Foodie itinerary: Delta Delights Trail

Breakfast: If you’re lucky enough to arrive in town early, head to The Kitchen for a home-cooked breakfast. Grits, eggs, toast and more—country cooking that can’t be beat!

Work up an appetite: Many people associate Coca-Cola with Atlanta, Georgia, but the super soda has connections to Louisiana too. It was Joe Biedenharn who first bottled the drink, making it accessible to those who couldn’t come to the store for a fountain drink.  Today you can tour the Biedenharn Museum & Gardens. Check out its Coke Museum and enjoy a 5-cent Coke before you leave!
   
Lunch: Sometimes it’s just hard to beat a good hamburger. If you’ve got a hankering for this ultimate American sandwich, go where the locals go: Enoch’s Irish Pub & Café. The Blarney Stone blue cheeseburger is a favorite. Ray’s PeGe is another local go-to for burgers, poboys and fries. Indulge your sweet tooth with some of their homemade ice cream and shakes.

Work up an appetite: Oenophiles should be sure to visit Landry Vineyards in West Monroe. The vineyard grows a variety of grapes, including Blanc Du Bois and Cynthia/Norton. Stop by the tasting room, open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., for samples and pick up a bottle as a souvenir. If wines aren’t your thing, spend the afternoon shopping Antique Alley in the Cottonport District of West Monroe. Find antique furniture, vintage glassware, gifts, jewelry and more on this corridor of specialty shops.

Dinner: You can’t travel the Delta Delights Trail without trying its signature dish—and that’s anything with catfish. Waterfront Grill serves up grilled catfish and a view of Bayou DeSiard. For an appetizer, order the shrimp Rakhee (shrimp in a white cream sauce) or oysters Weemo (seasoned oysters baked with mushrooms, Parmesan and breadcrumbs). Warehouse No. 1 Restaurant is in a former cotton warehouse that overlooks the Ouachita River. The fried catfish and hushpuppies are delicious, but the menu boasts a variety of seafood and steaks.