| Let the Good Times Roll Lafayette to New Iberia, Louisiana There's only one rule in southern Louisiana: leave your cares at home. Diets, stress, moderation, and inhibition take a backseat on the drive from New Orleans to St. Francisville, where everything from eye-popping parades to gator-filled swamps to filigreed plantations make for the definitive southern escape. Use our route planner to find hotels for your next trip. |  |  | ||||||||
BEST OF THE ROAD:
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| The Cabildo 701 Chartres St New Orleans, LA 70116 Call (504) 568-6968  |  | Built between 1795 and 1799 to house the city council, or Cabildo, of then-Spanish New Orleans, this building is the flagship of the Louisiana State Museum. The Louisiana Purchase was formalized in the Cabildo's Sala Capitular. Later, the building housed the Louisiana State Supreme Court, where many historic cases were heard on their way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Plessy vs. Ferguson, the 1896 case whose "separate but equal" ruling ultimately resulted in enforced segregation, was initially heard here. In 1911, the building was designated for use as the Louisiana State Museum. A devastating fire in 1988 prompted a five-year renovation effort in which 600-year-old building techniques were used to preserve the historic integrity of the structure. The Cabildo's comprehensive interactive exhibits illustrate the history of Louisiana from European exploration to the post-Civil War reconstruction era. The Cabildo is open 9 AM to 5 PM, Tuesday through Sunday; closed on all legal holidays. | | |||||||
| The Presbytere 751 Chartres St New Orleans, LA 70116 Call (504) 568-6968 |  | Originally called the Casa Curiel (Ecclesiastical House),The Presbytere was built on the site where Capuchin monks once made their home, or "presbytere." It was designed in the 1790s to match its neighbor, The Cabildo, but construction was not completed until 1813. The distinctive mansard roof was added in 1847. In 1834, after years as a commercial building, The Presbytere became a courthouse, and was in use as such until 1911, when it became part of the Louisiana State Museum. The Presbytere is now dedicated to Mardi Gras, with a changing array of exhibits and artifacts that illustrate this rich New Orleans tradition. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM; closed on all legal holidays. Group tours can be arranged through the museum. | | |||||||
| Jackson Square New Orleans, LA Call (504) 568-5661 | | Jackson Square is the literal heart of the French Quarter. Originally known as the Place d'Armes by French Creoles or the Plaza de Armas by Spanish colonials, the Square was primarily used as a military parade ground. It was also the site of numerous ceremonies, social and religious events, and sometimes even public executions. Later, it was renamed Jackson Square for General Andrew Jackson, who defeated the British during the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. A statue of the military hero sits at the epicenter of the Square. Today, the beautifully restored Square boasts historic museums, shops, and restaurants and a bustling pedestrian mall. Walk past painters, jugglers, jazz musicians, and fortune tellers, then peek inside St. Louis Cathedral (c. 1851) for a look at gorgeous Spanish-made stained glass. Flanking the Cathedral is the Louisiana State Museum's Presbytere, Cabildo, and 1850 House, with various exhibits on New Orleans history. Literature buffs should walk around the corner of the Cathedral to 624 Pirate's Alley: This is the site where William Faulkner wrote his first novel, A Soldier's Pay, and is currently home of the William Faulkner Bookstore. | | |||||||
| New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum 724 Dumaine St New Orleans, LA 70116 Call (504) 680-0128 | | Most visitors to the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum expect to be scared with creepy tales of curses and black magic. The museum delivers, but it also offers an explanation of what voodoo means as a religion and how this religion plays into the history of New Orleans. See piles of voodoo artifacts, dolls, potions, and gris-gris, which are small bags filled with herbs and essential oils then blessed by a voodoo practitioner. Staff members also offer voodoo tours of the French Quarter. The museum is open daily 10 AM to 7 PM. | ||||||||
| Johnny's Po Boys 511 St. Louis St New Orleans, LA 70130 Call (504) 524-8129 | | There's a reason the lunchtime line here often snakes through the door: Johnny's po boys are scrumptious. Each sandwich starts with fresh grilled French bread that's then slathered with mayo and piled high with traditional ingredients like oysters, crawfish, shrimp, or roast beef. Johnny's also serves breakfast fare (you can even get a ham-and-eggs po boy), salads, and hamburgers. Tables in the front fill up quickly; venture into the back room to find an open spot. Open Monday to Friday 8am-3pm; Saturday and Sunday 8am-4pm. No credit cards. | ||||||||
| New Orleans Pharmacy Museum 514 Chartres St New Orleans, LA 70130 Call (504) 565-8027 | |
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| Napoleon House Bar and Cafe 500 Chartres St New Orleans, LA 70130 Call (504) 524-9752 | | Napoleon House (or "the Nap") is a favorite hideout for locals seeking refuge from the bustle of the French Quarter. The classic "Pimm's Cup," an attractive interior courtyard, classical music, and Napoleonic art make for a warm and invitingly casual atmosphere. The menu features a variety of salads, soups, and po boys, but most patrons stick with the muffuletta -- seeded Italian bread with ham, Genoa salami, pastrami, Swiss, and provolone, olive tapenade, and olive oil. (The Nap departs from New Orleans tradition by serving their muffuletta warm.) Open daily from 11:30am-6pm. | ||||||||
| Musee Conti Wax Museum 917 Conti St New Orleans, LA 70112 Call (504) 525-2605 | | Meet life-sized costumed figures of the people who made New Orleans and Louisiana famous (President Andrew Jackson, pirate Jean Lafitte, musicians Pete Fountain and Louis Armstrong, etc.), and see some of the fantastic Mardi Gras Indian costumes that put this Carnival parade on the map. Experience the chilling Haunted Dungeon tableaux of well-known tales of horror of Edgar Allan Poe, Victor Hugo, and other Gothic "masters of the macabre." The museum is open Monday and Friday from 10am-4pm and by appointment. | ||||||||
| Morgan City Morgan City, LA 70381 Call (985) 395-4905 | | Deep in the Cajun bayou country, this port at the mouth of the Atchafalaya River is home to a thousand fishing boats, charter boats, and workers in the offshore oil industry. The town celebrates its twin bounties from in and under the sea during the annual Shrimp and Petroleum Festival held in September. You'll find plenty of opportunities to fish the Gulf of Mexico or tour the swamps. The Swamp Gardens & Wildlife Zoo features 800-year-old cypress, a natural habitat zoo of swamp dwellers, and life-size dioramas of Atchafalaya Swamp history. At Cypress Manor and Mardi Gras Museum, built in 1906, you can see Mardi Gras costumes and antiques. The bells at the 9.5-acre Brownell Memorial Park and Carillon Tower ring out every half hour amidst a beautifully landscaped setting of native plants. | ||||||||
| Shadows-on-the-Teche 317 E Main St New Iberia, LA 70560 Call (337) 369-6446 | | Shadows On-the-Teche, one of the most famous antebellum homes in the South, is a stunning 1834 sugar plantation home built by a wealthy planter on the Bayou Teche. | ||||||||
| Conrad Rice Mill/Konriko Company Store 307 Ann St New Iberia, LA 70560 Call (337) 364-7242 | | Tour the oldest rice mill in America at Conrad Rice Mill/Konriko Company Store. The store offers one-stop shopping for gourmet rices, sauces, and spices along with Konriko products and locally produced foods.Tour the oldest rice mill in America at Conrad Rice Mill/Konriko Company Store. The store offers one-stop shopping for gourmet rices, sauces, and spices along with Konriko products and locally produced foods. | ||||||||
| Tabasco Factory & Country Store Avery Island, LA 70513 Call (337) 373-6129 | | Edmund McIlhenny started growing hot peppers to produce his Tabasco hot pepper sauce on Avery Island in 1868. Though most of the hot peppers are now grown in Central America, the original plants for each year's harvest are still grown on Avery Island, producing seeds that are then sent elsewhere for growing. Once peppers are harvested, they are mixed with Avery Island salt and distilled vinegar before being left in white-oak barrels to age for up to three years. The purity of the crop is so important that the company even puts pepper seeds in a local bank vault each year to guard against potential crop disaster. Guided tours leave from the factory's Visitors Center, and feature a 20-minute video about the Tabasco-making process and hands-on exhibits showing the different stages of sauce production. The Jungle Gardens Tour runs daily 9 AM to 5 PM. The nearly 250-acre gardens feature azaleas, camellias and bamboo. You might even spot alligators, nutria, raccoons and black bears that live around the gardens. The Country Store, located just outside the Visitors Center, offers free samples and the chance to purchase different Tabasco products. Open daily 9 AM to 4 PM except major holidays. | ||||||||
| Jungle Gardens and Bird City Avery Island, LA 70513 Call (337) 365-8173 | | This 200-acre garden on Avery Island features azaleas, camellias, and tropical plants. Flocks of egrets and herons, as well as alligators, deer, nutria and raccoons make their home here. See an 800-year-old Buddha in the Chinese Garden. Open 9 AM to 5 PM, everyday. | ||||||||
| Vermilionville 300 Fisher Rd Lafayette, LA 70508 Call (866) 992-2968 | | One of Lafayette's two unique attractions taking visitors back to the early days of Cajun and Creole life is Vermilionville, a living history village, featuring costumed interpreters demonstrating cooking, music, and other traditional skills typical of life in Acadia between 1765 and 1890. | ||||||||
| Atchafalaya Experience Swamp Tour 338 N Sterling St Lafayette, LA 70501 Call (337) 261-5150 | | A two-hour tour on a high-speed passenger boat is the best way to experience the beauty of the largest swamp in the United States. A father-and-son team conduct the tours and can answer almost any question there is about the swamp's geology, ecology, and fauna. Cameras are a must for gorgeous photos of rare birds (the area is one of the best places for ornithological viewing) and maybe even an alligator or two. Tours have been featured on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Explorer, and the BBC. Prices vary. Call ahead for reservations. | ||||||||
| Louisiana Old Governor's Mansion 502 North Blvd Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Call (225) 387-2464 | | Built in 1930 by Governor Huey P. Long, this mansion bears a striking resemblance to the White House in Washington, D.C. The house's architecture is based on an original design by Thomas Jefferson (as was the White House) and the neoclassical design features the same exterior Corinthian columns and wing structure as the president's abode. This is actually the second mansion to sit at this site: Long razed the original antebellum governor's mansion to much political opposition. The new mansion cost the state $150,000, a huge sum in lean Depression times. Guided tours available Tuesday to Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM (last tour begins at 3 PM). | ||||||||
| The Myrtles Plantation 7747 Hwy 61 St. Francisville, LA 70775 Call (225) 635-6277 | | A visit to The Myrtles Plantation is not for the faint of heart--it's one of America's most haunted homes. Learn about ghostly encounters on a tour, or spend the night inside the mansion and see for yourself. | ||||||||
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Let the Good Times Roll
The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum is a musty, dusty departure from anything modern. The building was once the home and residence of early 19th-century druggist Louis J. Dufilho, who was the first licensed pharmacist in the United States. The building has been a pharmacy museum since the 1950s, and has exhibits ranging from bizarre Civil War surgical instruments to voodoo potions. The first floor is a replica apothecary shop, with bottles that once held crude drugs and "patent" elixirs (usually made from alcohol, opiates, and cocaine) lining the walls. A courtyard off the first floor has dozens of herbs and medicinal plants used by early druggists to create cures for common ailments. A spectacle collection, replica 19th-century sick room, homeopathic remedies, and dental devices are housed on the second floor of the museum. Open Tuesday and Thursday 10am-2pm; Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 10am-5pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.