Osprey landing on nest in Atchafalaya Basin near Henderson.

Kris Davidson

Louisiana

Louisiana runs deep: a French colony turned Spanish protectorate turned reluctant American purchase; a southern fringe of swampland, bayou and alligators dissolving into the Gulf of Mexico; a northern patchwork prairie of heartland farm country; and everywhere, a population tied together by a deep, unshakable appreciation for the good things in life: food and music.

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

Jackson Square
French Quarter
Whatever happens in the French Quarter usually begins here in Jackson Square, at Decatur and St Peter Streets. It's a gentle, carnivalesque scene,…
City Park
New Orleans
Live oaks, Spanish moss and lazy bayous frame this masterpiece of urban planning. Three miles long and 1 mile wide, dotted with gardens, waterways and…
Cabildo
French Quarter
The former seat of government in colonial Louisiana now serves as the gateway to exploring the history of the state in general, and New Orleans in…
Lafayette Cemetery No 1
New Orleans
Of all the cemeteries in New Orleans, Lafayette exudes the strongest sense of subtropical Southern Gothic. The stark contrast of moldering crypts and…
St Louis Cathedral
French Quarter
One of the best examples of French architecture in the country, this triple-spired 18th-century cathedral is dedicated to Louis IX, the French king…
Royal Street
French Quarter
Royal Street, with its rows of high-end antique shops, galleries and potted ferns hanging from cast-iron balconies, is the elegant yin to well known…
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
New Orleans
The South has one of the most distinctive aesthetic cultures in the US artistic universe, a creative vision indelibly influenced by the region's…
Sydney & Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
New Orleans
The sculpture garden that sits just outside the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park is a wooded quilt of streams, pathways, lovers' benches and, of…