Louisiana Outdoors A to Z GARDENS D By Erin Z. Bass eveloped by arctic explorer, naturalist and conservationist Edward Avery “Ned” McIlhenny, 170-acre Jungle Gardens is home to countless azaleas, camellias, colorful bamboo, alligators, snowy white egrets and hundreds of other bird species. The gardens' Bird City rookery o ers shelter for thousands of migratory birds each spring, and guided bird tours are available seven days a week. McIlhenny, the son of TABASCO® inventor Edmund McIlhenny, eventually took over the world-famous pepper sauce operation, though the conservationist’s e orts ensured that Jungle Gardens would remain preserved for both bird watchers and nature lovers from around the world. Visit Jungle Gardens and be sure to add stops at TABASCO’s new Restaurant 1868 and a completely revamped TABASCO® factory tour to your Avery Island itinerary. n PHOTOS: Pagoda at Jungle Gardens ©Nadie311/Flickr; Azaleas and live oaks at Jungle Gardens ©Warren Price JUNGLE GO GREEN Many of Louisiana's top gardens are open to visitors: Plantation gardens at Houmas House Plantation & Gardens in Burnside Hodges Gardens State Park, or “Louisiana's Garden in the Forest,” in Florien LSU Hilltop Arboretum with a canopy “cathedral” and bamboo grove in Baton Rouge Biedenharn Museum & Gardens in Monroe Jefferson Island Rip Van Winkle Gardens, overlooking Lake Peigneur in New Iberia Longue Vue House & Gardens historic estate in New Orleans Afton Villa Gardens, including the famous ruin gardens, in St. Francisville Gardens of the American Rose Center, featuring more than 65 individual rose gardens, in Shreveport 24 #OnlyLouisiana
Louisiana Travel Guide 2017: Page 24
