Louisiana Great River Road – LA

Story of the Byway

For decades, the Louisiana Great River Road brings more people together with their history, culture and natural worlds than any other North American river and treasured road. The river and road have shaped the people and the land in this place.

Entering into Louisiana from Arkansas and near Vicksburg, traces of Grant’s Canal, dating to the American Civil War still exist. During the historic siege of Vicksburg, General U. S. Grant tried to divert the Mississippi River by cutting a canal at Lake Providence and using the bayous and rivers to bypass Vicksburg. His attempt failed; it is the only time in military history a tactic such as this was employed. Poverty Point World Heritage Site at Epps, commemorates the earliest North American culture known to exist on the continent. Artifacts found at the site date to between 1700 and 700 B.C. This site was designated a National Landmark in 1962; a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

Driving south to Baton Rouge, the traveler finds the monuments and stories Huey Pierce Long, Louisiana’s “Kingfish”, governor, United States Senator and would-be candidate for president in 1936 challenging Franklin Roosevelt.

Long built the iconic State Capitol building, Old Governor’s Mansion and Tiger Stadium. Visitors come to see where Long was assassinated and to view his grave and monument on the State Capitol grounds. Keen on “his” LSU university and football team, when the legislature denied his budget request for a new football stadium, a determined Long built men’s dormitories in the round with a football field in the center. LSU’s football stadium is the only one with men’s dormitories surrounding it. Long planned to challenge Franklin Roosevelt in the 1936 presidential election; rumor is when he built his governor’s mansion, an exact replica of the White House, he wanted to know where the light switches were when he got there.

Continuing south, the River Parishes lay claim to one of the more unusual public December holiday lighting displays. On Christmas Eve, 20-foot-tall wooden structures are built on the levee and set ablaze. Why bonfires on Christmas Eve? Some believe they are from an ancient European tradition where bonfires initially honored successful harvests. Others claim the bonfires illuminates the way for Santa Claus (or Papa Noel, as the French say).

Around Burnside, the traveler finds the Louisiana Great River Road Museum and Interpretive Center at Houmas House. This 28,000-square-foot center highlights the history of the Lower Mississippi River and how it helped to create the culture of Louisiana. Historic maps of the river, folklore and information on commerce on the Mississippi River and the steamboats that brought entertainment up and down the river are exhibited.

Heading toward New Orleans, a traveler finds why Louisiana has a worldwide reputation for good food, good drink and good living. Celebrations such as Mardi Gras, the International Jazz and Heritage Festival and Tales of the Cocktail are annual traditions, as well as the Essence Festival, the largest African American music festival in the United States; each attracts millions of visitors to southern Louisiana for the food, music and culture.

The cocktail is said to have been invented by a New Orleans apothecary in the early 19th century. So, where else but New Orleans can a visitor find a museum dedicated to the cocktail. - the Sazerac House, a six-storied building with interactive exhibits and working distillery. Before or after the distillery tour, visitors can visit the National World War II Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum or one of several units of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park Visitors Centers, among dozens of others, each telling its own unique story.

No other place can surpass the food found along the Louisiana Great River Road. The best foods can be found at service stations, specialty meat stores and restaurants. Louisiana food is greatly influenced by the many cultures that call it home. File’ originates from the Native Americans; okra, brought from Africa; Jambalaya, etoufee and sauce piquant have roots in Louisiana French ancestry. Other iconic foods found include café’ and beignets, king cakes, po’boys, muffalettas and gumbo.

Rich in history and culture, leisure travelers have been drawn to the stories, romance and experiences of the Louisiana Great River for decades. Rural towns, historic sites, plantations, New Orleans’ French Quarter, Louisiana’s State Capitol, Cajun and Creole culture and cooking, Jazz, blues, swamp tours and swamp pop, are long standing motivations for people to travel the Louisiana Great River Road and are expected to drive people here for decades to come.