Louisiana

The first sound reaches you before the rides come into view: music drifting through the trees, children shouting…

By Laura Benton · Jul 25

Cinnamon rolls have a way of making people strangely loyal. One bakery’s glaze is too sweet, another’s dough…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 25

The sign on the roof has been there long enough that the paint has faded the way people…

By Laura Benton · Jul 24

The building does not look like much from the road. Hand-painted sign, gravel lot, screen door that sticks.…

By Laura Benton · Jul 24

The bar sits in what used to be the nave, brick walls still holding, ceiling high enough that…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 24

You walk in looking for one terra cotta pot and forty minutes later you are pushing a cart…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 24

There was a time when crossing the causeway felt like leaving the city behind completely. The north shore…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 23

August in New Orleans does something counterintuitive to its restaurant scene. Instead of slowing down, the kitchens lean…

By Laura Benton · Jul 23

Driving through the small towns along the Bayou Teche, the landmarks that matter most are the ones without…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 23

Some Southern meals just feel a little different when they come from a steam table lined with pans…

By Laura Benton · Jul 22

Nothing quite prepares you for the unexpected sight of a flying saucer parked next to a gas station…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 22

Walking into the right deli can transport you thousands of miles without ever leaving the state. The smell…

By Laura Benton · Jul 22

There is something quietly magical about wandering through rows of blueberry bushes on a warm summer morning, the…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 22

Some meals stay with you long after the last bite. That perfectly smoked brisket, the roux that took…

By Laura Benton · Jul 21

This Louisiana sculpture garden is truly unlike any place on earth. Nothing prepares you for what appears at…

By Laura Benton · Jul 21

Walking through a quiet cemetery in the heart of one of America’s most storied cities, you might just…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 21

Few things reveal the soul of a place quite like a bowl of gumbo simmered with decades of…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 21

Some food events feed you, this one pulls you straight into the rhythm of Cajun life. I arrived…

By Laura Benton · Jul 20

The lazy river hits differently when the sun drops, the string lights come on, plus the splash pads…

By Laura Benton · Jul 20

Driving past, you would not give it a second glance. The building looks like it could house a…

By Laura Benton · Jul 20

Most people drive past the gravel bars without a second glance. Rockhounds do the opposite: they pull over,…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 20

Most aquariums stop at fish tanks. This one hands you a sifting screen and points you toward a…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 19

Pull into this tiny coastal town in mid-August and you will find a crowd that has been gathering…

By Laura Benton · Jul 19

The word on the street about this restaurant always comes back to the same dish: a savory cheesecake…

By Laura Benton · Jul 19

Long before the beads start flying and the brass bands strike up, the real work of Carnival happens…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 19

Word spreads fast in neighborhoods where the same family has been running the same takeout window for longer…

By Laura Benton · Jul 18

Past the front gate, the first thing you notice is the giraffe leaning over the railing with the…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 18

Long before the boat engine cuts and the swamp closes in around you, the stories start. A creature…

By Laura Benton · Jul 18

Plates arrive still hissing, the butter and garlic pooling around shells that glow with the blackened edges of…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 18

Most festivals in Louisiana center on gumbo, crawfish, or jambalaya. This one centers on masa. Hand-pressed, seasoned, wrapped…

By Laura Benton · Jul 17

Nothing prepares you for the moment a giraffe leans its entire head through the window of a converted…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 17

The guide picks up the juvenile alligator, flips it over, plus shows you exactly where to place your…

By Laura Benton · Jul 17

The best food in Louisiana does not always come with a reservation. Sometimes it comes wrapped in wax…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 17

Shelves line the walls from floor to ceiling, each stacked with jars that catch the overhead light and…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 16

Plates arrive fast and stacked: gumbo in each hand, plus a line of shrimp étouffée that moves faster…

By Laura Benton · Jul 16

Knives move fast, timers count down in full view of the audience, plus the pressure in the room…

By Laura Benton · Jul 16

A good bookstore or library slows you down in exactly the way a road trip should: unexpected, quiet,…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 16

Something about the way the beads catch the light through the front window makes you slow down before…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 15

You would drive right past it if you did not know better. The building is unassuming, the sign…

By Laura Benton · Jul 15