Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for louisiana
Life Along the Bayou
By Linda Tancs
Ever wonder what life was like along the bayou in colonial days? You’ll find out at the Pitot House, the only Creole colonial country house that is open to the public in New Orleans. Located on historic Bayou St. John (accessible via the Carrollton Spur streetcar), the site is named for James Pitot, the first mayor of New Orleans after the city’s incorporation, who lived at the residence in the early 1800s. Guided tours are available from Wednesday through Saturday.
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Amazing Grapes
By Linda Tancs
Amazing Grapes is an annual wine auction event in New Orleans benefiting the Hermann-Grima and Gallier historic houses. These Victorian homes are two of the oldest in NOLA’s French Quarter. Taking place this Saturday at the Hermann-Grima house, the event will feature a wine tasting from Bizou Wines, a buffet by Broussard’s Restaurant and auctions featuring rare and hard-to-find wines as well as luxurious vacations and art.
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The Heart of Old New Orleans
By Linda Tancs
The triple-steepled cathedral forming the backdrop to a triumphal statue of Andrew Jackson in the Big Easy is one of the most iconic images of the city. Completed in 1727, St. Louis Cathedral fronts historically rich Jackson Square and kisses the Mississippi River in the heart of old New Orleans. Dedicated to Louis IX, sainted King of France, it remains the oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
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Plein Air on the Teche
By Linda Tancs
Picture this: a juried art exhibition amidst stately oak trees draped in Spanish moss framed by a classic antebellum historic house. If that doesn’t get paint brushes moving, then what will? This weekend marks the weeklong inaugural Plein Air Competition at Shadows-on-the-Teche, a 19th century southern Louisiana plantation. Located in New Iberia’s Main Street District on the banks of Bayou Teche, The Shadows was built in 1834 for sugar planter David Weeks and preserves 150 years of history through four generations.
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A Victorian Fantasy in New Orleans
By Linda Tancs
Turrets, columns and gingerbread aren’t the usual fare associated with architecture in New Orleans. But then again, anything goes in the Big Easy. In the middle of the Garden District you’ll find a turquoise and white Victorian dream known as Commander’s Palace, a restaurant known for its cuisine–and famous guests–since 1880. Located on Washington Avenue just steps from the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, this is where Emile Commander entertained folks like Mark Twain and Confederate Jefferson Davis. Nowadays it’s particularly known for its festive weekend jazz brunch, featuring a special menu and live New Orleans jazz by Joe Simon’s Jazz Trio.
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Drinks on US
By Linda Tancs
Did you know that the earliest known recipe for a cocktail in the U.S. comes from a response to a newspaper editorial in 1806? What was the original cocktail? How many patents have issued for barware? These and other libation-related curiosities will be answered at the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans at the Riverwalk Marketplace. What better time to visit than during World Cocktail Week, now through 13 May.
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Jammin’ in the French Quarter
By Linda Tancs
New Orleans’ French Quarter Festival is celebrating its 30th year now through 14 April with over 800 local musicians, free special events, activities for the kids and a fireworks display along the Mississippi on Saturday night. Did I mention food? Perhaps it needs no introduction. This is New Orleans, after all–home of the poboys, jambalaya and gumbo, to name but a few of its delicacies. Sample them all at the more than 65 restaurants participating in the festival.
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A Hot Tin Roof in New Orleans
By Linda Tancs
Tennessee Williams was a master American playwright, known for such works as A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Born Thomas Lanier Williams, he began using the moniker Tennessee after college when he moved to New Orleans, a place he reputedly considered to be his spiritual home. It’s fitting, then, that the Big Easy should honor one of its own with an annual festival. The Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival features literary panel discussions, theatrical performances, master classes with a notable expert in writing or the arts, and literary walking tours. Previous festivals have hosted such luminaries as Dick Cavett, Edward Albee and George Plimpton. This year’s event will run through 25 March.
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Jambalaya Jamboree
By Linda Tancs
Gonzalez, Louisiana is the “Jambalaya Capital of the World.” From 26 to 29 May the area hosts its annual Jambalaya Festival and World Champion Jambalaya Cooking event. A Cajun/Creole dish made from a mixture of meats, rice and seasonings, jambalaya is a southern Louisiana delight. The jambalaya cooking contest draws contestants the world over for the coveted title. Do you have a favorite jambalaya recipe? Share it here.
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Countdown to Mardi Gras
By Linda Tancs
Time flies. Just a mere 5 days to go till New Orleans brings down the house. There’s still time to book your flight but, alas, is there (affordable) room at the inn? Maybe www.travelnow.com can help. Check out the parade schedules and other Mardi Gras must-knows at www.nola.com. It wouldn’t hurt to pray for better weather, either. Some krewes have already been postponed or cancelled.
You’ll need a warm shirt, with temperatures hovering in the 50s tomorrow. Why not buy a Louisiana sweatshirt here: http://www.cafepress.com/wanderfulplaces/2321003
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