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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.

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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