Culture in Sunset Louisiana

When you make a list of all the unique things Louisiana has to offer visitors, you quickly see the long-lasting influences of our French, Spanish and African ancestry. Our past is well-preserved in our architecture, music, food and lifestyles—which include our amazing festivals—and of course in our museums of history and fine arts.

It is not an accident that Louisiana clings to the phrase "Laissez les bons temps rouler," meaning "Let the good times roll". Let yourself get lost in the traditions passed down through generations. Come visit us during Mardi Gras when costumed riders parade and magnificent balls are thrown from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport and beyond. Peek back across the centuries, as you walk under lavish ironwork and through the lush courtyard gardens of a meticulous French Quarter hotel. Touch history with a tour of a plantation where the daily activities of the past are recreated. Let nature's mysteries inspire and awe you via a boat tour through a cypress studded bayou.

Here, in Louisiana, history and lore don't merely live in books on a shelf; they're reflected in our everyday lives.

Sunset has always been known for its contributions to the agricultural industry as a leading producer of sweet potatoes. But today it is also known for a popular horticultural event, The Celebration of Herbs and Gardens. Held each May, the Sunset Garden Club hosts this daylong event. Seventy-five vendors display native plants, herbs, vegetable plants, yard art and herbal products. Another stop for plant lovers is La Caboose Bed & Breakfast, also home to La Caboose Jams and Jellies. Three acres surround the collection of restored train cars, now used as sleeping quarters and includes pecan trees, orchards, lush gardens of herbs and native flowers. Just on the outskirts of town and well worth the drive, is Chretien Point Plantation. Once the center of a 10,000 acre cotton plantation, this home’s history includes stories of the Civil War and a staircase that was replicated and used in Gone With the Wind!