWF’s coastal wildlife management areas and refuges. Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge opened to public…

Summer at the Lake

Tree stumps in the lake at Toledo Bend are one of the reasons the area has become a hot spot for fishing.                             …

Seismic Rescue

At a Glance Location Iberia Parish Flora Rip Van Winkle Gardens consists of approximately 15 acres of semi-tropical gardens that include irises, magnolias, camellias, azaleas, hibiscus, and…

The Louisianian's Field Guide

    “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…