I used to beg festival organizers to place one in January, something festive to enjoy inside away from the wet, chilly weather. Then came Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival in Lafayette, a multi-day event that showcases numerous independent,…
Years ago, on a visit to Toledo Bend I spotted a bald eagle’s nest in a remote spot of South Toledo Bend State Park. When January rolled around this year and I was in bad need of a nature…
Ringing in the new year around the state
While most of the United States anxiously awaits the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, in Louisiana children look for Papa Noel. To help the French Santa find their stockings hanging by the chimney with care, we light bonfires…
Exercise classes offered around Louisiana throughout the holiday season
I’m a history nerd, so I must admit that part of me balks at the sight of holiday lights and laughing Santa Claus decorating a historic village. But only for a millisecond. As quickly as that idea floats through…
Lincoln Parish Park
There’s so much to love about the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge despite that Mark Twain once called it “pathetic." The castle-like structure sits on a hill facing the Mississippi River in the heart of downtown Baton Rouge,…
October is an illuminating, artistic affair in downtown Alexandria. First up, the annual Fall Arts Council of Central Louisiana ArtWalk will be from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, with music, dance, visual artists and more than…
Through the month of October, St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery bring former residents to life
It’s “Loyal Blue Weekend” in Ruston, three days of football fun with Louisiana Tech, and this weekend the Bulldogs take on the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There will be a Rock the Railroad rally Friday night with live…
Fall comes slowly to Louisiana, with temperatures taking their sweet time to drop and trees turning colors closer to Thanksgiving than Halloween. If you’re eager for something that smells and tastes like autumn, besides the pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks,…
There’s so many reasons to visit Arnaud’s restaurant in New Orleans. Go for the signature Creole remoulade, the flaming café brulot, the Carnival exhibits on the second floor or the French 75 cocktail in the bar of the same…
Louisiana is one of the last stops on the Mississippi Flyway, a highway of sorts for North American birds heading south for the winter and returning home every spring. Migratory birds are traveling this interstate right now, pausing in…
A natural oasis in the New Orleans metro area
Places to cool off when the temperatures soar
Long to go to New Orleans but the budget’s tight? If you don’t mind a little heat (okay, a lot of heat), then August is the perfect time to visit the Crescent City. Hotels are offering great deals, the…
Where else in the world can you drink a five-cent, ice-cold, old-fashioned bottled Coke while you ogle one-of-a-kind Coca-Cola artifacts; and oodles of rare bibles, and then take a stroll through a stunning botanical garden? Well, you can…
Admirers of the American bald eagle are flocking to the bayous and lakes in and around Morgan City to get an eyeful of this majestic bird in action This is the time of year the nation’s emblem bird is busy…
There’s something magical about walking through the winding pathways of an 1800s Acadian Village all aglow with more than half-a-million Christmas lights. In Lafayette, Louisiana, you can do just that at Noel Acadien au Village – a seemingly timeless place where…
Just as American pioneer Jim Bowie did, you, too, can take a boat ride to Giles Island. Only when he visited, back in 1827, the island was merely a wide sandbar in the middle of the Mississippi River. Today, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts…
On a lush ridge in St. Francisville, only three miles from the Mississippi River, stands what’s been called one of the most haunted houses in America. Those seeking a thrill during this Halloween season are visiting the house in droves, all…
If you haven’t experienced a legendary Angola Prison Rodeo, you are missing out on a real Louisiana experience, which has been touted as the “Wildest Show in the South.” The Angola Prison Rodeo is one of the longest-running prison rodeos, and…
The Vermilion River – the historic lifeblood of Cajun country, which extends 70 miles as it traverses through the heart of Acadiana – is a geological rarity, dripping in history. Unlike many rivers, the Vermilion is unusual because it is a tidal river and…
