Louisiana: Tempting Trips Beyond the Table

For Savvy Sippers:
Find a potent mix of possibilities in New Orleans. We suggest a tour at Celebration Distillation, home of Old New Orleans Rum; or take Gray Line’s Cocktail Tour through the French Quarter. Beer buffs should head to St. Tammany Parish for a tour and tasting at Abita Brewery or Heiner Brau, German brewmaster Henryk Orlik’s microbrewery. The state’s wineries and vineyards – such as Feliciana Cellars Winery in Jackson, Landry Vineyards in West Monroe and Pontchartrain Vineyards in Bush – delight oenophiles.

For Creative Cooks:
Learn to cook Cajun and Creole fare at kitchen shops like Cane River Kitchenware in Natchitoches and Alexandria’s Kitchen Warehouse. The Louisiana Culinary
Institute in Baton Rouge offers leisure classes for home cooks. Shreveport’s Artspace combines art and chef demonstrations during its monthly “Someone’s in the Kitchen” series. Looking for something more in-depth? The New Orleans Cooking Experience offers “culinary vacations.”

For Touring Types:
Go behind the scenes with a spicy Louisiana icon – Tabasco sauce – during a tour of McIllhenny Company’s Avery Island factory. In Cajun Country, two culinary trails are dedicated to the region’s specialty, boudin (pork-and-rice-stuffed sausage). Travel the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail in Lake Charles or the Cajun Boudin Trail in Lafayette and learn why locals love those links. In New Iberia, drop by the Conrad Rice Mill for a tasting, view a film about the area and tour the mill. Sweet adventure awaits along the Louisiana Sugar Trail, an agricultural/culinary tour that stretches across much of south Louisiana.