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Louisiana
Lagniappe
Louisiana has too much
to offer to focus only on New Orleans, so we’re offering you a
lagniappe, Creole for something extra. From New
Orleans to Plantation Country to Cajun Country, you’ll be
delighted with Louisiana’s great food, music, and wonderful
hospitality. By staying at a B&B or inn, you’ll be sure to get
the inside track on the best of local food, music, sights and
attractions, avoiding tourist traps and finding genuine
experiences.
Creole Queen
and The St. Louis Cathedral
Getting Around
As of this
writing (July 2006), the Canal Street and Riverfront streetcars
were back in operation, and the famous St. Charles line was
expected to return to service by the end of 2006. Traffic lights
were also damaged by Katrina, which has caused traffic problems.
Most lights have been repaired, and the rest should be back
online soon. Fortunately, cabs are inexpensive, and much of the
city is ideal for walking. Some neighborhoods are unsafe after
dark, so always check with your innkeeper for advice. As in any
urban area, never leave packages and/or valuables showing
in the cab of your vehicle.
When to Go
Although parts of the city are still devastated, most of New
Orleans is back from Katrina’s effects. Restaurants, museums and
other attractions are back in operation, and visitors are
welcomed with open arms. Outside of the NOLA area, where it
didn’t flood, there’s been a complete recovery from Katrina.
Although it’s hot, summer rates are extremely reasonable, and
temperatures are more or less the same as many other parts of
the United States. If you’d rather wait for cooler temperatures,
November through February is ideal, since Louisiana winters are
extremely mild. As always, advance reservations are essential
for Mardi Gras and big festival weekends.
Sights & Activities
New Orleans
Claes Oldenburg's Safety Pin in
the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
New
Orleans is more than the
tacky bars of Bourbon
Street. Be sure to stroll the
Riverwalk, take the free Canal
Street ferry, enjoy the atmosphere of Jackson Square, savor the
jazz clubs of Frenchman Street, and sample the city’s amazing
restaurants, including dozens that you’ve probably never heard
of before.
More
information…
Food: New Orleanians live to eat. As a result, the city
offers one of the most incredible concentra
tions of food in the
world. More than 1,000 restaurants in the New Orleans
metropolitan area are open as of June 2006. This includes most
of the city's culinary treasures, according to the
New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Be sure to ask
your innkeeper for advice, and make advance reservations for top
choices. Fabulous meals can be found in local bistros, at prices
much more reasonable than the big-name restaurants; we had an
excellent meal at the
Café Degas
on Esplanade in the Mid-City neighborhood.
Music: New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and home to
some of the world’s most popular musicians – from Louis
Armstrong to Lenny Kravitz to the Marsalis clan. From street
performers to intimate clubs, jazz funerals to festivals, and
symphonies to headlining rock concerts, music is essential to
New Orleans. For music to suit your tastes and budget, check
with your innkeeper and
click here as well.
Museums: Don’t miss the
National
D-Day Museum, and allow plenty of time for the
well-presented exhibits. The
New Orleans
Museum of Art has a delightful sculpture garden (free
admission), and fine collections ranging from pre-Columbian to
modern. Of particular interest are the works of French
Impressionist Edgar Degas, who lived and painted in New Orleans
in the early 1870s. Equally compelling is the
Ogden
Museum of Southern Art, with paintings, sculpture, ceramics,
and crafts from the 1700s to today.
Click here for details on dozens more.
Along the Mississippi River in the French Quarter is the
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas; the Entergy IMAX Theatre
next door is a treat on hot days. The
Audubon Zoo, on Magazine Street in the Garden District,
offers a fabulous collection of natural habitats; take the St.
Charles streetcar (or bus), walk, or take a ferry from the dock
next to the aquarium.
Plantation and Cajun Country
Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie,
LA
Start your
exploration of Cajun Country with two “don’t miss”
museums, conveniently close to one another in Lafayette. Begin
with the
Jean Lafitte Acadian Cultural Center for an explanation of
how the Acadian people were relocated from Nova Scotia, Canada,
to the Mississippi Delta region during 1765-1785; the museum has
an excellent movie, too. Next, plan to spend the afternoon at
Vermillionville, a Cajun-Creole Heritage Park, where you can
learn about local life between 1765 and 1890 from friendly
docents who are also great storytellers. There’s a surprisingly
good restaurant open for lunch (with traditionally served
gumbo). On Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings, locals come
to dance up a storm to the best music we heard in the area. Be
sure to take a swamp tour; we enjoyed one of Lake Martin, in the
Lafayette area; ask your innkeeper for a recommendation of an
owner-operated tour. We had a great time with
Bryan
Champagne. Also worth visiting is historic
St. Martinville, in the heart of historic Acadiana.
More
area travel info…
Plantation tours: The plantations of the Great River Road
include
Nottoway,
Laura,
Destrehan,
San Francisco, and
Oak
Alley. Unless you’re a dedicated student of
Southern
decorative art and architecture, a visit to two or three will do
you; Oak Alley and Nottoway have accommodations as well. We
loved Oak Alley for the majestic oak-lined drive and river
 view
from atop the levee, and Laura for its fascinating and unusual
history. While you’re in the area, stroll the historic towns of
Donaldsonville, home to artist
Alvin Batiste, and Thibodaux, with 19th century homes and
the fascinating, unrestored
Laurel Valley Plantation several miles east of town on LA
308.
Food and shopping: Most famous for Cajun food and dancing
in the Lafayette area, and popular with locals and tourists
alike, are
Randol’s,
Mulate’s, and
Prejeans,
with music and dancing most every night; but be sure to check
with your innkeeper for less commercial options.
B&Bs and Inns
Baton Rouge
Close
to downtown
Baton Rouge and LSU is the
Stockade
B&B, a spacious Spanish-style home, owned by Janice DeLerno,
a delightfully friendly, humorous, and knowledgeable innkeeper.
Breaux Bridge/Lafayette/Rayne
Block-Keller House, New Orleans
Lyn and Ken Guidry provide your Cajun home-away-from home with
the
Maison D’Memoire, a collection of historic Cajun cottages,
artfully restored and moved to the little town of Rayne, just 15
minutes from Lafayette and a mile from I-10.
Located on the old Magenta
Plantation site is the charming
Cajun Country Cottages in Breaux Bridge. Cottages are set
around a private lake and are complete with kitchens, living
rooms, gas logs, and
porch swings. The nearby
Country Charm B&B is an authentic Acadian country home built
in the 1830s, decorated with antiques and collectibles. The
Maison
des Amis in downtown Breaux Bridge is a Cajun/Creole cottage
built in 1870; guests relax in the gazebo overlooking Bayou
Teche, and breakfast at the Café des Amis restaurant, around the
corner, including
Zydeco breakfast on Saturday mornings.
More Lafayette area B&Bs…
Napoleonville
A National Historic Landmark,
Madewood
is a grand plantation home that still manages to be homey and
inviting. A stay at Madewood is like a house party from another
era, complete with wine and cheese in the library at 6 p.m.,
dinner at 7 p.m. with Southern country cooking, followed by
coffee and brandy in the parlor, and a plantation breakfast at
8:30 the next morning. To get the full Madewood experience, stay
in the main house for at least two nights (and three would be
better), since there’s lots to do in the area, from plantation
tours to swamp trips to visiting the sleepy historic towns
nearby.
New Orleans
Note: Due to local health department regulations, most New
Orleans B&Bs serve a continental breakfast. If you want a full
hot breakfast, check with the innkeeper for details.
Esplanade Avenue:
Ashton's Bed
& Breakfast: An 1861 Greek Revival mansion with magnificent
décor inside and lush greenery outside. Patrick Ashton’s full
breakfasts are exceptional and creative.
Degas House: Built in 1852, home to Impressionist painter
and sculptor Edgar Degas during his sojourn in New Orleans,
1872-1873.
Five
Continents: Built in the late 1880s, this immaculate B&B
combines period charm with appealing décor that owner Jess Beaty
collected in his worldwide travels.
HH
Whitney House: Circa 1865 Italianate mansion with original
architectural charm, antique furnishings, tropical garden with
swimming pool and hot tub.
House
on Bayou Road: Dating to the late 1700s, you’ll feel like
you have a country home in the city, with peaceful guest rooms
surrounding a verdant backyard, complete with swimming pool and
hot tub; also famous for cooking classes.
Faubourg Marigny:
B&W
Courtyards: Three 19th-century buildings connected by lush
tropical courtyards offer a taste of old New Orleans with a
Caribbean twist.
Elysian Fields Inn: The simple raised cottage exterior
belies the uncluttered and sophisticated elegance of this
well-equipped and luxurious B&B, just a block from the jazz
clubs and shops of Frenchman Street.
La
Maison Marigny: Great location, comfortable rooms, relaxing
garden courtyard, and hands-on innkeeper John Ramsey combine for
a great New Orleans getaway.
Garden District/Uptown:
Avenue Inn:
Innkeepers don’t get any friendlier or more knowledgeable than
Joe & Bebe Rabhan, yet there’s ample privacy in this welcoming
1891 Thomas Sully Mansion, with 17 guest rooms to suit all
budgets.
Chimes B&B: Longtime New Orleans residents Jill and Charles
Abbayad will help you find the best the city has to offer. Guest
rooms open to the garden courtyard in a quiet residential
setting.
Grand Victorian:
Impeccably restored 1890s Thomas Sully-designed Queen Anne
mansion, hosted by knowledgeable New Orleans native Bonnie Rabe.
Hubbard
Mansion: Newly built replica of a Natchez Mississippi
Mansion, with five spacious, elegantly decorated guest rooms,
hosted by the Hubbard family.
Magnolia Mansion: Elegant guest rooms, decorated with period
antiques, in a raised Greek-rival mansion built in 1857, with
eleven massive Corinthian columns, wraparound veranda, and
framed by massive oaks.
Sully
Mansion: Designed by renowned architect Thomas Sully in
1890, this Victorian-style home has an ideal location in the
heart of the Garden District.
Mid-city:
1896
O’Malley House: Combines historic charm with everything the
business traveler would want in the way of Internet access,
writing desks, and voicemail, plus a location that’s an easy
ride down the Canal Street streetcar to the convention center
area and the French Quarter.
Block-Keller House: Magnificently restored Classical
Revival-style villa offering B&B charm in an elegant,
clutter-free environment, ideal for business or leisure
travelers. The streetcar stop is steps from the front door on
Canal Street.
More New Orleans area inns…
If you see this button
on an inn's listing, click it to book your room directly from
BedandBreakfast.com!
Photos courtesy of Sandy Soule
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