Louisiana Life - March/April 2019

From the Editor: Home of the Hayride

Standing on the stage at Shreveport’s legendary Municipal Auditorium, Winston Hall, a musician and tour guide with a passion for the city’s music legacy, points to a spot on the floor, right up from in the center. The auditorium is…

Calendar: Festival International de Louisiane

Festival International de Louisiane April 24-28 // Lafayettefestivalinternational.org Held in downtown Lafayette, the 5-day, Festival International de Louisiane sees over 300,000 festivalgoers celebrating international music and the connection between Acadiana and its French roots. The festival features performance art, music,…

Along the Way: The Parade of Life

By the time you read this, Mardi Gras celebrations will be wrapping up all over the state, but one of the krewes I’m in will have just started its year’s worth of events. While I love watching parades, I used…

Louisiana Made: Metal Winner

As far as daily commutes go, David Cano’s is hard to beat. It runs from the recently renovated second-floor loft apartment directly above his wife’s letterpress studio to just down the street at the expansive metal fabrication shop where, with…

A Louisiana Life: Basin Keeper

The year was 1984, and a young Dean Wilson had just arrived in Louisiana. His ultimate goal was to move to the Amazon, but Wilson — who grew up in the mountains of Spain — knew he would need help…

Photo Contest: Silent Watch

A Barred Owl nestled behind leaves locks eyes with Blind River fishers. Submit your photos by visiting louisianalife.com

Healthy Louisiana: Paths to Fitness

But if you’re looking to start jogging or add a little beauty to your running routine, Louisiana has a number of parks and paths that offer joggers plenty of eye candy to keep their runs from getting dull. The following…

Literary Louisiana: Roux Roots

“Gumbo Life: Tales from the Roux Bayou” by Ken Wells W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 288 p., $26.95 Cajun. Z’herbes. Duck and sausage. Shrimp and crabmeat. No matter how you like your gumbo, most Louisianians can agree that the warm…

Artist: Louisiana Monsters

The South Louisiana landscape is filled with mythical symbols of the people and cultures that have struggled to survive in an increasingly industrial world that has swept across the state over the last century. Baton Rouge artist Jonathan Mayers, alias…

Home: Invested

Tufted velvet sofas provide seating in the two-sided living room with gold linen curtains, metal chairs, an animal hide rug and antique reproduction chandeliers added for a touch of Hollywood glam. Outside, Amanda Shaw’s Bywater cottage looks like much of…

Gone Fishing

One of the many great things about living in Louisiana is the abundance of our seafood. In addition to all the shellfish and crustaceans, we have a variety of delicious fish. Some species, such as black drum and sheepshead, were…

Louisiana's Best Retirement Cities

Moderate climate, great food, the great outdoors, Mardi Gras — Louisiana has a lot to offer. With seniors about to become the largest demographics in the nation, Louisiana is primed to attract those who want to spend their glory years in…

Roadside Dining: Community Fare

When the urge strikes for a trip down to the end of the road before it falls off into the water consider a stop for a meal break in Chalmette before you head off to Delacroix and the like to…

Great Louisiana Chef: Happy Eats

Trinidad native and Ruston implant, chef Kimlin Hall, brings unique flavor to her food with a combination of Caribbean and local Louisiana ingredients and spices. Chindian Flavors, a catering business and food truck that can be found parked at the…

Kitchen Gourmet: Crawfish Feasting

Sometimes crawfish remind me of shmoos. Remember them? The small animals Al Capp introduced in his Li’l Abner comic strip in 1948. They were so accommodating they would jump into the pot and transform themselves into whatever you wanted to…

Traveler: Pirate Tales

The town of Jean Lafitte invites you to meet its favorite pirate and explore his Barataria wetlands with dry feet. Predictably, the town holds the title of unofficial guardian of its namesake’s place in history, but local bragging rights don’t…

Farther Flung: Southern Hospitality

Atlanta may be the most-visited but rarely-seen city in America — its international airport calls itself the world’s busiest in terms of passenger traffic. But if you’re like many travelers and only visit Atlanta to change planes, it’s time to…