If variety is the spice of life, Louisiana racks up enough flavors to keep any palate satisfied for a long time. Everything is bolder, sweeter and sharper in Louisiana: voodoo, Mardi Gras, gracious antebellum homes and the Cajun fire of food and zydeco.
African-American Culture
New Orleans is experiencing a surge of interest in its heritage, and the city has an HBO television series to thank for it.
“Treme caused a huge interest recently in architecture,” says Bonnie Boyd, president and CEO of BBC Destination Management. “The buildings in that neighborhood are older than those in the French Quarter.”
Tours of the Treme section of New Orleans, one of the oldest African-American communities in the U.S., are very hot with groups right now. Boyd says the New Orleans African-American Museum, which highlights Treme, is enjoying a boost as well. The museum’s Creole Villa architecture plus the thought-provoking exhibits make it a great off-site venue.
A secretive and historic African-American Mardi Gras krewe, the Mardi Gras Indians, are celebrated at the Backstreet Museum, which is filled with costumes and masks from African-American celebrations and events.
To top off a tour of Treme, planners can stop at the event-ready Golden Feather Mardi Gras restaurant and gallery on Rampart Street, which offers the comfort of soul food along with a gallery of Mardi Gras Indian costumes, artifacts and art. PageBreak
Mardi Gras
When most people think of New Orleans, they think of Mardi Gras, the city’s biggest party. Yet nearly every Louisiana town not only has its own Mardi Gras celebration, it puts a unique local spin on it.
In Pointe Coupee Parish, the town of New Roads boasts the second-oldest Mardi Gras celebration and a daytime parade, while Jefferson offers up a Family Gras celebration suitable for all ages. Shreveport gets funky with its famed Krewe of Highland parade and an eclectic range of DIY floats.
Every city welcomes groups during Mardi Gras season, as long as attendees don’t mind the crowds.
Can’t make it for the annual celebration?
In New Orleans, Mardi Gras World is a “must do” any time of year for groups, according to Boyd.
“They build and store the giant [parade] floats there, and they’re open seven days a week,” she says.
Groups can tour the float warehouse, but Mardi Gras World is also one of the largest event venues in town, with numerous spaces for unique gatherings.
Bossier City boasts the Krewe of Gemini Mardi Gras Museum, home to the largest collection of Mardi Gras costumes in the Western Hemisphere, and the facility is available for rental. PageBreak
Voodoo, Churches and Cemeteries
Faith comes in many shapes and sizes in Louisiana, from the African origins of voodoo to historic Christian churches.
St. John’s Cathedral is a historic Catholic church in Lafayette. The 1916 red-and-white brick cathedral is the third version to be built on the spot since the 1820s. Guided tours are available for groups.
In Baton Rouge, the 1907 St. John the Baptist Church features a Gothic Revival style. Acadian exiles from Nova Scotia founded this still-active church, and guided tours can be arranged of the building and the 1830s cemetery next door.
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum draws the serious and the curious, and it chronicles the role of voodoo enmeshed in the city’s rich history. Special performances illustrating the music and movement of 19th century rituals can be arranged for groups. Cemetery and walking tours feature the fascinating voodoo history of New Orleans, including a stop at the tomb of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.
Plantation Homes
No visit to Louisiana would be complete without a plantation tour, reception or event.
Some of the top choices include Laura, A Creole Plantation, which offers the most detailed historic accounts of all the former residents; St. Joseph Plantation, a fully intact sugar plantation that is still family-owned; Oak Alley Plantation, with its stately line of oak trees, gardens, Big House, Civil War interpretive exhibit, blacksmith shop and antique car garage; Myrtles Plantation, a 1790s antebellum charmer; and Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, a mid-1700s site that has been featured in many movies and television shows, from Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte to Top Chef.
While all the plantation homes are lovely, none may be as well-traveled as Poplar Grove, located near West Baton Rouge.
“The house was built as a pavilion for the 1884 World Expo in New Orleans,” says Sharon Stam, executive director for the West Baton Rouge CVB. “After the Expo, it was floated upriver on a barge to its current site at Poplar Grove Plantation.”
The facility offers group tours, candlelight dinners and brunches complete with gospel singers.PageBreak
Legendary Venues
The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium represents an important turning point in American music during the 1950s. Home to the famed Louisiana Hayride show, the building was where Elvis Presley’s career was launched.
“Walking across that stage is a tremendous experience,” says Chris Jay, public relations manager for the Shreveport-Bossier City CTB. “You can still stand on the X where Elvis had his first paying gig in 1954.”
The building will begin a multimillion-dollar renovation this month and reopen in April 2014.
In New Orleans, the event-capable National World War II Museum recently opened the U.S. Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, a new section filled with artifacts and interactive exhibits that show the war through the eyes of citizens on the home front.
Culinary Treats
“You can’t get a bad meal here,” Boyd says.
That applies not only to New Orleans, but the entire state of Louisiana. Creole, Cajun and soul food are available at legendary eateries such as Arnaud’s and Antoine’s in New Orleans and PreJean’s in Lafayette.
Meanwhile, a growing trend is hands-on programs, so planners should check out the New Orleans School of Cooking, the Accidental Chef in Lafayette and the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge. All feature unique culinary team-building offerings.
Frequent Meetings Focus contributor beth bartlett wants to work her way through Louisana, one Mardi Gras at a time.
