See North America’s largest river-basin swamp, eat etouffe, jambalaya, or gumbo, dance to zydeco music, and visit a restored 1834 sugar plantation home.

Houma, LA route mapOriginally a section of a 19th Century Spanish frontier trail, this 109-mile, 3-hour trip through southern Louisiana Cajun country is best accomplished in the spring and fall, as summers are naturally hot and humid. Begin in Houma, the center of Terrebonne Parish and a seat of Cajun tradition. Feast on some of the local etouffe,  gumbo, or jambalaya before heading west on Bayou Black Drive (U.S. 90), skirting the bayou. Colorful operators along the way provide tours of the Atchafalaya Basin, North America’s biggest river-basin swamp. Outside Houma, look for the turnoff on the right for Wildlife Gardens, which features  swamp tours, an alligator farm, and trapper’s cabin. Read more . . .

See marshes, waving prairies, Gulf shoreline, alligators, egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, exceptional shelling, and vintage Victorian architecture.

Southwestern Louisiana route mapThis 105-mile, 2-1/2 hour route winds through wildlife refuges, prairies, marshes,  and Gulf shoreline in southwestern Louisiana and is a favorite of birding and shelling enthusiasts. The leisurely drive is best accomplished fall through spring, and insect repellant is  extremely recommended. The drive takes off from Sulphur, just west of Lake Charles on I-10. Its name is taken from the huge mineral deposits found in a nearby salt dome. Going south on Route 27, it goes across the Intercoastal Waterway and passes Calcasieu Lake. Beyond the bridge, the landscape changes dramatically to a brackish tidal marsh, followed by oil fields and a shipping channel. It then continues on through Hackberry where many shrimp boats crisscrosses Calcasieu Lake. Read more . . .