populated with quaint guesthouses
(including the house featured in
Steel Magnolias) but sadly for us, the
majority won’t accept children under
the age of twelve.
After visiting the charming, small
towns of Louisiana, we were all ready
for the buzz of a big city. Baton Rouge
is Louisiana’s state capital and was
a welcome cultural stop. The city is
filled with museums and attractions;
many of them are located within
walking distance of downtown and
it was nice not to be so reliant on the
car. The kids loved exploring the USS
Kidd (a restored naval destroyer), as
well as the hands-on exhibits at the
Louisiana Art and Science Museum.
Another favourite attraction was the
Capitol Park Museum, which has lots
of fun interactive displays covering
the best of Louisiana history and
culture.
Baton Rouge is also home to the
famous Louisiana State University
(LSU) Tigers, one of the nation’s top
college football teams. We embraced
the tiger spirit by actually staying
on the LSU Campus at the Cook
Hotel, which even has a swimming
pool bestowed by LSU alumni
Shaquille O’Neal. We all loved the
experience of staying on campus and
my daughters spent most of their time
in Baton Rouge sporting their LSU
Tigers cheerleading outfits!
The route back to New Orleans,
takes you on the Great Mississippi
River Road, home to a huge number
of grand plantation houses. Our
highlight was touring the stunning
Houmas House and Gardens where
we explored the life of a 19th century
sugar dynasty.
We rounded off our Louisiana
adventure with one night back in
New Orleans. This is a captivating
city that has managed to bounce back
following the devastating Hurricane
Katrina. There is great music, food,
laughter and surprises around every
corner.
Louisiana has a famed Cajun
saying ‘laisser le bon temps rouler’,
which translates to ‘let the good
times roll’. This certainly rang true
for our roadtrip there, from feeding
gators out in the swamps to dancing
the night away at the Cajun Music
Festival. The Deep South served up a
truly memorable adventure leaving us
now with the tricky task of picking a
state for next year’s roadtrip.
January 2016
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