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Just outside of New Orleans you’ll find mysterious and scenic swamps, historical sites that tell of southeast Louisiana’s riches and some of the best fishing in the South. PLANTATION TOURS Sugar made Louisiana wealthy in the 19th century, and its plantation museums, located along a 70-mile stretch of highways between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, offer insights into how fortunes were won and lost over many generations. The variety of plantation tours reflect the diversity of south Louisiana itself. Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant & Inn, restored in 1920, began a revival of bringing grand “big houses” back to life and opening up for tours. Today you can tour Oak Alley, dine on Creole and Cajun food in its restaurant, and even stay overnight. Houmas House and Gardens features no fewer than three restaurants, surrounded by lush gardens and ponds. San Francisco Plantation’s gingerbread house-style architecture makes it one of the most remarkable homes on River Road, and is where you can tour through rooms of rare antiques that tell the story of its former residents. St. Joseph Plantation, which remains a working sugar plantation to this day, has been featured in numerous films. Closer to New Orleans is Destrehan Plantation, where folk-life demonstrations are held daily and costumed guides show visitors around. Nottoway Plantation is famous for having the South’s largest big house; you can explore Nottoway’s 53,000-square-foot mansion via self-guided audio tour or with an on-site tour guide. Whitney Plantation describes plantation life from a different perspective, focusing on the trials and daily activities of the enslaved people who worked there, with stories of resistance and resilience in the cane fields. Laura Plantation: Louisiana's Creole Heritage Site tells the stories of one Creole family through four generations, which are based on the personal recollections of the plantation’s namesake, Laura Locoul. WILDLIFE TOURS & FISHING Accessing the bayous of south Louisiana is easy, with numerous airboat, swamp tour and charter fishing outfitters just on the outskirts of New Orleans. West of town you’ll find outfitters Airboat Tours by Arthur L. Matherne and Swamp Adventures. South of New Orleans you’ll find Jean Lafitte Swamp & Airboat Tours and Airboat Adventures, companies whose guides are experts at getting visitors close to nature. Airboats are loud and proud — nothing beats the thrill of a high-speed trip across the bayou in one — and there are more serene options for seeing the swamps as well. Cajun Pride Swamp Tours guides visitors through the mysterious and remote Manchac Swamp. Cajun Encounters Tour Co., A Beyond the Bayou Tour and Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours on the Northshore have small flat-bottomed boats used to explore the Honey Island Swamp, which isn’t too far from Insta-Gator Alligator Ranch in Covington — kids love getting the opportunity to hold a baby alligator while learning about the importance of wildlife conservation. Finally, for those looking to do more than just look at wildlife, there are many inshore and offshore charter fishing operations near New Orleans, such as Rojas Fishing Charters, Bourgeois Fishing Charters and Southern Style Bowfishing. You can find more details by visiting neworleans.com/things-to-do/recreation/fishing-and-boating. Visit NewOrleans.com for more information on these businesses and their current post- Covid19 status. HOW TO GET THERE Rideshare services offer transport to River Road plantations, but they may not offer transport back to New Orleans. If you don't have a car, check with the numerous tour providers in the listings section, which visit the plantations daily from New Orleans. TURN UP THE HEAT TABASCO© hot sauce is one of Louisiana’s best-known exports. Just a three-hour drive from New Orleans, you can taste it from the source. Tour the TABASCO© factory on Avery Island, dine at TABASCO©’s on-site restaurant, pick up some souvenirs at the gift store (including live pepper plants) and take some time to walk through the TABASCO© family-owned nature preserve, Jungle Gardens.
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