Louisiana

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Travel Guide North America USA Southern United States Louisiana

Introduction

Bayou Bucket Fishing

Louisiana is a state in the south of the United States. Louisiana is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties. The largest parish by population is East Baton Rouge Parish, and the largest by land area is Cameron Parish.

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Geography

Louisiana is bordered to the west by Texas; to the north by Arkansas; to the east by the state of Mississippi; and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico. The surface of the state may properly be divided into two parts, the uplands of the north, and the alluvial along the coast. The alluvial region includes low swamp lands, coastal marshlands and beaches, and barrier islands that cover about 52,000 km2. This area lies principally along the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River, which traverses the state from north to south for a distance of about 1,000 kilometres and empties into the Gulf of Mexico; the Red River; the Ouachita River and its branches; and other minor streams (some of which are called bayous). The higher and contiguous hill lands of the north and northwestern part of the state have an area of more than 65,000 km2. They consist of prairie and woodlands. The elevations above sea level range from 3 metres at the coast and swamp lands to 15-18 metres at the prairie and alluvial lands. In the uplands and hills, the elevations rise to Driskill Mountain, the highest point in the state at only 163 metres above sea level.

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Regions

Greater New Orleans - New Orleans & surrounding towns, bayous, the lower Mississippi
Acadiana - The center of Cajun culture, with distinctive food and music
Central - Alexandria and historic Natchitoches
Florida Parishes - Baton Rouge and the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore
North - North Louisiana is the most "Southern"; Shreveport, historic Indian mounds

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Cities

Alexandria
Baton Rouge - the state capital
Bossier City
Kenner
Lafayette
Lake Charles
Monroe
New Iberia
New Orleans - the state's largest city
Shreveport - The biggest city of North Louisiana

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Sights and Activities

National Parks

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Events and Festivals

Holidays

New Year’s Eve - The US celebrates the outgoing of the old year and incoming of the New Year quite dramatically. Every state boasts its own parties to ring in the New Year, but none is more extravagant than New York’s Time Square, which sees people overflowing into the neighboring restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and neighborhoods.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
St Patrick’s Day - March 17 celebrates the US’s large Irish population. Many cities around the country boast boisterous parades and Irish-themed parties, especially New York and Chicago, where the river is dyed green. Be wary of the drunkenness that dominates as this is definitely a party-day.
Memorial Day - Memorial Day is an important holiday throughout the United States, but not for crazy festivities. Parades commemorating wartime heroes are often held and the day is also the ‘unofficial’ start of summer. Most visitors follow the crowds to parks and beaches, which are capped off with informal BBQs.
Independence Day - Also known as the Fourth of July, Independence Day celebrates the US’s break from the British during the 18th century. Barbecues, street parties, beach trips, and weekend getaways are commonplace to appreciate freedom.
Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday. Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor.
Halloween - Halloween is a fun holiday on October 31 for all generations to dress up in costumes and relive their youth. Children walk around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for candy, while adults attend parties. Other seasonal events include haunted houses, pumpkin farms and carving, and corn mazes.
Thanksgiving - On the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is held in almost every home in the US. Tourists will have a hard time finding anything to do as the country essentially shuts down in observation. A typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie commemorating the original Pilgrim’s feast at Plymouth Rock.
Christmas - On December 25, Christians celebrate Christmas as the pinnacle of their calendar by attending church and opening gifts from Santa Claus. Almost everything shuts down to promote family togetherness. The northern regions hope to experience a “white Christmas,” with trees and festive lights blanketed by snow.

Sport

Super Bowl Sunday - the world’s most watched sporting event and one of the highest grossing TV days of the year, Superbowl Sunday is a spectacular extravaganza. Held the first Sunday in February, the Superbowl is the final playoff game between the NFL’s top two teams. The venue rotates every year around America, yet the local parties seem to remain. Pubs, bars and restaurants are great places to enjoy the Superbowl or locals throw their own parties with different variations of betting.
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.

Mardi Gras

When most people think New Orleans they think Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras basically is the celebration prior to the fasting season of Lent. Although it refers to the events of the Carnival celebrations, Mardi Gras itself typically culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Popular festival events are wearing masks and costumes, dancing and parades. The parades are organized by the Krewes and they travel on large floats tossing beads to the crowds. No one knows the exact year this festival started but by 1743 it was in full swing. Mardi Gras is celebrated mainly in South and North America and other famous ones include those in Rio de Janeiro, Barranquilla, Port of Spain, Quebec City and Mazatlán.

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, started in 1970, is an annual festival that celebrates every kind of music associated with New Orleans or Louisiana. This includes music like jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, cajun music, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk, Latin, rock, rap, country music and bluegrass. The festival is held during the day from 11:00am to 7:00pm on the Fair Grounds Race Course, a horse racing track, on two consecutive weekends. These are the last weekend of April, from Friday through Sunday and the first Weekend in May, Thursday through Sunday.

There are other jazz festivals during the year like the French Quarter Festival in April and the Satchmo Summerfest in August.

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Weather

Louisiana has a humid subtropical climate, perhaps the most "classic" example of a humid subtropical climate of all the Southcentral states, with long, hot, humid summers and short, mild winters. Precipitation is frequent throughout the year, although the summer is slightly wetter than the rest of the year. Southern Louisiana receives far more copious rainfall, especially during the winter months. Summers in Louisiana are hot and humid, with high temperatures from mid-June to mid-September averaging 32 °C or more and overnight lows averaging above 22 °C. In the summer, the extreme maximum temperature is much warmer in the north than in the south, with temperatures near the Gulf of Mexico occasionally reaching 38 °C, although temperatures above 35 °C are commonplace. In northern Louisiana, the temperatures can reach above 40 °C in the summer although this is not common.

Temperatures are generally mildly warm in the winter in the southern part of the state, with highs around New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the rest of south Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico averaging 19 °C, while the northern part of the state is mildly cool in the winter with highs 15 °C. The overnight lows in the winter average well above freezing throughout the state, with 8 °C the average near the Gulf and an average low of 3 °C in the winter in the northern part of the state. Louisiana does have its share of cold fronts, which frequently drop the temperatures below -8 °C in the northern part of the state, but almost never do so in the southern part of the state. Snow is not very common near the Gulf of Mexico, although those in the northern parts of the state can expect one to three snowfalls per year, with the frequency increasing northwards. Louisiana's highest recorded temperature is 46 °C in Plain Dealing on August 10, 1936 while the coldest recorded temperature is -27 °C at Minden on February 13, 1899.

Louisiana is often affected by tropical cyclones and is very vulnerable to strikes by major hurricanes, particularly the lowlands around and in the New Orleans area. The best example of course is hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused massive devastation and lots of people died or became homeless and lost all their belongings. The area is also prone to frequent thunderstorms, especially in the summer. The entire state averages over 60 days of thunderstorms a year, more than any other state except Florida. Louisiana averages 27 tornadoes annually, some in part in 2010. The entire state is vulnerable to a tornado strike, with the extreme southern portion of the state slightly less so than the rest of the state.

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Getting There

By Plane

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is a large international airport serving an average around 10 million passengers a year. It is also the second lowest airport in the world only sitting at 4.5 feet (1.5 metres) above sea level. It is possible to get direct flights to most major USA cities, especially the ones in the south. There are a few international flights, mainly to Central America and Mexico. The main destinations include Mexico City, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Houston, New York City, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Denver, Kansas City, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando, Nashville, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Charlotte.

To/from the airport

Bus: From the airport, public transit runs to the Central Business District. The E-2 Airport Bus goes to Tulane and Loyola Avenues in downtown New Orleans, which is two blocks from Canal Street. The fare on this bus is $1.60 one-way. The bus is operated by Jefferson Transit, which is not the same operator that runs buses within New Orleans, so transfers to New Orleans services require an additional fare. Schedules can be found at the Jefferson Transit website.
Car: A taxi to the French Quarter will cost approximately $30. An airport shuttle service runs to the major hotels for $13 per person one-way. Rental cars are available at the airport as well.

By Train

Several trains travel between Louisiana and other states in the country. These include:

The City of New Orleans between New Orleans and Chicago.
The Crescent between New Orleans and New York.
The Sunset Limited between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

By Bus

Check Greyhound for options.

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Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

Louisiana has a number of National Scenic Byways which offer a great way to explore the state crossing beautiful landscapes. Mostly, there are lots of national parks, state parks or monuments along the way and it's generally a better alternative than the faster but boring Interstate Highways.

By Bus

Check Greyhound for options.

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Eat

Seafood Louisiana has long been known for its bounty of fresh seafood.

Some visitors have recently expressed concern about the safety of local seafood due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Seafood that makes it to the markets and restaurants is safe. Oil affected areas are closed to fishing, and catches from unaffected areas are being inspected in even more detail than usual. The oil spill may result in shortages of some species or higher prices in the future. Now is still a good time to enjoy Louisiana seafood.

Louisiana loves good food. Cuisine includes the famous Cajun cooking of Acadiana and the continental traditions with innovative additions in New Orleans. Some items that may seem exotic to visitors from elsewhere may appear on menus, including crawfish and alligator.

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Drink

The legal drinking age is 21. However in New Orleans and parts of Acadiana this drinking age is not rigorously enforced. In March 1996, the Supreme Court of Louisiana upheld a previous ruling by Judge Aucoin that the 21 year old drinking age was unconstitutional, violating the Constitution's equal protection clause. However, it later overturned this ruling. Within hours of the first ruling, the state law enforcement community vowed to enforce the current law, until the loophole in the Constitution was closed. More than 10 years later that loophole is still there. Rule of thumb for anyone wanting to party in Louisiana, regardless of age: don't drink and drive. If you are over 18 but under 21, you generally won't have much problem in New Orleans. Just play your cards right, act like the adult that you are, drink responsibly and you'll have a good time. Don't argue with bartenders, police officers or liquor store owners.

Laws regarding alcohol are more restrictive in parts of northern Louisiana.

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Sleep

Hotel and Motel Chains

There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include: