Louisiana Travel Guide

Louisiana is probably most well-known because of New Orleans and the annual Mardi Gras celebration that millions of people flocked to every year from around the world. But the state itself is an amazing place that blends a variety of cultures and people together into an intoxicating blend of nearly-Mediterranean way of life that almost seems removed from the typical American break-neck pace. Louisiana is extremely laid back, and between the Cajun food, the blues and jazz music, and the amazing people, you won’t want to leave when your trip is up.

Louisiana is broken into two … read moredistinct types of environments. The southern part of the country is a vast open landscape of marshes and swamplands, as well as beaches and barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. The northern section of the state is woodlands and prairie, with a wide variety of rivers and waterways. The overall climate of the state is fairly humid, with summers being notoriously long and hot. The state gets hit by hurricanes every year, with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 being one of the worst natural disasters in American history, the remnants of which have still not quite been shaken off by residents of the state.

Southern Louisiana has a very large Cajun population, with French being spoken by many residents. The food…well, let’s just say the food is like nothing else you've ever experienced. If someone says they're serving you Cajun food, and you aren’t eating it in southern Louisiana, then you aren’t really eating true Cajun food. The heat and flavor will knock your socks off.

Between Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, or Lafayette, there are plenty of cities to explore within Louisiana, and there are also several national parks and 19 state parks, including 16 state historic sites. The history of the state goes back hundreds of years, and exploring the entirety of the state will take several trips at the very least.