Best of the Bayou State

History Lesson at Port Hudson

History Lesson at Port Hudson

On previous trips to St. Francisville, we always head straight for the historic town. We walk the shaded main streets and shop at Grandmother's Buttons before setting off to tour a nearby plantation. Although we see the sign for Port Hudson State Historic Site as we...

Morgan City to Avery Island

Morgan City to Avery Island

On one of the last cool weekends before summer, we jumped in the car to visit Avery Island, home to Tabasco as well as the beautiful oasis, Jungle Gardens. On previous trips, we always took I-10 from New Orleans to Breaux Bridge and then headed south. This time,...

Pointe Coupee Parish: New Roads & Livonia

Pointe Coupee Parish: New Roads & Livonia

In all of our years visiting picturesque St. Francisville, we had never made it across the river to visit its sister city, New Roads. When an advertised Historic House Tour caught my attention, our weekend plans were sealed and we loaded the car with toys for our...

Fossil Hunting in Gravel

Fossil Hunting in Gravel

Our latest obsession is fossil hunting. During a recent trip to Percy Quin State Park, we were initially dismayed to find the normally beautiful lake now a drained, muddy bed. We made the most of it, though, venturing out into the squishy mud, collecting a few...

Life in the Swamp

Life in the Swamp

More times than I can count, we've driven the I-10 between Baton Rouge and Lafayette as a straight-shot, watching the Atchafalaya swamps through our windshield tour. This weekend, though, we ventured off the Grosse Tete exit for what I thought was a small swamp...

Harvest Days at the Rural Life Museum

Harvest Days at the Rural Life Museum

Saturday brought with it the first day of fall, and because you wouldn't know it by the weather, we decided to celebrate by visiting the Harvest Days festival at Louisiana State University's Rural Life Museum. For its 16th year running, the outdoor museum showcased a...

Rip Van Winkle Gardens

Rip Van Winkle Gardens

The name "Rip Van Winkle Gardens" stuck in my head from the first time I heard it. It's been on our to-do list for ages, and our recent visit proved the place to be as memorable as its name. Joseph Jefferson Mansion We made a weekend of the trip, not missing a chance...

Return to Grand Isle

Return to Grand Isle

It's amazing how much can change in a year. Last April, we visited Grand Isle for the annual Migratory Bird Festival, an event the whole island embraces as residents open their yards to birding enthusiasts. The island was bustling with activity, but some of the key...

Escaping to St. Francisville

Escaping to St. Francisville

After suffering through three days of rain over Labor Day weekend, I watched in disbelief as a week full of sunshine mocked me out my office window. Saturday couldn't come fast enough, and we were up and out the door before the geckos had even fled our porch from the...

Hidden Away in Houma

Hidden Away in Houma

Amidst all the flooding concerns of late, towns in the path of the Morganza Spillway have garnered a lot of attention--including ours. Like all those people seen perched on the edge of the Bonnet Carre, we wanted to be part of the action, but certainly not too close....

Festival Time in Lafayette

Festival Time in Lafayette

Every year during Jazz Fest, our neighbors are talking about another festival -- the Festival International de Louisiane in downtown Lafayette. It didn't take much convincing for us to get on the road and use this as our excuse to visit the heart of Cajun land....

Grand Isle: Louisiana’s Barrier Island

Grand Isle: Louisiana’s Barrier Island

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know a blue jay from a bluebird, but experts and amateurs alike are welcome at the Grand Isle Migratory Bird Festival...at least that's what my husband, Paul, told me while packing us up for a two-hour drive to Grand Isle. I was...

An Adventure at the Rural Life Museum

An Adventure at the Rural Life Museum

Armed with his Batman jacket and Elmo sippy cup, my son, Charles, stood outside the car giddy with excitement. Today he was going on an adventure to Baton Rouge (ok, so maybe he thought he was going to the zoo) but we knew he was going to have fun regardless. So after...

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