Crawfish Haven & Mrs. Rose’s Bed and Breakfast: A Cajun Crawfishing Getaway You Won’t Find in a Guidebook
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS Louisianans, we love our mud bugs. We’re raised on a hearty dose of Louisiana crawfish at every backyard boil and family reunion. But here’s the thing most of us never stop to think about: the work that goes into harvesting them. So when […]
Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana: How Basket Weaving Saved a Nation in Charenton
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS I’ve traveled to a lot of places that call themselves hidden gems, but nothing quite prepares you for pulling into Charenton, Louisiana — a small, unassuming town tucked into the bayou country of St. Mary Parish — and discovering that you’re standing on […]
DeRidder Gothic Jail: Where Elegant Architecture Meets a Grim and Ghostly History
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS 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 […]
Inside Chimp Haven: A Rare Look at the Louisiana Sanctuary Where Retired Research Chimpanzees Live the “Chimp Life”
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS 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 […]
Caddo Lake: Why You Need to Cross Into Texas to Truly Experience It
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS 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 […]
Inside Saint Martin de Tours: The Mother Church of the Acadians in St. Martinville
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS 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 […]
Pack and Paddle on Lake Martin: A Winter Kayak Trip Through the Cypress Tupelo Swamp in Cajun Country
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS 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, […]
Louisiana Sinker Cypress Craftsman Eric Couvillion: The ‘Unintentional Culture Keeper’ of the Atchafalaya
By Karen LeBlanc, host of LA64, a Louisiana Travel Show on PBS 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 […]
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 […]