Perfect Spots for Louisiana Photo-ops

There’s no better way to memorialize your Louisiana trip than to take tons of photos along the way. Whether you’re in front of the camera or behind it, you’ll be sure to get great shots with Louisiana’s photo-ready locations. Point, click, upload and await comments, likes and shares!

As you plan your Louisiana getaway, here are some tips for spicing up selfies and fascinating followers:

• Jackson Square in the French Quarter. Take the steps up from Decatur Street to the wall atop the edge of the Mississippi River and capture the St. Louis Cathedral (the U.S.’s oldest).
• The Louisiana State Capitol’s observation deck in downtown Baton Rouge. Louisiana’s 34-story capitol is the U.S.’s tallest, and the 27th floor’s open deck offers birds-eye views of the 30-acre Capitol Gardens and a statue marking Capitol patriarch Governor Huey P. Long’s gravesite.
• Statues of Elvis Presley, James Burton and Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter. The three innovators in American music with ties to the immediate area are within walking distance in downtown Shreveport. The local Louisiana Hayride live concert radio show in the 1950s launched Presley’s career, and statues of him and longtime bandmate (and Shreveport native) Burton are outside the show’s venue, the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium. Lead Belly, a Mooringsport native and a pioneer in Southern Delta blues, is commemorated outside the Caddo Parish Courthouse on Texas Street.
•  Colorful sunsets above flooded cypress and lowland tree stands at Lake Martin and Toledo Bend Reservoir. Access Lake Martin off Louisiana Highway 31 just south of Breaux Bridge. The best bets for Toledo Bend photos are in the towns of Logansport and Zwolle, at La. Hwy. 6’s lake crossing and at South Toledo Bend State Park west of Anacoco.
• Check out the Giant Strawberry Statue in Ponchatoula. In 2018, a nine-foot, seven-inch tall berry was unveiled outside City Hall in advance of the Louisiana Strawberry Festival. The statue was designed by Covington sculptor and movie prop builder, Valek Sykes, specifically with social media in mind.

• Be the star of the shot and pose with the Lafayette sign located downtown at Parc Sans Souci. The sign is available for artists, non-profits and volunteer groups to paint throughout the year with different themes.
• Enjoy a peaceful stroll through 20 acres of the carefully manicured Afton Villa Gardens. Here you’ll find flowers galore, beautiful sculptures and the ruins of the Afton Villa mansion.
• 900-year-old Buddha statue that rests within a massive bamboo forest at the Jungle Gardens in Avery Island. Nearby in New Iberia, Rip Van Winkle Gardens features 15 acres of semi-tropical gardens and unique stone statues nestled among 350-year-old oak trees.
• Many cities in Louisiana, like Ruston and West Monroe, have beautiful murals that make for the perfect photo backdrop to show off your travels.
• Hold a baby alligator and snap some pics at Gator Chateau in Jennings. Gator Chateau fosters the gators until they are able to be released back into their natural habitat.
• Go on a hike through the Kisatchie National Forest and look for Wolf Rock Cave, which dates to 2500-1000 BC.
• Catch an amazing sunset on the water at the 29-acre Prien Lake Park in Lake Charles.

Don't forget to tag @Explore.Louisiana and #OnlyLouisiana in your photos!