Louisiana: Canned Music Is Not Our Style

Wherever you go in Louisiana, someone is always performing great live music nearby. A stroll down Bourbon Street in New Orleans – a must for first-time visitors – fills your ears with blues riffs, traditional jazz, Cajun, zydeco, country and rock, all spilling out of clubs that stand shoulder to shoulder. Many other spots around the state offer great live music as well. Here are a few suggestions:

• Visit Eunice on Saturdays for the weekly Rendezvous des Cajuns live radio show; on Sundays, join the gospel services at Greater King David Baptist Church, Baton Rouge.
• Hear Cajun music and more at Blue Moon Saloon & Guesthouse in Lafayette, and the Jolly Inn in Houma; catch zydeco at Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki in Opelousas; and for swamp pop, head to GG’s in Alexandria.
• Check out a range of styles at Enoch’s in Monroe; Sylvia’s and Luna’s in Lake Charles; Birdie’s Roadhouse in Varnado; and Shreveport’s City Bar.
• In New Orleans, visit Snug Harbor, the Spotted Cat, Preservation Hall and Sweet Lorraine’s for jazz; hear national headliners at Tipitina’s and House of Blues, and old-time rhythm and blues at the Mother-In-Law Lounge.
• See musical stars in plush nightclub settings at casinos statewide.
• Shreveport-Bossier is a hub for world-class entertainment with its cluster of five casinos. Lake Charles casinos regularly feature big-name headliners, as do casino stages in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the Morgan City area. Check out the exciting live entertainment in Native American casino resorts in Marksville, Charenton and Kinder.