Most Beautiful Places

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We’ve already covered the French Quarter, St. Louis Cathedral and Christmas in New Orleans, but the city has so much more to offer. The Garden District is a beautiful spot to while away a few hours. Superb 19th century mansions are to be found here, with the St. Charles line streetcar making access around the area simple. Landmarks to look out for in the New Orleans Garden District include the George Washington Cable House, while one of NOLA’s most famous restaurants, Commander’s Palace, is also based in this part of the city.

Taking a swamp tour is one of the best ways to experience life in Louisiana. There are few places in the world as untouched as the swamps of Louisiana and a guided tour all-but guarantees seeing a huge variety of wildlife, all in their unspoiled natural habitat. Lafayette is one of the top starting points for a Louisiana swamp tour, but there are countless fantastic options all over the state. Alligators, herons and egrets are among the wildlife present in the state’s swamps.

New Orleans is one of the world’s great cities, with the French Quarter by some distance the oldest neighborhood in the city. A National Historic Landmark, the French Quarter was damaged by Hurricane Katrina but after huge work to restore it, is now back to its bustling best. Among the many attractions people should see when visiting the French Quarter is Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral, the busy bars of Bourbon Street and the Audubon Cottages. The French Quarter is known around the world for its party atmosphere and it is one of the only places in the United States where consuming alcohol from open containers is permitted on the street. Bourbon Street also hosts the famous annual Mardi Gras celebration, which draws thousands of people to celebrate on the streets of New Orleans.

Melrose is one of the most unique plantations in the South. Sometimes also called Yucca Plantation, Melrose was one of the biggest plantations that were built by and for free blacks. There are eight structures in total at the plantation, with the Association for Preservation of Historic Natchitoches providing guided tours of Melrose. The plantation features on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail. Melrose was established by Louis Metoyer, a slave who became a free person of color when he was finally granted his freedom. Metoyer went on to build a uniquely African structure that is a must-visit experience for anyone spending time in Louisiana.

Louisiana is known for its wetlands and the Atchafalaya Basin is the largest swamp in the whole of the United States. The Atchafalaya is a particularly unique ecosystem as a result of its unusual combination of stable wetlands and a growing delta system. Among the many attractions of the Atchafalaya Basin is the Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, which houses alligators, waterfowl and a huge array of migratory birds. The basin stretches an amazing 140 miles southward and it is a massive source of crawfish, with 22 million pounds of the fish coming from the basin each year.

There is no doubt that the Mississippi River is one of the greatest rivers in the whole world. Dozens of bridges cross the river from its starting point at Itasca State Park in Minnesota to the mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. The Port of South Louisiana is based around the river, with some 500 million tons of shipped goods passing through the port every year. A journey along the Great River Road through Louisiana makes for a wonderful experience, with cities such as St. Francisville, Baton Rouge and Plaquemine among the places the river flows through, as well as Tallulah, Morganza and, of course, the city of New Orleans.

Of the many bridges that cross the epic Mississippi River, the Horace Wilkinson Bridge at Baton Rouge is perhaps the most impressive of the lot. The cantilever bridge, which is the highest to cross the Mississippi River, carries Interstate 10 from Baton Rouge to Port Allen. Six lanes of traffic cross the bridge, which is named after three separate men named Horace Wilkinson who served in the Louisiana legislature for a combined total of 54 years. Keen photographers will be keen to snap the Horace Wilkinson Bridge, which is a special backdrop for pictures.

Perhaps the oddest but most beautiful place in Louisiana is the Chauvin Sculpture Garden. Developed over many years by the reclusive artist Kenny Hill before his abrupt departure from the site, the sculpture garden features a huge array of bizarre but wondrous creations, from winged angels to depictions of God himself. An art center and a small local museum are now based at the site, which provides one of the strangest and wonderful experiences in the whole of Louisiana.

Venice – sometimes known as The End of the World – is one of Louisiana’s many must-see sights. Often used as a starting point for offshore fishermen, Venice was particularly badly affected by Hurricane Katrina. In the years since the horrific natural disaster, a great deal of work has been done to rebuild the community, which is now beginning to thrive again. Nearby to Venice is also the must-visit site the Breton National Wildlife Refuge of the Chandeleur Islands, which was established by the order of the then-President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

St. Louis Cathedral is one of the most famous sights in New Orleans, and indeed in the whole of Louisiana. Located in the city’s thriving French Quarter in front of Jackson Square, the history of the cathedral dates back almost 300 years, although the building has been regularly renovated, rebuilt and upgraded. The cathedral – the mother church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans – is the United States’ oldest continuously active Roman Catholic Cathedral. The rear of the cathedral also houses St. Anthony Garden, which has a statue of Jesus that is spectacularly lit up at night.