Louisiana travels...

Going south today for a project. Work related, but some of that money goes towards the tractors...

Anyway, will be in Baton Rouge for a few days off and on the next couple weeks. Driving south through Nashville, Memphis, etc. May or may not have time to stop off, but anything to definitely see while driving? Any recommendations while in Baton Rouge? Days will be booked up, but evenings open.

Will have the pickup truck, so may be able to snag some smaller iron treasures along the way. Other than a long craigslist/tempest search, anyway to search a particular corridor or route?

Thanks

Tony

Tony, it kinda depends on what you’re interested in. If you’re interested in agriculture you’re in luck. Following the Mississippi south from Memphis you’ll see some prime agriculture in east Arkansas and Louisiana all the way to New Orleans. You might see some cotton being picked and you might even catch the beginning of the sugar cane harvest. You won’t have an interstate to drive down, so just take the major US routes. Just remember that practically every small town in Louisiana is a speed trap.

If you like history, there’s Poverty Point in NE Louisiana; it’s an excavated/restored pre-historic Indian village ----huge, and very important archeologically. Then there’s Vicksburg battle park (the gunboat Cairo is especially interesting) and Fort Hudson. Of course New Orleans is a destination of its own, and if you haven’t been to the French Quarter you should try to go. New Orleans is about 90 miles from Baton Rouge, I think.

I used to spend a lot of time in Baton Rouge years ago when working with the Legislature. I found very little of interest there. Maybe John can chime in with some ideas. Two things you won’t find in Baton Rouge----the Honey Badger, or a 2011 BCS trophy.

If you want to sample the true Cajun culture you’ll have to go west and south of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. (New Orleans is lots of things, but it’s not Cajun.) Lafayette is the “Cajun Capital”, and it has an interesting “Cajun Village” tourist site. But to really sample the essence of Cajun land----and what most people envision as Louisiana----you have to go south of Lafayette into the small towns like St. Martinville and Abbeville. It’s really worth it to go on south to New Iberia (beautiful town) and Houma and Thibodaux, where you see the cypress swamps and marshes and fishing villages. You’ll need a day trip for all this, but it’s worth it.

And, the food….the food. Try it, you’ll like it.

thanks
got here 230 am local... so the drive from memphis down was in the dark.
Been to new orleans before and probably wont have time this trip but looking forw!ard to the local eats!

The local fields and harvest sound like a winner for trip back

Thanks
Tony

Tony:

Welcome to B.R. -- Office here but I live 40 miles away in the country.

Been here long time. So far as I know there is no cohesive old iron group(s) here. No central spot either to find old iron.

If you are intersted in agriculture and history , I suggest you take in Alma Plantation. It is about 25 miles away -- days are long and you'll get to see the hstory on a drive through.

http://www.amscl.org/SugarMills.htm

Tony:

And for restaurants:

Acme Oyster House (BR) --- not as good or quaint as N.O. but good enough
Deangelo’s (Pizza and Italian ) wonderful salads , pizza and Italian dishes
Mansur’s -- a good effort at fine N.O. cuisine
Serop’s -- Lebanese food adjusted for the Cajun palate
Hunan’s -- Chinese adjusted for the Cajun palate

love lebanese food! I will look that up tonight
thanks for the help