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Home/Regions/Southwest Louisiana

Southwest Louisiana

Home to Louisiana’s Creole cowboys, the prairies of Southwest Louisiana feature a spicy blend of food and Zydeco music. You can enjoy a 180-mile long adventure through “Louisiana’s Outback” along the Creole Nature Trail and experience alligators and a variety of coastal and migratory birds and 26 miles of sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico.

closeup of man's hands holding a live crawfish

Crawfish

Dave McNamara
April 29, 2025

Crawfish and rice are not just a classic Louisiana pairing at the dinner table—they are also a perfect match on the farm. Most of the crawfish found in boils and…

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red brick lighthouse with black iron top

Sabine Pass Lighthouse

Dave McNamara
January 1, 2025

Efforts are underway to save one of the few remaining historic lighthouses along the Louisiana coast. For the past 170 years, the brick Sabine Pass Lighthouse has stood tall above…

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wood observation deck and boardwalk over marsh on Creole Nature Trail

Creole Nature Trail

Dave McNamara
August 12, 2024

Louisiana’s Creole Nature Trail is a popular spot for watching migrating birds and spotting a variety waterfowl and wading birds. The trail runs through two wildlife refuges, the Sabine and…

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2 white whooping cranes walk in a grassy marsh area.

Louisiana Whooping Crane

Dave McNamara
May 14, 2024

After a sixty-year absence from Louisiana, the whooping crane is making a comeback thanks to a reintroduction effort. The large white birds are nesting in the wild and raising their…

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wood sign with pelican and welcome to Holly Beach

Holly Beach

Dave McNamara
April 30, 2024

Holly Beach on the coast of southwestern Louisiana is getting attention from some out-of-state travelers. They are thrilled to find a large sandy beach on the Gulf of Mexico without…

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brown red orange and yellow round seal of Coushatta Tribe with garfish and baskets

Coushatta Language

Dave McNamara
December 29, 2023

Being able to speak the Coushatta language has been important to Eli Langley since he was a child. So was attending Harvard University, which may have seemed like an impossible…

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man in blue shirt plays cajun fiddle

Cajun Fiddle

Dave McNamara
November 14, 2023

Once a year, musicians of all ages face off in a Cajun fiddle contest to crown the best players in southwestern Louisiana. The annual fiddling showdown is called the “Battle…

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men playing guitar and accordion Cajun music

Cajun Music & Gators

Dave McNamara
August 29, 2023

This Interstate-10 rest stop offers a special South Louisiana combo, live Cajun music and live alligators. The popular Gator Chateau in Jennings, know for its small alligators for petting, has…

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large old oak tree under blue sky in lake charles

Sallier Oak

Dave McNamara
July 5, 2022

The Sallier Oak is an ancient giant, an old oak tree that has been battered and bruised over the centuries. But the large tree in downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana has…

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Trail and bridge over water with trees

Sam Houston Jones State Park

Dave McNamara
May 23, 2022

The thick forest of longleaf pine trees at Sam Houston Jones State Park was no match for the powerful winds of Hurricane Laura, which pounded southwestern Louisiana in the Fall…

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closeup hands on two accordions playing zydeco

Zydeco in Allen Parish

Dave McNamara
December 7, 2021

Zydeco music and the Coushatta people have deep roots in Allen Parish in southwestern Louisiana. And both take center stage at a new cultural center in the town of Kinder.…

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mural showing frogs everywhere in Rayne, Louisiana

Frogs Everywhere

Dave McNamara
September 8, 2020

It seems that everywhere you look in the Cajun city of Rayne, you see frogs.  They’re on the sidewalks, in front of stores, the police station and fire house, and…

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Tupper Store in Jennings, Louisiana

Store Frozen in Time for 40 Years

Dave McNamara
June 23, 2020

They were the Super Walmarts of their day, the country general merchandise store where you could buy almost everything you needed, from tools to food, to pots, pans, toys and…

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alligator in the Gator Chateau, Jennings, Louisiana

Gator Chateau

Dave McNamara
June 23, 2020

It may be one of the more unusual interstate highway rest stops.  But if you are traveling Interstate 10 through southwest Louisiana you can take a break at Jennings and…

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