LOUISIANA from A to Z

Travel America, Jan, 2001 by Angela Wibking

The Bayou State is a hearty gumbo spiced with a concoction of enticing ingredients

Enjoying the great state of Louisiana is really as simple as ABC--and XYZ. Pick any letter of the alphabet and you're sure to find a fun-filled Louisiana destination to go with it. With that in mind, here's an A-to-Z guide to some of the best places to go and things to do in this one-of-a-kind state.

Alexandria & Avoyelles Parish. The city of Alexandria marks Louisiana's geographic center and is the perfect place to begin a tour of the state. Kids and adults alike love the Alexandria Zoo, with over 500 animals. Civil War buffs and ghost busters will find Loyd Hall, a plantation visited at midnight by a Confederate spirit, a haunting experience in nearby Cheneyville. Travel a few miles east into Avoyelles Parish and step back even further in time in Marksville. At the Marksville State Historic Site, you'll discover ancient Indian mounds and learn about the people who called this land home 1,000 years before Columbus set foot in the New World. Book a luxury hotel room or pull your RV into the fully equipped park at Grand Casino Avoyelles, also in Marksville, and try your luck at the slots or gaming tables.

Baton Rouge. Whether you're attracted to politics, plantations, or playing games of chance, you'll find Louisiana's state capital an intriguing destination. Enjoy the views from atop the 34-story State Capitol--the tallest in the U.S.--in downtown Baton Rouge. Be sure to check out the Old State Capitol, a Gothic Revival castle where you can learn more about the state's colorful political history at the Louisiana Center for Political and Governmental History. Enjoy fast-paced gaming fun at the Argosy Casino or Casino Rouge and then head north a few miles to the lovely little town of St. Francisville. The historic downtown is filled with quaint shops and restaurants. Be sure to tour one of the town's many plantations or stay in an antebellum inn.

Cajun Country. As the unofficial capital of Cajun Country, Lafayette welcomes visitors with a mix of history and hospitality that is as warm and spicy as a bowl of gumbo. The city boasts two living history complexes, Acadian Village and Vermilionville, that portray the homes, culture, music, and crafts of the original Acadian people who were expelled from Canada in 1755 and settled in Louisiana to become Cajuns. Kids will love the Children's Museum of Acadiana in Lafayette and the 37-acre Zoo of Acadiana in nearby Broussard. Drive off into Sunset, a tiny town just north of Lafayette, and you'll find Chretien Point Plantation, an 1831 mansion whose staircase served as Hollywood's model for Tara's stairs in Gone With the Wind. When you're ready to eat some crawfish and dance to some rollicking Cajun music, head a few miles east of Lafayette to Mulate's Cajun Restaurant in Breaux Bridge.

D-Day Museum. New Orleans' newest and most inspirational museum, the National D-Day Museum, gives a long overdue salute to the men and women who fought on the beaches of Normandy during World War II. The striking museum features a glass-fronted pavilion filled with vintage aircraft, tanks, and the boats that landed on Omaha Beach.

Evangeline Oak. No visit to Cajun Country is complete without pausing to reflect in the shade of the Evangeline Oak in the charming town of St. Martinville, just south of Lafayette. It was here, legend has it, that the Acadian refugee immortalized as Evangeline in Longfellow's epic poem was reunited with her true love--only to discover he had despaired of ever finding her after being banished from Canada to Louisiana and had married another woman.

French Quarter. New Orleans' French Quarter may be hundreds of years old, but it's still as lively as ever. Sip a cafe au lait and nibble the powdered sugar-covered French donuts called beignets at the Cafe Du Monde. Stroll down any street and enjoy the elegant mansions and Creole cottages dripping with lacy wrought-iron balconies.

Great River Road. The most scenic way to get from New Orleans to Baton Rouge is to travel the Great River Road, which wriggles on either side of the Mississippi. Along the way you can tour several stunning antebellum plantations, including Destrehan, Oak Alley, San Francisco, Laura, and Nottoway. The Great River Road also runs right through Ascension Parish, where you can tour Tezcuco, an 1855 home near the little town of Darrow. In nearby Burnside, be sure to visit Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, an 1840 masterpiece that was once the state's largest sugar plantation. Stop by the little town of Sorrento and tour Cajun Village, with its restored Acadian buildings, shops, and live alligators.

Houma. The town of Houma, just southwest of New Orleans, wrote the book on having a big time down on the bayou. Take a boat tour with an experienced guide through the area's scenic bayous and swamps--or get a bird's eye view aboard a floatplane. Cast your fishing line for redfish, bass, and trout.

Iberia Parish. One of the state's "hottest destinations is Iberia Parish. The area, just south of Lafayette, is home to the Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory. Take a free tour of the facility, which includes a visitors center with interactive games and displays, plus a gift shop with Tabasco memorabilia for sale and free recipes for the asking. Be sure to tour the adjacent Jungle Gardens of Avery Island, a garden and bird sanctuary developed by Tabasco founder Edward Avery McIlhenny.