The River Road is renowned for its former plantation houses which
include Oak
Alley and Houmas House. Both
historic houses offer distinctive overnight stays, with inns and private cottages
available to book. Visitors can also enjoy fine dining experiences, exquisite
gardens and interactive guided tours. Nearby, Laura and Whitney provide various exhibitions: Laura focuses on
Creole heritage and the history of the Duparc-Locoul family, while Whitney offers
a deeply moving and comprehensive exploration of the history of slavery.
While ancient sites such as Poverty Point provide windows
into the deeper past, heritage sites such as Mandeville’s Dew Drop Jazz Hall,
harking back to 1895, reflect the enduring appeal of music. Elsewhere,
the Biedenharn
Museum and Gardens in Monroe, once home to Joseph A. Biedenharn, the first bottler
of Coca-Cola, allows visitors to revisit the early 20th century while
appreciating the impressive collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia.
To the west of the state, touring No
Man’s Land transports visitors back to the heady days of The Louisiana Purchase
of 1803, when the area served as a buffer zone between Spanish territory and
the U.S. lands, freshly acquired from the French.
Louisiana State Museum is commemorating the
bicentennial of Lafayette's Tour. Its Bienvenue
Lafayette exhibition takes a deep dive into the 1825 visit of
the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, probing
his legacy as an abolitionist and a champion of liberty and democracy
Posted by: Explore Louisiana
Posted on: 15/01/2026