DeRidder Gothic Jail: Where Elegant Architecture Meets a Grim and Ghostly History
I stepped inside the DeRidder Gothic Jail, and the contrast hit me right away. From the sidewalk, the building could pass for a small collegiate hall. Pointed Tudor arches, dormers, and bay windows face the street with a quiet, scholarly grace. Built in 1914, the three-story structure is a rare example of the Collegiate Gothic […]
Inside Chimp Haven: A Rare Look at the Louisiana Sanctuary Where Retired Research Chimpanzees Live the “Chimp Life”
My road trip through Louisiana ended in Keithville, on 200 acres of piney woods where nearly 300 chimpanzees spend their days climbing, foraging, and doing exactly what they want. This is Chimp Haven, one of the largest sanctuaries in the world for chimpanzees retired from biomedical research. I arrived expecting a refuge, but what I […]
Caddo Lake: Why You Need to Cross Into Texas to Truly Experience It
To stand inside the real Caddo Lake, the one that lives in photographs and folklore, you first have to leave Louisiana. I learned this on a cool morning when I drove past Shreveport’s city limits, crossed the state line, and followed a thin road into a town called Uncertain, Texas. Its name, I later discovered, […]
Inside Saint Martin de Tours: The Mother Church of the Acadians in St. Martinville
Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville is one of the oldest Catholic churches in America. The sign out front says Mother Church of the Acadians, founded in 1765. I am a LeBlanc, a Cajun by birth. I thought I really understood my family tree and my family’s story until I walked inside […]
Pack and Paddle on Lake Martin: A Winter Kayak Trip Through the Cypress Tupelo Swamp in Cajun Country
Just outside Breaux Bridge, in St. Martin Parish, there is a place where Louisiana slows down enough for you to notice the details. Lake Martin does not announce itself. It reveals itself, one ripple, one birdsong, one breath at a time. Out here, the cypress trees rise straight from the water, their roots anchored in […]
Louisiana Sinker Cypress Craftsman Eric Couvillion: The ‘Unintentional Culture Keeper’ of the Atchafalaya
In a backyard workshop in Breaux Bridge, one man is rescuing ancient history from the swamp floor and turning it into heirloom furniture that captures the soul of Cajun country. The morning sun filters through the live oaks as I pull up to a modest home in Breaux Bridge. In most neighborhoods, a backyard might […]
Why Joshua Wingerter’s Westwego Gallery Is One of Louisiana’s Most Unexpected Art Stops
Drive along the levee in Westwego, Louisiana, and you will notice something unexpected. Colorful murals splash across walls near the old canal locks. Painted oyster sculptures guard restaurant entrances. A full house has been transformed into an immersive exhibit. These are the marks of Joshua Wingerter, a folk artist who locals describe as the spark […]
An Only in Louisiana Experience: Inside the Enchanted Atelier de la Nature
In Arnaudville, Louisiana, tucked within the heart of Cajun country in St. Martin Parish, a unique kind of workshop thrives. This is not a place of tools and benches, but of native grasses, sculptural forms, and whispered fairy tales. Atelier de la Nature, French for Nature’s Workshop, is a nature reserve, sculpture garden, and outdoor […]
Living Legacy: Your Guide to the Keepers of Cajun and Creole Culture
A bowl of gumbo tells you a story. The color of the roux, the choice of ingredients, these are family signatures passed down through generations. I learned mine at my mother’s elbow, watching her stir flour and oil in a cast-iron pot until it reached the perfect shade of pecan. She taught me to listen […]
Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop Museum: Preserving Abbeville’s Working Past
In downtown Abbeville, Louisiana, history does not feel distant or ornamental. It feels solid underfoot, shaped by human hands and sustained by hard work. When I stepped inside the Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop Museum, I entered a place where iron once met fire daily and where one Sicilian immigrant helped hold an entire community together […]