Louisiana

I am the worst at making breakfast decisions. I stare at menus. I change my mind. I end…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 31

I asked three different people where to find the best fried chicken in the Seventh Ward. Two of…

By Laura Benton · Jul 31

I drove past the sign twice before I trusted my GPS. The road wound through rural Washington Parish…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 31

I have walked out of more craft stores than I can count, frustrated by the same basic selection…

By Laura Benton · Jul 30

My kids have dragged me to plenty of weekend events that promised fun and delivered boredom. This one…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 30

I almost turned around when I saw the line. It wrapped past the entrance and continued down the…

By Laura Benton · Jul 30

I almost drove past it. The sign looked like any other discount store on the highway. Then I…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 30

I have a rule about breakfast spots. If the parking lot is full of trucks plus the sign…

By Laura Benton · Jul 29

Some nights in New Orleans call for jazz, cocktails, and questionable decisions. Others end with a warm cookie…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 29

Sound’s unbelievable, but it’s true. A lake in the southern part of the state swallowed an entire oil…

By Laura Benton · Jul 29

I walked past the door twice before I noticed it. Tucked into a narrow alley off one of…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 29

I did not expect to find this kind of beauty on the Louisiana coast. My car rolled off…

By Laura Benton · Jul 28

My shopping list said three things. I walked out with two full bags and zero regrets. That is…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 28

There is a spot I keep going back to every single time I visit this city. It looks…

By Laura Benton · Jul 28

I walked through the doors and my jaw dropped. Aisles stacked floor to ceiling with every color imaginable.…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 28

Most aquariums ask you to look, not touch, keeping thick glass between you and the creatures gliding through…

By Laura Benton · Jul 27

Every August, a building that once printed Confederate currency opens its doors to something entirely different. The Old…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 27

Nobody plans a road trip around a gas station boudin counter, but then you pass the sign, pull…

By Laura Benton · Jul 27

You drive for an hour past marsh grass, shrimp boats. Then the road ends at a stretch of…

By Laura Benton · Jul 27

The landscape changes faster than expected once you leave the highway. A sandy rise smells of pine, a…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 27

Sometimes the loudest sound you hear all day is the dip of a paddle or the call of…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 26

Eating well should not require a special occasion or a reservation booked weeks in advance. Some of the…

By Laura Benton · Jul 26

The scent hits you before you even open the door. Warm cinnamon, brown sugar, plus buttery dough swirl…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 26

Markets reveal a state differently than restaurants do. There is no kitchen wall hiding the work, only folding…

By Laura Benton · Jul 25

Twilight changes the mood before the first ball even rolls. The heat begins to lift, lamps flicker on…

By Dane Ashford · Jul 25

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