The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, or Atchafalaya Swamp bridge, Louisiana French "L'Atchafalaya"…read more is a 18.2-mile bridge, one of the few roads from Grosse Tete, Louisiana, to Henderson, Louisiana An 18.2 mile bridge that crosses the largest swamp in the US, or if you rather, the largest wetlands in the US. A "Swamp" is a forested wetland. It's an enchanting sight for sure. Nothing like it in the world. It has its own beauty like none other. Home to the Alligator & Nutria. Nutria is a swamp "rat" that is trapped for its luxurious fur. Fur more luxurious than a mink. Cooks up better than a chicken & you can train them as pets. haha. The Atchafalaya swamp is best known for its iconic cypress-tupelo swamp trees, roughly 260,000 breathtaking acres, the largest remaining contiguous tract of coastal cypress trees in the United States. Mostly destroyed by the loggin industry in the 1800's. From 1830 to 1953, the community of "Bayou Chene" the native Chitimacha tribe, lived & thrived there logging, hunting, trapping & fishing the shallow waters. There were a few Chitimacha villages or "towns" there, the "Village of Bones" or "Namu Katsi" the "Cottonwood Village" known as "Kushuh Namu" in the Chitimacha language. That's all gone. Completely gone. Like it wasn't even there. Vanished into the silty shallows. You can research it, it's an interesting read if you enjoy Native American History. Long story short, after years of flooding, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers screwing it up, turning it into a permanent flood zone, with disaster after disaster of rising waters, the community left with the closing of the United States Post Office at Bayou Chene in 1952. Most of the residents of Bayou Chene relocated to the nearby basin towns like New Iberia, St. Martinville & Breaux Bridge, like my grandfather. Today, absolutely nothing remains of the native American "swamp community." The government loves to destroy, "order thru chaos" next it will be "fill in the blank" community. It's history & memories buried underneath the murky waters of the Atchafalaya Basin. It's only visible reminder of what once was, is ugly cut down ancient cypress tree stumps from the loggers that will never grow back. Not for centuries, if ever. Long time ago, my Grandfather had a fishing cabin here, his father b4 him. We all have many great childhood stories & memories staying with my grandfather in Breaux Bridge. With my father away at war, mother visiting her parents, my grandparents, I was born here, in Louisiana, even thou we lived in Pensacola at that time. All that I have left, all that remains of it now, is this photo I have of my mother & her cousin, my Uncle playing outside there on the Atchafalaya Basin. You can see the iconic trees in the background. My mother sure does look adorable in her cowboy boots. A real beauty like none other just like the Atchafalaya basin. My heart aches for a people erased, a one of a kind ancient forest lost. But my memories of her, and our time together there, will forever remain. Highest recommendations.

I do love a good bridge! And even better is when they seem to be stable and not so scary you feel…read moreyou will fall from. This has a peaceful view that is relaxing. It is a long bridge over a bayou/swamp area, I guess the Atchafalaya Basin. I can imagine boaters going along fishing, swamp creatures doing their thing, wild boars doing whatever they do. Being fairly straight, at some times the sides narrow in, at least there is a breakdown lane for the most part. I can also imagine a hunting or fishing shack being somewhere in the middle and a family having owned it since the beginning of time. I really like this bridge.

Like I said in my review of the state capitol, I was born here, my grandparents lived here. My…read moregrandfather worked downtown. We spent a lot of time as kids downtown Baton Rouge AKA "Red Stick" its french. OuiOui. My brother & I leaned to roller skate in the Capitol park here when we were kids. It's an amazing place indeed. French Louisiana *is* the state with the most spectacular history, food & ART. No one can deny its relentless beauty and uniqueness. Especially "Downtown Baton Rouge" right on the Mighty Mississippi River. Home of the LSU Tigers baby meow! Laissez les bons temps rouler. OuiOui. Highest Recommendations.

We had a great visit. Family, Fun, & Great food…read more "Southern hospitality", is a real thing!

This state capitol feels like a monument to both old and new. Sprouting out amongst the nearby…read morebuildings as a concrete obelisk, you probably wouldn't think much of the Louisiana State Capitol. Its greens are a bit underwhelming but as you get closer to the building you do get a sense of its historic significance. Once you're in and past security you're greeted with an art deco style interior that feels old and outdated but in a bit of a charming way. Going on a Friday before a long weekend meant the place was a ghost town but that was nice as we felt we had the whole place to ourselves to explore. There wasn't much going on when we went but they do have an amazing observation deck that allows for beautiful views of the Baton Rouge area (for free!). You do have to take two elevators to reach the top but it's well worth it. Keeping with the theme both elevators are small and old fashioned which kind of adds to the charm. There's also a gift shop at the top where we bought some magnets from for a reasonable price. This was a fun pit stop we hit along the way to New Orleans which is how we would view this place as a whole. There's nothing here that would make you go out of your way for it, especially with how difficult parking can be around there (we walked 10 minutes from our spot). However, if you're on your way to NOLA or are very interested in Louisiana's state history, then this place would definitely be for you.

The tallest capitol building in the United States is well worth a visit. The lobby is gorgeous and…read moreyou can take the elevator up to an outdoor viewing area with 360 degree views of the city. There is a small gift shop up there, too. You can also peek into both the state legislature rooms which are amazingly detailed and decorated. Don't forget to find the back hallway on the ground level where Huey Long was shot. There are still many, many bullet holes in the walls from that incident, believe it or not. It's free to visit and well worth checking out.

I came recently because I was in the area. Their most recent rotating exhibit was about Creole Folk…read moreTales and artwork. The rest of the museum was still very interesting and well worth a visit. Reasonable admission price, friendly employees. They also hold events that are open to the public and sound very interesting.

I did not like that the museum employee gave me a copy of part of what I had already asked my…read morehusband to purchase. He got me the West Baton Rouge Families Book by the West Baton Rouge Genealogical Society in Port Allen, Louisiana. The Book is very excellent and it started me out knowing something of my great-great grandparents and my great-grandfather that was his son, I puchased other books, read articles and obits, and researched about him for over a year. When I went into the museum, no one mentioned there was an entrance fee. I went there to buy more books, The person who helped me was very efficient and knowledgeable. I told him what book I had already, the Families book. Nonetheless, he took me in back and copied stuff from the Caire file and gave it to me. it looked like a lot more than what could have been in the book and I thought it was different. I gave him $20 for going out of his way to assist me and making copies. When I got home, I tore up the copies immediately because I realized they were what my family already spent a lot of money to buy as they were part of the Families book. I am very upset that this happened to me at the museum. I would have never accepted the copies had he told me he was copying what I already had from in the book (some pages). I am going to send in registration because I did not realize that there was an admittance fee. I am giving the museum a 2-star rating rather than 5 because I am so upset that the fellow gave me those copies which I do not think he should have, assumed he would not do something he should not, and I am very, very upset about it. I gave it 2-stars rather than one because the books are good and I really appreciate them. I am willing to share what I have researched and gathered about this line if there is interest; however, everyone left that area. I do not know if there is interest. When the guy took me in the back, I saw there was an amazing mural of the area from 1925. That was incredible! It really must have taken a long time to paint such a large item. And it was great quality.

We enjoyed visiting the old buildings and reading the history of each. They had a live musician…read moreplaying cajun music and he was very pleasant and entertaining. The place is nicely kept.

We adored our time at the Acadian Village. However, we visited at night during their Noel Acadien…read moreAu Village Christmas event, not during regular hours when they offer their history tour. I fondly remember visiting as a child and having the wonderful opportunity to learn how the early Acadian settlers homesteaded in their quaint Acadian cottages. Everything from making soap with lard, to spinning linen from cotton. They even used indigo flowers to make blue dye. Our visit for Christmas, although absent of a history tour, included a beautiful stroll through an illuminated Acadian Village. There was a beautiful manger set up, as well as the village chapel decorated with thousands of lights. Definitely worth a very inexpensive entry fee to meander through the village and experience some holiday cheer. They also had an amusement park decorated in lights, but we didn't get a chance to check out any rides, as the lines were pretty long for most of them, and we arrived late. Our visit definitely put me in the holiday spirit though! I plan to come back after the holidays for a history tour. It's such a nice place rich in history and culture.

The official designation for thIs highway is US 61 and runs from New Orleans, LA to Wyoming,…read moreMinnesota... It traverses the entire state of Mississippi from south to north and in Mississippi is designated "The Blues Highway". It was given this designation because it runs through the Mississippi Delta country which is/was/has been a fertile home ground for some those artists considered as the Greats of the Blues...Further, where US 61 and US 49 cross outside of Clarksdale, MS has been designated as "The Crossroads" where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil to become a master Bluesman... The Blues exploded, nationally & internationally, due to the great music coming out of Chicago thanks to the artists from Mississippi making their way north on US 61 to St. Louis before heading to Chicago, many to record for Chess Records... Some of the greats of the Blues that probably traveled this road on their way to fame in Chicago include Muddy Waters (Rolling Fork, MS), Magic Sam (Grenada, MS), Howlin' Wolf (West Point, MS) and Buddy Guy (Lettsworth, LA)...

What a beautiful bridge! Very safe feeling while driving on it. I'm not sure how much it's used,…read morebut it is a fantastic way to get over the Mississippi.

What an amazing museum! Inside of an old train depot, there is so much to look at, so many…read moreartifacts. You could spend hours inside and just relax looking at things from the past. Theater seats, dentists seats, shaving supplies, so much from the past.

Wonderful museum with thousands (probably tens of thousands) of artifacts from the olden days. The…read morelady at the front desk was super nice and gave us an overview of a number of the more interesting items in the museum. One of the coolest things was an old cash register and timesheet machine (forgive me for not knowing its actual name). Also a cute stuffed mink with a flower by its ear in the back room, near the old washing machine. Don't forget to snap a photo with the crawfish outside and the old train car!

You can drive by or stroll by these homes year around but during The Christmas Season it turns…read moreinto a very pretty Musically synchronized light show that you can drive through and the homes and businesses are decorated. The lights kick off this year December 07,2019 at 6PM during the Christmas In The Village. This years theme will be IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, With costumed characters you can take pictures with, so bring your camera. Santa & Mrs Clause & Santa's Elves will b there. You can jump aboard trackless trains. Antique car show.. Food trucks will be sat for purchasing food and drinks. Arts and crafts for sale. Admission to event is free Come early and check out the new Toy & Candy Store. Whimsical Alley it's beautiful and located in Zachary Historic Village !

Kids dream. They love the Christmas lights. My kids ask to come every year. Even my grown up…read morechildren. Whoever does the decorating does a fantastic job. If you tune your radio to 105.9, you can listen to the joyous Christmas music and watch the lights dancing to the music.

This 12 foot tall statue of Huey P. Long is on top of an 18 foot tall marble pillar stands in front…read moreof the Louisiana statehouse. Nicknamed "the Kingfish," he served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as US senator from 1932 until his assassination in 1935. The memorial stands here at the statehouse that he largely drove to completion. It is the tallest capitol building in the nation. And the statue is claimed to be one of the largest of any US politician. It's worth a visit to pay respects to the man, whether you agree with his politics or not. [Review 17360 overall - 73 in Louisiana - 878 of 2022.]