Louisiana Road Trip: New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge
The older I get, the more fond I am of road trips. Perhaps it’s a combination of not permanently having a car for so many years due to living in Chicago, Hong Kong, and New York and hence the freedom and convenience it brings every time I have a car at my disposal during a road trip; or perhaps it’s the fond memories of childhood, of a time when I first moved to America with my parents and my dad used to drive our old white Ford Taurus all around the South and east coast. Needless to say, road trips are one of my favorite modes of travel these days and the most recent one we did was a trip from New Orleans to Lafayette to Avery Island to Baton Rouge and finally back to New Orleans where we flew back out to New York.
Flying into New Orleans
Eager to explore the part of US with great French influence (if you are first time reading my blog, my husband is French so naturally we were intrigued), we flew into New Orleans from New York and rented a car at the airport. Funny enough, they gave us a Mustang convertible that ‘vroomed’ everywhere we went.
During our first few days in New Orleans, we stayed in the Holy Cross neighborhood on the east side of the city. The neighborhood was very residential and while it did not seem as nicely kept as some of the other neighborhoods we stayed in (Slidell and Garden District) the later part of our trip, we felt safe and enjoyed our stay. It appeared that it was a very old working class neighborhood and a few of the streets had houses that were yet to be renovated; a few even seemed abandoned.
When one mentions New Orleans a few things must come to mind: Mardi Gras parade, live jazz, and French Quarter. To me, those things all represent the incredible passion for life and an incredible hub for culture this city births throughout the passage of time. Whether it’s through the live jazz we heard at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter, or the wonderful architecture and houses we walked past in the Garden district, or the delicious local Creole and Cajun food, this impression was prevalent throughout the nooks and corners of this city.
“When one mentions New Orleans a few things must come to mind: Mardi Gras parade, live jazz, and French Quarter. To me, those things all represent the incredible passion for life and an incredible hub for culture this city births throughout the passage of time.“
New Orleans to Breaux Bridge and Lafayette
After three and a half days in New Orleans, we took our car on the road and drove two-and-a-half hours west to Breaux Bridge, a cute historical town east of Lafayette. We were intrigued by Lafayette, not only by its name, as I’m sure it was named after the famous Marquis de Lafayette, who by the way, is from a town that since changed its name to Village de Lafayette in Auvergne Region of France, where my husband is originally from.
Breaux Bridge is an absolute hidden gem of that region and filled with cute cottages and houses as airbnbs. Conveniently located 20 minute drive from central Lafayette, we stayed within the historical neighborhood that was walking distance from many antique shops and local brunch favorites that serve traditional Cajun and Creole food - sometimes on weekends, it even comes with live Zydeco music!
Compared to New Orleans, Lafayette and Breaux Bridge area feels more predominantly suburban, rural and white. The prevalence of Cajun influences are also much stronger. And from what I observed, there were little seafood boil shacks everywhere! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to stop by any of them but they all seemed very authentic and delicious from what I can read from the google reviews!
Next Stop: Avery Island
After a few days of enjoying Lafayette and its surrounding suburb of Breaux Bridge, we drove the car about an hour further south to Avery Island, formally private property that stretches miles upon miles, is home to the world famous Tabasco Sauce! The factory still runs today and it’s where they harvest, manufacture, and distribute Tabasco Hot Sauce across the globe. The Factory Tour was very insightful (see here for the full guide of Top Things to Do In and Near Lafayette, LA) and showed all the steps as well as the history behind the global brand.
There were signs of “Beware of Bears” in many locations. At first, I thought it was a joke! But upon further conversations with the park rangers, they said it’s absolutely true that bears do live onsite.
Greetings from Tabasco Factory in Avery Island! Check out these life size Tabasco bottles!
In addition to the Tabasco Factory, the natural beauty surrounding Avery Island also took me much by surprise. There were signs of “Beware of Bears” in many locations. At first, I thought it was a joke! But upon further conversations with the park rangers, they said it’s absolutely true that bears do live onsite. Moreover, this area was formerly a salt dome, where salt was regularly harvested!
The nature surrounding Avery Island, LA, home to the Tabasco Hot Sauce Factory
Avery Island to Baton Rouge
After a wonderful tour of the Tabasco Factory, we drove up north again for about two and half hours and took an overnight break in Baton Rouge. Even though it was November, it was warm and felt like spring, especially since we were met with an intense downpour that we could barely drive through even though our windshield wipers were whipping back and forth fiercely to remove the sheets of water upon our windshield.
We stayed near LSU campus, which I definitely overwhelmingly felt its presence, since its gold and purple colors were everywhere, and not to mention the TIGER! Because we stayed next to the football stadium, I had to pay homage and see Mike the Tiger himself. It is wild to me that there is an actual living tiger with its own home across the street from the stadium. Truly, American school spirit and college spirit to the epitome!
Unfortunately due to the weather, we did not explore too much of Baton Rouge. The only other point-of-interest we stopped by was the Old State Capitol, which looked like a medieval castle with its two round watch towers to its left and right. I have to say though, the enormous red and blue stained glass dome ceiling above the windy staircase was exceptionally beautiful and worth it to stop by and see- especially since the museum is free!
Magnificent stained glass dome and art deco staircase and railings at Baton Rouge’s Old State Capitol
Baton Rouge to New Orleans
Vacherie
We purposely planned so that the driving route was the most efficient as possible! Hence, we saved the plantation visits towards the end of the trip. We made a stop on the southwest suburb of Vacherie, where all the major plantations are located. There are so many along Vacherie all the way back to New Orleans. We visited Oak Alley Plantation, which did a wonderful job preserving the history of both the owners of the property as well as the terrible conditions slaves endured.
Slidell
Since we planned to fly out from New Orleans back home to New York, our last few days were spent in New Orleans once again. From Baton Rouge, we drove about two hours back to where our road trip first started. However, we stayed in two different neighborhoods this time: Slidell and the Garden District.
Slidell, a quiet and very residential suburb on the northeast side of New Orleans is very close to a few natural reserve or wildlife management areas. It is also next to Lake Borgne that channels out to the Gulf of Mexico. The boating and marina community also seems very prevalent in this suburb. We stayed in this area to explore some of the local diners and to be closer to the swamp tour we booked (one of the best wildlife experiences I have ever had!)
Because it’s in the northern area of New Orleans, it’s also close to a few other quaint suburbs that’s worth a day trip to explore the local eateries. I absolutely adored our afternoon getaway at Mandeville where we enjoyed its beautiful lakefront park.
Garden District & Magazine Street
Our last few days during this Louisiana road trip were spent at this beautiful Louisiana Acadian-style brightly colored wooden house with pink roof framing, French windows accompanied by dark green shutters, and a front porch. I absolutely adored living here! It was walking distance from all the boutique shops, cafes, and restaurants.
There’s something so special about being in a vibrant neighborhood with small local shops and the ability to have so many options to explore all within walking distance. And the few days that were warm and sunny, walking to the juice shop a block away to kick off my day before any meetings began was an absolute treat!
There’s something so special about being in a vibrant neighborhood with small local shops and the ability to have so many options to explore all within walking distance.
Road Trip Map
While New Orleans is an amazing place to spend a long weekend or even a week on vacation, a road trip is a must if you are looking to immerse into the depth of true Cajun and Creole culture! Here’s a summary of how to split your days for an epic Louisiana road trip.
Suggested itinerary
For a complete itinerary of what to do and where to eat in New Orleans and Lafayette area. See the two guides below :)
Enjoy exploring Louisiana! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
