Louisiana holidays

Music is everywhere in Louisiana. In New Orleans, the melody is carried from street parades in the French Quarter to intimate jazz clubs in Tremé. Baton Rouge is well known for its blues festival and singer-songwriter scene, while Lafayette and the south of the state are where to hear the Cajun and zydeco bands you’ll find nowhere else.

The state’s bayous — slow, still waters that spread from the Mississippi Delta to the gulf — are some of the most unique things to see in Louisiana. Take a boat out on their dark swamps and bird-filled marshland. Kayak or canoe through endless cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, or join an airboat tour through the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest swamp in the US.

Home to incredible wildlife, the vast swamps and water prairies of Atchafalaya Basin are best explored with a guided tour. The Whitney Plantation offers a powerful look at the history of slavery. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Old State Capitol resembles a medieval castle, complete with a breathtaking stained-glass ceiling inside.

With warm waters and few crowds, Louisiana’s beaches might be its best-kept secret. On the sweeping stretch of coast along the Gulf of Mexico known as the ‘Cajun Riviera’, you’ll find plenty of soft, white sand. The barrier island of Grand Isle has surfing and deep-sea fishing. And there are plenty of water sports at the state park lakes.

Louisiana’s landscape teems with life. No US state can claim more alligators — see them up close on a swamp tour alongside salamanders, lizards, snakes, turtles and more. Millions of migratory birds flock to the Gulf Coast each year, while the heron, spoonbills and pelicans are permanent residents. At state forests, spot bobcats, beavers and black bears.

You’ll encounter plenty of seafood at the restaurants in Louisiana. Gulf prawns and crayfish are a staple of Cajun cuisine, found in everything from po’boy sandwiches to rice-based jambalaya and stew-like ‘etouffee’. Boudin, a French sausage, is another favourite here, while gumbo is a jumble of stock, meat and vegetables. For a sweet treat, try ‘beignets’, fried pastries topped with sugar.

From Acadian and African to French-Iberian and Native American, Louisiana’s rich cultural mix is what makes it so special. The best museums in Louisiana include an open-air recreation of 19th-century village life, voodoo collections and the cafe where outlaws Bonnie and Clyde ate their last meal. There’s great art in the cities too — Lafayette and New Orleans are home to dozens of galleries and outdoor installations.