An overview of Louisiana's colorful history, politics and popular attractions as well as restaurant and bar recommendations guaranteed to ruin virtually any diet.
Whether you call it the Mardi Gras State, the Pelican State, Cajun Country or the Land of the Bayou. Louisiana is a melting pot that's as famous for its food and music as it is for its politics, its antebellum mansions, and its dabblings in voodoo. For the first time visitor, here's what you need to know to "let the good times roll"!
Louisiana officially became a state back in 1812 although its lands were already part of the massive package deal that Thomas Jefferson made famous 9 years earlier. The dual influence of both Spain and France is reflected in its architecture, in its proliferation of French street names, and its mixed marriage descendants who classify themselves as Arcadians, Creoles, and Cajuns. Even its landscape is a potpourri of northeastern deltas, southeastern swamps, northwestern forests, grasslands in the southwest, and a lot of hills dotting the middle.
It's a state where swashbuckling pirates once cavorted in its seaports, where French Quarter "happy hours" are literally taken to the streets, where Bonnie and Clyde met a bullet-riddled demise, and where Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine once contemplated a new "Paris of the Americas" address after their exile. Drive-through daiquiri kiosks are a common sight, as are above-ground cemeteries to compensate for the terrain's proximity to sea level. Want to make someone fall deliriously in love with you? Potions and spells have been on the market in Louisiana ever since the 18th century.
Speaking of cooking up magic, Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse have found this region a hospitable atmosphere to not only serve their gourmet fare but also hawk the ingredients necessary to recreate their cuisine at home. And, of course, there's always the cool jazz and Mint Juleps on hot summer nights""a popular attraction that even Anne Rice's famous vampire might come out of his N'Awlins mansion and sink his fangs into.
BATON ROUGE
The tallest state capitol building is at Baton Rouge, scraping the sky at 450 feet. Its observation deck on the 27th floor offers a nice bird's eye view of the cityscape.; security, of course, has been strictly enforced since 9/11. The Art Deco structure was completed in 1932; three years later, the infamous Huey Long aka The Kingfish (one of the state's many corrupt, good ol' boy governors) was assassinated here.
Nearby, the former state capitol building attracts nearly as many visitors. Rebuilt in 1882""two decades after Union soldiers accidentally burned down its Gothic predecessor""it features a stained glass dome and an intriguing spiral staircase. Now used as a government history center, this venue provides outstanding exhibits regarding Louisiana's colorful and often scandalous political figures. Visitors are reminded that the state's voters not only elected Long's equally corrupt brother, Earl, to office in 1959 but went on to elect David Duke to the House of Representatives in 1988. When the latter decided to return to Louisiana and run for governor 3 years later, his opponent beat him by a scant 2 percent.
Military buffs won't want to miss the Old Arsenal Museum located on the grounds. This 1838 museum houses an extensive collection of weaponry and artifacts from Louisiana's participation in a succession of skirmishes and wars that helped shape the American frontier. Louisiana, of course, vowed allegiance to the Confederacy in the first year of the Civil War. Less than a year later, Port Hudson's Corps d'Afrique became the first to enlist African American officers in its ranks. The Arsenal is open for tours from 9 until 4 every day except Sundays.
From pharaohs to planets, Baton Rouge's Art and Science Museum will be popular with the budding young scientists in your family. Its Ancient Egypt room is especially fun, allowing visitors to not only peek into a recreated tomb but also see one of its mummified occupants. For art lovers, the museum offers a broad spectrum of permanent and rotating exhibits as well as onsite workshops for all ages. The most recent addition to the complex is devoted to the exploration of the stars and planets. The Irene Pennington Planetarium and Exxon/Mobil Space Center will take you to the next galaxy and beyond and even allow you to experience simulated space flights. The Museum can be found in downtown Baton Rouge next to the Mississippi; interestingly, the structure itself is a restored railroad station.
PLANTATION COUNTRY
You'll almost expect Scarlett O'Hara to come flouncing out of one of the many antebellum mansions located along the Great River Road. This stretch of plantation country parallels the Mississippi River and provides a glimpse of its pre-Civil War stateliness and leisurely lifestyle.
Tourism is a huge business here, with costumed docents leading guests through homes and gardens that date from the early 1800's. Best photo ops? Unquestionably they're at Oak Alley in Vacherie, a magnificent estate whose entry corridor of oak trees actually predate the building itself. Movie and TV lovers will recognize Oak Alley from "Interview with the Vampire," "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte," "Primary Colors" and "Days of Our Lives."
If you want to soak up the plantation ambiance even further, you'll find no shortage of bed and breakfast inns in the area.
METAIRIE
Metairie's biggest (and some might say ONLY) claim to fame is its 24 mile bridge (the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway) which connects it to St. Tammany Parish. Named for Count de Pontchartrain, France's finance minister under the reign of Louis XIV (and yes, that's why it's called Louisiana), this longest stretch of overwater bridge has been accommodating over 3,000 vehicles per day for the past half century. We also have to assume that at least half of them have cameras; the sights on either side are spectacular.
N'AWLINS
New Orleans and, specifically, the French Quarter tend to be the first things to come to mind when someone mentions Louisiana. Although it's one of the most festive, party-loving spots on the planet, visitors are reminded that it doesn't speak for the entire state. Sadly, Louisiana ranks highest in its insurance rates, lowest in its pay for teachers, and marginal in terms of addressing environmental pollution. It's easy to forget all of that, of course, when you're exposing all five senses 24/7 to what The Big Easy lays out in Southern hospitality.
Forget trying to stay on a diet when you've got restaurants like the Court of the Two Sisters, Emeril's, Bayona, Galatoire's, Muriel's and Café DuMonde beckoning you. Forget trying to carry on a quiet conversation at hot spots like the House of Blues, Tipitina's, Treme, Preservation Hall, Pat O'Brien's, Howlin' Wolf, or Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop's piano bar. Forget trying to stay sober when entrepreneurs are hawking $1 Hurricanes off improvised stands they've made from ironing boards. Single and looking to make connections? Whether you're straight, gay, lesbian, or undecided, "The City That Care Forgot" truly doesn't care; it just wants you to check your inhibitions at the door and have a good time.
For those looking for tamer attractions, hop a donkey and carriage ride at Jackson Square for a narrated tour of the French Quarter's history; you'll find them queued up like taxis and festively decorated to compete for your attention. Or, if you prefer, the "Ladies in Red" streetcars are easy and fun to ride, allowing you to not only expand your travel options but expand your knowledge of the area and the personalities who have called it home over the centuries. Tulane and Loyola universities are nearby, as is the New Orleans Zoo
Top off your day with a moonlight stroll down the Riverwalk that parallels the Mississippi and will take you a wide assortment of waterfront shops and eateries. Or, if you want to pretend you're a riverboat gambler, plan your evening around an actual paddlewheel dinner cruise.
