LOUISIANA OUTDOORS FROM A TO Z The Call of the Wild In the 2017 edition of the Louisiana Inspiration Guide , we’re taking you on an A-to-Z journey of our big backyard. You’ll get to know a little about getting down at the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo (under F for Festivals) and paddling through the waters of Bayou Dorcheat (in K for Kayaking). Think Q and Z were tough to come up with? Nah. We’ve got plenty of Quintessential Louisiana Road Trips and Zydeco to go around. Drive, paddle, hike and bike your way up to central and north Louisiana, and you’ll find as many outdoor adventures as there are stars on a moonless night over Spring Bayou. Cast a line at Toledo Bend Lake. Discover ancient mysteries at Poverty Point World Heritage Site. Fall asleep to the sounds of Mother Nature at a bed-and-breakfast on the Cane River. Even if you’ve never spent time in Louisiana’s backcountry, you probably have an idea of what to expect. Pelicans flying above mossy treetops and alligators sunning on cypress logs; shrimp boats and sugar cane fields; and live oaks and deep-sea fishermen reeling in heavyweight trophy fish that, elsewhere, you could spend a lifetime hoping to catch. Louisiana is all about those experiences, plus so much more. One of our many nicknames is Sportsman’s Paradise—a title that testifies to the adventures you’ll find on the waters, on land and in the skies above Louisiana. Here is where you’ll make memories that you’ll be recounting to friends and family long after you’ve returned home. Explore the waterways of south Louisiana’s Cajun region, where houseboating in the Atchafalaya Basin and swamp tours in Houma await intrepid travelers. Or check out Cajun Country’s milder side, with hikes on Avery Island, beachcombing at Holly Beach and walks through the historic districts of Lake Charles and Lafayette. Bike along levees in the heartland of Plantation Country, paddleboard through a bayou in the middle of New Orleans, go tubing down the Bogue Chitto River and follow it all up with a meal of Louisiana oysters and crawfish on the patio of a Northshore restaurant. Pack your sunscreen, put on some comfortable shoes and enjoy the ride! PHOTOS: (THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Alligator at Jungle Gardens on Avery Island ©Iberia Parish CVB ; St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans' French Quarter ©iStock.com/f11photo ; Oak Alley Plantation ©Heeb Photos/eStock Photo ; (OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Life on the Cane River; live music; Tammany Trace hike and bike trail – courtesy LouisianaNorthshore.com ; Frenchmen Art Market in New Orleans; Kayaks from Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours; Captain Tanner Persac's charter boat; Lake Pontchartrain ©Lisa Kyle Young ; Jet skiing ©Sabine Tourist Commission ; Canoe from Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours ; Paddleboarding and the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse – courtesy Mark Salvetti Bayou Paddle Co. ; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 8 #OnlyLouisiana
Louisiana Travel Guide 2017: Page 8
