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French Quarter Festival Cochon gumbo Cabins at Fontainebleau State Park – courtesy of LouisianaNorthshore.com The Greater New Orleans region features some of Louisiana’s most eclectic sounds and sights. New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, while the village of Venice is the birthplace of countless fishing stories you might overhear while dining at a dockside restaurant. The Northshore area (across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans) is known for fine dining, swamp tours and smalltown charm. Outdoors expert Don Dubuc fills us in on the details. French Market Saenger Theatre ©flickr/Erika Goldring GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA In terms of fishing and hunting outfitters, Dubuc says, “I’ve got a staff. Of guides working for me— they’re my eyes and ears.” In Venice, he suggests looking up Cajun Fishing Adventures and PeaceKeeper Charters. New Orleans is known for its oneofakind culture, and Dubuc has a long list of places to find the best of it. “Not many people know this about me, but one of my favorite passions is seeing Broadway shows at the Saenger Theatre,” he says. The nearby Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts is another of Dubuc’s top picks. Other cultural and historical spots he recommends in the city include the French Market and aboveground cemeteries, such as Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. Kayak – courtesy of LouisianaNorthshore.com Go-kart racing ©NOLA Motorsports Park Beer tasting at Abita Brew Pub – courtesy of LouisianaNorthshore.com New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ©Douglas Mason Sports rank high on Dubuc’s list. Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots is home to heartracing thoroughbred action. It’s also host of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in April. Catch the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. When it’s time to dine, Dubuc recommends Restaurant R’evolution, Borgne and Shaya in New Orleans. Shaya won the 2016 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in the U.S. Fontainebleau State Park and is a short drive from the Pearl River, where you’ll find topnotch swamp tour operators Cajun Encounters Tour Company and Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours, both in Slidell. Before you leave town, Dubuc suggests grabbing a bite at Lee’s Hamburgers, which celebrates its 116th birthday in 2017. IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME… Ride the Canal Street ferry to Algiers Point Hop aboard the St. Charles Avenue streetcar Hear live music at the Maple Leaf Bar ©Mercedes-Benz Superdome Paddleboarding with Bayou Paddle Company ©Mark Salvetti NORTHSHORE AREA “We’ve got some treasures on the Northshore,” Dubuc says of the natural landscape on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. At the top of his list is the coastal marsh known as Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge near Lacombe. It links up with Stretch your legs with a leisurely bike ride on the Tammany Trace that runs from Slidell to Covington. Make stops at fine dining French restaurant La Provence in Lacombe; the Abita Brew Pub and Abita Mystery House in Abita Springs; and waterfront restaurants on Lakeshore Drive in Mandeville (including The Lakehouse and Rips on the Lake). IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME… Tour Pontchartrain Vineyards in Bush Rock out at Ruby’s Roadhouse in Mandeville Rent paddleboards from Abita Board Barn in Abita Springs and Bayou Paddle Company in Mandeville GREATER NEW ORLEANS BUCKET LIST HEAR JAZZ IN JACKSON SQUARE Street performers in the heart of the French Quarter regularly play impromptu concerts in this historic plaza. TAKE A BREWERY TOUR Microbreweries such as 40 Arpent Brewing Company, Covington Brewhouse and NOLA Brewing offer behind-the-scenes tours, showing visitors how their beers are made. TRAVEL THE JEFFERSON PARISH OYSTER TRAIL Dine at one of the 26 restaurants in Jefferson Parish serving up fresh Gulf oysters. For a full list of participating businesses, visit LouisianaOysterTrail.com. NORTHSHORE MUST-SHOPS Historic Downtown Covington You can easily spend a weekend enjoying this tree-filled downtown, so be sure to make a reservation at one of Covington’s bed-andbreakfasts. Start your shopping excursion on Lee Lane. Its shops are filled with antiques, jewelry, clothing and decorative accessories. Nearby, Columbia Street is known for its fine art galleries. Olde Towne Slidell Remember the charm of Main Street shopping? Experience it again at Olde Towne Slidell. Scour the shops along Antique Row, visit an art gallery and check out the Saturday Camellia City Farmers Market. While you’re in Slidell, make the trip over to Bayou Country. They have all sorts of Louisiana-themed gifts to take back to family and friends, and the handmade pralines will melt in your mouth. Girod Street, Mandeville Ending at the lakefront of Lake Pontchartrain, Girod Street has several restaurants and sprinkling of shops offering everything from antiques to Christmas items to upscale consignment clothes. Learn more about Louisiana’s Northshore at LouisianaNorthshore.com. FARM-TO-TABLE DINING ON LOUISIANA’S NORTHSHORE There are farmers markets all over the Northshore. Find them in Covington and Mandeville, Folsom and Slidell, each giving growers a chance to showcase the abundance of the region. Covington’s market is the largest, held twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. It features a bounteous spread of locally grown produce (satsumas, greens, Creole and heirloom tomatoes, mirlitons and much more), as well as regional specialty prepared foods (stuffed artichokes redolent of garlic, tender tamales, the world’s best fig cookie), reflecting the area’s rich and varied ethnic heritage. Discover Creole cream cheese from Mauthe’s Dairy, awarded the first “Ark of Taste” designation from the Slow Food Movement USA. Chefs like Keith and Nealy Frentz love to use Louisiana products and local produce from St. Tammany growers in many of their dishes. You’ll find their charming renovated train depot restaurant, LOLA, in historic downtown Covington, a short walk from the Covington farmers market. Celebrity chef John Besh of Food Network fame cooks with produce and herbs from his own kitchen garden at La Provence in Lacombe. Explore Louisiana’s Northshore and St. Tammany Parish by enjoying fine dining at restaurants resplendent with fresh ingredients and local produce. It’s where soulful food reflects tradition, heritage and hearty appetites. Come hungry— there’s a place at the table waiting for you. Learn all about Louisiana’s legendary culinary scene at LouisianaTravel.com/culinary. MEET YOUR GUIDE “I have real troubles with my tax returns, listing my occupation,” jokes Don Dubuc, known by most as a journalist, TV personality and host of The Outdoors Show with Don Dubuc on local radio. The New Orleans native spends much of his time hunting and fishing the swamps and forests of southeast Louisiana, but he also makes time to educate outdoorsmen on the importance of preservation. In 2016, Dubuc was awarded Ducks Unlimited’s Wetlands Conservation Achievement Award in Communications. Dubuc knows where to find redfish in Buras and speckled trout in St. Bernard Parish. And he’s just as comfortable telling visitors where to catch a Broadway show in New Orleans or find a great hamburger joint in Slidell.
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