Take 20: A Bucket List for Louisiana

1 | Take a Swamp Tour

It’s so easy to enjoy the vast swamps and marshes of Louisiana, whether by a speedy airboat or something slow and nature-oriented. Swamp tours are available in the Atchafalaya Basin, Lake Martin near Lafayette and in the wetlands near Houma, Thibodaux and Morgan City. The parishes surrounding New Orleans offer tours as well, such as in the Honey Island Swamp and near LaPlace.

2 | Fish at Toledo Bend

Farmers along the Sabine River in central Louisiana proposed a reservoir that would produce fresh water to both Louisiana and Texas. Each state put up funds for the construction of a dam and the project began. Only no one imagined the lake would fill as fast as it did in 1969, submerging 150,000 acres of timber land. But here’s the good news. Those stumps that line the 186,000-acre Toledo Bend provide ample spawning ground for bass and other fish species, why Toledo Bend hosts numerous fishing tournaments every year.

3 | Look for Pinky

She’s a bit shy, or perhaps shunning the spotlight, but a rare albino pink dolphin swims the waters around Lake Charles. Places where folks have glimpsed “Pinky” are along the Creole Nature Trail, the Calcasieu River ship channel and surrounding waterways, swimming near the Cameron Ferry West Landing and in the Gulf of Mexico near Holly Beach.

4 | Get on the Water!

Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge outside Monroe is so named for the waters that form a 4,500-acre expanse of swamp, bottomland and upland hardwoods, which give kayakers endless opportunities to spot a variety of wildlife. Black Bayou Lake with its easy canoe launch is one of many ways spot alligators, herons, egrets and bald eagles. Most of the state’s bayous and small lakes feature placid waters so perfect for beginning paddlers and families and several Louisiana state parks include canoe trails, including the 8-mile path through a 1000-year-old cypress swamp at Chemin-A-Haut State Park in Bastrop.

5 | Take a Ghost Tour

Some believe New Orleans is the most haunted city in America. You might stretch that out to include other Louisiana cities, such as Shreveport’s haunted Municipal Auditorium or Alexandria’s Hotel Bentley. Tours abound to showcase the state’s haunted side, especially in New Orleans where they run the gamut including vampires and gruesome murders, some involving spirits of the liquid kind and historical explorations.

6 | View Gators—in Town!

Our state reptile may be found in numerous places — the Creole Nature Trail outside Lake Charles, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, the Honey Island Swamp — but these creatures also exist within the city limits of Lafayette! Visit the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and you’ll find a 2-acre swamp smack dab in the center of campus. Walk the boardwalk that circumvents what is known as Cypress Lake (students call it the “Swamp”) and you’ll spot turtles, egrets and other wildlife. And alligators. They aren’t large — after they reach a certain size the gators are removed — but it’s not recommended to feed them or get too close.

7 | Visit the Red Stick

French Canadian explorers in 1699 spotted red poles erected by Native Americans along the Mississippi River and labeled the site “baton rouge,” with its literal translation to English, “red stick.” Today, the city of Baton Rouge serves as Louisiana’s capital with not one, but two capitols to visit — the Old State Capitol with its castle-like architecture and the country’s tallest state capitol that contains our current legislature. Visit the former for its history and the latter for its Art Deco designs and the site where Gov. Huey P. Long was shot. Be sure to take the elevator to the New State Capitol roof to get a view of Baton Rouge and beyond.

That red stick is long gone but an artwork marking the spot can be found at Scott’s Bluff on the Southern University campus.

8 | Be Huck Finn

The Mississippi River stretches wide and deep as it approaches its delta to the Gulf. It’s one of the largest rivers in the world and made famous by Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and other works. Visitors who want to imagine life during Twain’s days can purchase a ride on one of the many steamboats traveling up and down the river. For those who would rather park and ride, there are several ferries operating from New Orleans north to the Mississippi state line.

9 | Climb Mount Driskill

Driskill Mountain in Bienville Parish clocks in at 535 feet above sea level, and even though you might think it’s a hill — there are buildings in downtown New Orleans higher — Driskill is the highest point in Louisiana and we’ll call it what we wish! Drive east of Shreveport on Interstate 20 then south through Arcadia and Oak Grove to Mount Zion Presbyterian Church. Park at the church and look for a trail sign that leads to the summit where rocks mark the high point. The mountain exists on private land so please be respectful of owners.

10 | Get Hot

Louisianans love their hot sauce — and the most famous hot sauce brand is Tabasco with the magic happening on Avery Island, just outside New Iberia. Visitors may enjoy a self-guided tour of the Tabasco Museum and dine at Restaurant 1868. Avery Island is home to both the McIlhenny Company, which produces Tabasco, and the exquisite 170-acre Jungle Gardens, created by the McIlhenny family, so plan to spend a day exploring.

11 | Saturday Night Lights

Football reigns in the South and there’s nothing like the cheers of 90,000-plus fans in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge, or the Tiger Band’s rousing pre-game show. Equally breathtaking is the longtime rivalry of Southern University and Grambling as they come together for November’s annual Bayou Classic, with their bands performing the roaring “Battle of the Bands” halftime show.

12 | Forest Bath in Kisatchie

Central Louisiana boasts of the Kisatchie National Forest with its 600,000 acres of pine forests and lakes. Scenic byway Longleaf Trail is popular among those looking to enjoy hills and vistas. A great place to hike and be one with nature is Longleaf Vista, where views stretch for miles and the 1.5-mile trail takes hikers to a small bayou. Bring a picnic and enjoy some of the Vista’s buildings built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

13 | Follow in Hollywood’s Footsteps

Thanks to the diversity of the state, its unique architecture and landscape and a few tax incentives, Louisiana has seen more than its share of Hollywood filming on location — more than 2,500 films have been shot here! In addition, there have been TV shows such as “NCIS: New Orleans” and HBO’s “Treme.” Follow along the Louisiana Film Trail with this handy map from Explore Louisiana at explorelouisiana.com/film.

14 | Visit a Cemetery

Parts of Louisiana lie below sea level, which is one reason why our cemeteries resemble “cities of the dead.” Walk through any New Orleans cemetery and you’ll find it’s more than grave markers, but architectural masterpieces, ornate reverence to families and occasionally weird and funky. Famous people have graced the city’s cemeteries, including musicians, a chess champion and civic leaders — even a tomb for Marie Laveau, the city’s “voodoo queen.”

15 | Visit Poverty Point on an Equinox

The earthen works in the northeast corner of Louisiana may not look impressive on first glance but throughout Poverty Point State Park lies a 400-acre village that dates to between 1650 and 700 B.C. The site is considered so historically important that Poverty Point is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit anytime but during the spring and fall equinoxes a solar ray extends from nearby Lower Jackson Mound, constructed around 1,500 years earlier, to connect with a mound at Poverty Point.

16 | Visit a Sanctuary

For years, chimpanzees were used in biomedical research. When the National Institutes of Health decided to retire animals from laboratories, chimps had a lovely place to retire — in the northeastern corner of Louisiana in a plot of land featuring 200 acres of forest, outdoor play yards, veterinary care and a varied cuisine. Today, Chimp Haven is the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary, home to nearly 300 chimps formerly used in biomedical research. Visitors may schedule a private tour of the facility by visiting chimphaven.org.

17 | Taste Sweet Spirits

Louisiana is dotted with breweries and distilleries, but over in West Monroe, Army veterans are distilling something sweet. Two Warriors Meadery produces spirits derived from honey with profits helping local veterans’ charities. Outside of Monroe-West Monroe are two vineyards serving up a variety of wines in their tasting rooms. Even better, both Thirsty Farmer in Calhoun and Landry Vineyards host special events such as live music among the vines and wine pairing dinners. To continue a sweet tour of the state — mainly because the spirit’s derived from Louisiana sugarcane — take a guided tour of Bayou Rum in Lacassine, which concludes with a delicious rum tasting.

18 | Meet Your Meals

Agritourism allows people to not only pick their favorite food sources but learn how they’re grown and produced. In Acadiana, there are crawfish farm tours, some ending with a crawfish boil. On the Northshore, you can pick strawberries in the summer at several farms. Catahoula Parish has the family-owned Cross Creek Blackberry Farm allowing visitors to load up on berries. Outside of Ruston, juicy peaches turn ripe in summer at Mitcham Farms & Peach Store, plus the town celebrates its fruit with an annual Peach Festival in June.

19 | Dance at a Dance hall

Cajun and zydeco dance halls existed throughout Acadiana, yet sadly many have closed. But don’t put away those dance shoes! “St. Landry Parish lost its landmark zydeco clubs — Richard’s Club and Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki, but neighboring St. Martin Parish still has some very cool places,” said Herman Fuselier, coauthor with photographer Philip Gould in “Ghosts of Good Times: Louisiana Dance Halls, Past and Present.” Places to dance include Buck & Johnny’s in Breaux Bridge for Saturday’s Zydeco Breakfast and La Poussiere in Breaux Bridge, one of the last of the old-school, Cajun dance halls. “Fiddler and French-speaking heartthrob Jourdan Thibodeaux has a newer place, Cypress Cove Landing, which is partially outdoors,” Fuselier added. “It’s on the levee and overlooks the Atchafalaya Basin.”

20 | Close the year in Natchitoches

What began in 1927 as one man’s desire to give thanks to his beloved city by lighting up Front Street in the heart of Natchitoches has turned into one of the largest holiday festivals in the country. And long running! This year marks the 100th year of the Natchitoches Christmas Festival of Lights which begins on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and concludes after the New Year with more than 300,000 lights and 100-plus set pieces on display every night at dusk.