Page 359 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

L OUISIANA  357

are six floating casinos, several
museums, and a river cruise.
The welcoming town hosts a
number of cultural activities,
while the annual Louisiana State
Fair, held here in late October or
early November, attracts more
than 300,000 visitors.
Environs
About 165 miles (265 km) from
Shreveport in the far northeastern
The Fort St. Jean Baptiste reconstruction in Natchitoches corner of Louisiana state is one
of the most significant archaeo-
T Longfellow-Evangeline State P Melrose Plantation logical sites located in the eastern
Historic Site 3533 LA Hwy 19. Tel (318) 379-0055. part of the country. Poverty
1200 N Main St, St. Martinville. Tel (337) Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sun. Point National Monument (see
394-3754. Open 9am–5pm Tue–Sat. Closed public hols. &
Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 25. ∑ melroseplantation.org p337) outside Epps retains the
& ∑ crt.state.la.us/parks religious mounds built by
E Louisiana Sports Hall of the early civilization that
E Shadows-on-the-Teche Fame & Northwest Louisiana flourished in the Lower
317 E Main St. Tel (337) 369-6446. History Museum Mississippi basin around 600 BC.
Open 9am–5pm Mon–Sat. 800 Front St. Tel (318) 357-2492. Open
Closed Jan 1, Dec 24 & 25. & 10am–4pm Tue–Sat, 1–5pm Sun. & T Poverty Point
∑ shadowsontheteche.org National Monument
P McIlhenny Tabasco Company 7 Shreveport Hwy 577. Tel (888) 926-5492.
Avery Island. Tel (800) 634-9599. Open 9am–5pm daily.
Open 9am–4pm daily. Closed pub. * 199,300. @ n 629 Spring St, Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving,
hols. 7 ∑ tabasco.com/ (318) 222-9391. ∑ shreveport– Dec 25. & ∑ nps.gov/popo
avery-island bossier.org
6 Natchitoches Situated near the Texas border,
Shreveport was founded on the
* 39,500. @ n 780 Front St, (800) Red River in 1839. Agriculture
259-1714. ∑ natchitoches.com and river transport trade were
mainstays of the local economy
The oldest permanent settle- until the turn of the 20th century,
ment in Louisiana, Natchitoches when the discovery of oil made
(“Nack-a-tish”) was founded on the city a boom town. Shreveport
the banks of the Cane River by declined after the oil industry
the French in 1714. The town’s moved offshore. However, Exhibition at Poverty Point National
compact 33-block riverfront today, along the riverfront there Monument, outside Epps
district retains much of its 18th-
century Creole architecture,
with elaborate ironwork and The Acadians – Cajun Country
spiral staircases. South of The Acadians, or “Cajuns,” were originally French immigrants who had
downtown, Fort St. Jean founded a colony in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1604, naming it l’Acadie
Baptiste re-creates the 1732 after the legendary Greek paradise, Arcadia. Exiled by the British in
frontier outpost designed to 1755, they finally settled along the isolated bayous of Louisiana,
deter Spanish expansion where they developed a rich French-influenced culture, deeply
eastward from Texas. rooted in its music and cuisine. Acadian culture is best seen in the
The surrounding Cane River region’s many festivals. Of these the Courir de Mardi Gras, literally
Country has several plantation “Fat Tuesday Run,” is a distinctly Cajun version of the Mardi
house tours. Of these, Melrose Gras (see p351). Colorfully dressed and masked horseback
Plantation was visited by such riders ride from house to house, ostensibly collecting
writers as John Steinbeck and ingredients for a community gumbo. They then
William Faulkner. The family- triumphantly parade through the town, before
friendly Louisiana Sports Hall gathering together for food, drink, music, and frivolity.
of Fame & Northwest Louisiana “Acadiana” is a 22-parish region comprising the wetlands
History Museum showcases area near New Orleans, the prairies north of Lafayette,
Louisiana athletes and sports and the remote southwestern coast.
figures, features sports-themed
exhibits, and explores the area’s Acadian dress
cultural traditions.

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