It's nice you get to see pictures and clothes and other things the used in the past. You will learn…read morea few more things from our history

This was once the training grounds for the Confederates in the war of Northern Aggression. No, the…read morewar was not over slave ownership 100%. The war was over states rights and not wanting a government who wants to dictate every move they make when they know nothing of the daily operations. I get that. Totally. Everyone who works here is a volunteer. Pulling up, there is no paved parking lot, you just park on the grass like a monster as it is beautiful, lush grass they have obviously spent a lot of time on to make look so good. Reenactments occur in November, right before the holidays where they close down. The huge house, you have to walk upstairs to enter the start of the museum and gift shop. I came in when the docent working was talking to another couple, so I just listened in to the talk. Evidently, there is some resentment that the land belongs to Camp Moore, but the state owns the building and has it appraised for much more than it is worth and they have to pay rent on it. Which makes me wonder who set this up? If this was an actual issue, why not build your own building and let the states building rot? There is also some resentment that this is not considered to be a State or Federal park, making it eligible for more funding. But, they don't get the traffic or the people coming to visit to make it worth their time, so it can be a vicious circle. I can see why there is no Federal funding because having been to a Federal park (like the Chalmette Battlefield near New Orleans) the docents there do not interject their personal opinions into the spiel about the need for separation of the State and Federal governments, and the State probably won't endorse opinions that there should be a separation as they probably need Federal funds for things like roads and schools and don't want to piss anyone off. The bookstore has many books on how the soldiers and civilian population lived in that time, books about jokes against Jews and MAGA hats (as if the current administration really believes in states rights). So, it all seems to be mixed messages. The video downstairs was interesting but not very informative. There seemed to be no elevator, so handicap accessibility seems non-existent. The walking tour, over grass, was nice. I would imagine a wheelchair bound person would have issues. The cemetery was also nice, and the reproduction of one of the buildings also. I am glad I came, but I would not suggest making a special trip just for this. If you happen to be on your way elsewhere, then ok.

On a NOLA news station, the King and Queen of the 6th Annual Sicilian Festival were giving a…read morecooking demonstration and imploring New Orleanians to get themselves over to Independence, Louisiana for the Sicilian Fest. I was intrigued! Plus, I am so ready for Festival Season to start! Saturday morning, my brother and I decided for a little road trip to Independence, LA. We took the back roads through downtown Ponchatoula and downtown Hammond, both of which are very picturesque and should be explored. Arriving in Independence, you couldn't miss the Festival. They shut down part of a Hwy 51 that ran right through the heart of the downtown area. There were many carnival rides, that appealed to children and teenagers alike. There was one large stage set up for music. A Elvis singer, white jumpsuit and all, was on when we arrived. He actually wasn't bad. There were food booths that were sponsored by all local organizations. I had the lasagna. Holy moly, so freakin good! It wasn't a large Festival. It went up one street, crossed the railroad tracks, and down the other. But, you got a real sense of community. This small town was proud of their Fest. Many people seemed to know one another and they were celebrating their town and culture. The Independence Cultural Museum was just a few blocks away. Really enjoyed walking around this small museum, once the old Catholic church. They had an old confessional circa 1909 on display, as well as many pictures of old businesses and families that settled here in the 19th Century. Apparently many Sicilians were strawberry farmers. Overall, a very pleasant experience at this small town Festival! Good homemade food and good people!

I saw a post about this on my social media and decided to come up. Admission is cash only, but they…read moredo have ATM on site. Everyone was friendly. My favorite part was the outdoor wood fired ovens they were baking biscuits in and the biscuits were good and reasonably priced. Everything sold in the booths is hand made and sold by their creators. There were promised exhibits and displays. As I was buying kettle corn popcorn, I was offered a raffle ticket, the prize being the whole pig they were going to slaughter in front of everyone and then packaged and given to the winner. It was nice but did not seem very diverse in the crowd or people manning the booths.

Quality meat from a great trusted source. Lots of other goodies too. Will definitely be a…read morereturning customer.

Love their events at the vineyard!!! Most recently had a crawfish boil and vendor event with 25…read morelocal vendors! Excellent crawfish love the chilled white wine and frozen drinks!

Great little winery in Louisiana. The current owners took over the business a few years back and…read morehave done a great job. The have fantastic events like Jazz in the Vines. Their wines are really good. They are about to start producing estate wines but for now, they import grapes from California.

Enjoyed playing the course. Greens were dead which made them fast. Played the first 9 and stopped…read morefor lunch. The server made the best turkey sandwich I've ever had. Very friendly!

Great place to socialize and play golf/tennis and swim.read more

I had the pleasure of trying their sweet potato vodka today with the owner, Paul Kelly. He was at…read moretotal wine and even signed the bottle we bought. He was very nice and told us about the tours he has in Bogalusa, Louisiana. The vodka was strong, sweet, and had a nice kick! I paired it with passion fruit juice and it is amazing!

I picked up several bottles of Paul Kelly Vodka a few months ago! Best Vodka around. Smooth and…read moretasty!

This race track just recently reopened a few years ago. I didn't know it was here until about a…read moremonth ago or so. I think most people don't know it exist. But, they will soon. They have races on Saturday nights. Anyway, I was able to see the whole race track from where I sat which was at the top of the bleachers. I found no problem about parking or leaving. I just pulled in and parked and ready to go, I just drove on out and left. So, no traffic problems. There can be a line at the concession stands. However, if you go early - there won't be. But, the later you go, a line forms as more and more come to the race track. The food I got here was delicious. I went two times. First, I got nachos and cheese and a Dr. Pepper. They put plenty of melted cheese on my nachos. In fact, they put too much cheese on it. So much, I didn't need all the cheese. I noticed others had too much cheese on theirs and they too- had didn't use all their cheese. Admission was only $12. They do bathroom facilities here with running water. They even had soap so you can wash your hands. There were no lines at the bathrooms that I saw. The races were entertaining. Looks like most race car drivers that come here know what they are doing because they were just a few cautions. The feature races started late about 9 or 10pm. The big race was over a little before 1am. So, I was tired but enjoyed the races and was glad I came.