Louisiana is full of small town, easy living, charm filled places for weekend or longer respites. There are some true Cajun 'cation spots that offer real southern hospitality, cuisine and history.
Natchitoches (nak-a-tish) is Louisiana's oldest town and the oldest permanent settlement of the Louisiana Purchase, established in 1714. It is a small city just northwest of the center of the state and it is very popular with tourists, for good reason. The Cane River Lake meanders through town past a 33-block historic district full of shops, restaurants and B&Bs. Many of the buildings in this district are centuries old and still emanate with the original french charm. This city boasts the oldest general store in Louisiana, Kaffie Frederick General Mercantile, which was established in 1863 by Jewish Prussian immigrants and is also known as the bed & breakfast capital of Louisiana. There are plenty of places to rest your head, including the house that Steel Magnolias was filmed in. Dining in this town offers Creole and Cajun restaurants, as well as, many other ethnic meals and the Natchitoches original-meat pie.
South of town there is more history with Creole-style plantations, some with tours and all with a story. The most popular time to visit this charmer of a city is Christmas time. Natchitoches has been celebrating the holiday with a huge festival since 1927, with lights strung along the Cane River Lake , a grand parade, live music, fireworks and many more activities. The city has many other events and festivals so check your calendar before you go and enjoy this historic city, no matter your timing.
The next stop is a small town, just about 2 hours west of New Orleans, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. This town is not as old as Natchitoches but still has a long history. An Acadian (French) pioneer, Firmin Breaux started buying up the land now known as Breaux Bridge in 1771 and in 1799 had a footbridge built for easy passage. More Acadians followed across the bridge, over the years, and brought crawfish to the menus in the town's restaurants. In 1959, after years of becoming more and more well known for their crawfish farming and cooking, Breaux Bridge was awarded the title of "the crawfish capital of the world". Now every May the town celebrates this designation at the annual Crawfish Festival with crawfish prepared in many different ways, including the famous Breaux Bridge original, Crawfish Étouffée. The festival also is a place to enjoy Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop music, take Cajun dance lessons and enjoy many other, one of a kind, activities. This town has more to offer than crawfish with a shopping and dining district served up, again, with historic charm. This area of Louisiana also boasts the largest river basin in the continent, Atchafayala Basin. This, along with Lake Martin, give reason for the number one thing to do in Breaux Bridge, take a swamp tour. There are many companies that will take you out to see the gators and other native flora and fauna. Wether you are strolling through downtown or paddling through the swamps, Breaux Bridge is a great place for a getaway.
True small town charm awaits in St. Francisville, Louisiana. This town north of Baton Rouge had a population of 1,746 in 2013 and emanates a southern charm and hospitality. There are 6 beautiful plantation homes and gardens open for tours and some offer lodging also. The Myrtles Plantation offers tours, lodging and possible ghost sightings as it is said to be "one of America's most haunted homes". The Oakley Plantation has become the Audubon State Historic Site, aptly named after John James Audubon's stay their in 1821. Audubon stayed at Oakley House and painted a number of his famous bird depictions there. St. Francisville's historic district is great for a wander as you can take in the churches, homes, art galleries, shops and dining that have have attracted tourists for decades. Enjoy some southern cooking and hospitality at the Magnolia Cafe and stay for live music. This is also a great place to stay for the night at the 3-V Tourist Courts at Magnolia. These quaint cabins, listed on the National Register of Historic Places are very reasonably priced for anyone but even more so for cyclists or paddlers with the special "adventurer's rate". After a good nights sleep, amble over to Birdman Coffee and Books for a nice and easy breakfast. Birdman is also a great place to enjoy music and offers a lot of different music learning opportunities each summer. This town also offers an abundance of outdoor activities including a golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, The Bluffs, many paddling and fishing possibilities and miles of biking and hiking trails. Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, west of town, also boasts the biggest tree east of the Sierra Nevadas. The little town of St. Francisville offers so many tourist attractions and comes with breathtaking scenery.
All of these places, that those of us out-of-staters may never have heard of, offer southern culture, history and charm in beautiful settings. Let us know at Stowaway if you want to know more about these places or need any other inspiring travel ideas. We can also book any vacation for you when you contact us at stowawaytravels@gmail.com.