Lori Archer-Smith 2017-01-13 03:52:09
Up for a treasure hunt? Get your booty to Louisiana. Legend has it that the pirate Jean Lafitte buried his cache on the Louisiana coast in the 1820s. Proof of Lafitte’s treasure: In 1915, a New Orleanian uncovered a chest filled with 1,500 doubloons. And in 1960, a large number of gold coins were found on the West Bank of New Orleans in an area once frequented by Lafitte and his men. It’s been whispered there’s more booty to be found. The fishing village of Lafitte might be a good place to look. Lafitte’s Barataria Museum itself is a treasure—as is Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop in the New Orleans French Quarter. Now a bar, the building is rumored to have been used by Jean Lafitte and his brother Pierre as a base for their Barataria smuggling operation. You can learn more about the patriotic pirate at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve’s Chalmette Battlefield. Here in 1815, Lafitte and his comrades helped General Andrew Jackson defend New Orleans against the British in the Battle of New Orleans. Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve encompasses more than that. Other park units include the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette, the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice, the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux and the Barataria Preserve in Marrero. NATIONAL TREASURES Louisiana is home to numerous sites operated by the National Park Service. Some highlights include: CANE RIVER CREOLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, which offers tours of Oakland and Magnolia plantations that tell tales of Creole life more than 200 years ago. EL CAMINO REAL DE LOS TEJAS NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL, which takes visitors down a Spanish Colonial road central to early U.S. history. NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, which celebrates the music that made New Orleans famous. Plan your own National Park adventure in Louisiana by visiting NPS.gov/state/la.
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