Fun Friday
Good Morning we have made it through another week and now it's time to go on our weekly Friday adventure.
Can you guess where we are going this week? We are going to visit Louisiana
1.) The National WWII Museum Admission is roughly $20 located in New Orleans The National WWII Museum is the top-rated tourist destination in New Orleans and #2 in the U.S., and an unforgettable way to experience World War II—from industrial efforts on the home front to the combat experience of the American service members abroad. Offering a compelling blend of sweeping narrative and poignant personal detail, the Museum features immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories to take visitors inside the story of the war: why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. Beyond the galleries, the Museum offers unique access to experiential history, including an opportunity to tour and ride on an authentically restored PT-boat, tours behind the scenes to handle artifacts alongside Museum curators, and an impressive collection of restored and working macro-artifacts to discover. Hour of operation 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Well in New Orleans don't forget to check out City Park, Jackson Square and St Louis Cathedral(it's a must see) , French Quarter, New Orleans' Preservation Hall on St. Peter Street, Frenchmen Street, Garden District, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 Founded in 1789, this cemetery is the oldest in New Orleans and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and if you want the full experience take the RTA Streetcars and all the amazing history of the city. Don't forget to go to the Audubon Zoo, the Pharmacy Museum, Hermann-Grima House, Basin St Station, the Presbytere, Longue Vue House and Gardens, Musical Legends Park, Backstreet Cultural Museum, and if you want to see some cool tombs check out Lake Lawn Metairie home to a pyramid and a sphinx mausoleum. If you have ever wanted to learn how to cook authentic Louisiana food then stop by for cooking classes at the New Orleans School of Cooking. The Beauregard-Keyes house is full of history and worth checking out the Museum
2.) Laura Plantation: Louisiana's Creole Heritage Site admission is about $30 Go beyond the myths of the American South at Laura, where intimate, first-hand accounts explore the lives of four generations of one Louisiana Creole family, both free and enslaved. Laura’s new, permanent exhibit examines in biographical detail the lives of Africans on the plantation, from enslavement into the 20th century. Along the Great River Road only 50 minutes from New Orleans, the fully guided experience includes the Big House, gardens & original 1840s slave cabins. Laura is open daily from 9:30AM - 5PM except for major holidays. The first tour of the day begins at 10:00 AM until the last tour of the day at 3:20 PM.
3.) Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World located in New Orleans hours of operation are 9:30-4:30 Mardi Gras World is the most unique attraction in America’s most uniquely attractive city. Come see how Mardi Gras is made and get up close to Mardi Gras' grandest floats and sculptures.
4.) Oak Alley Plantation located in Vacherie hours of operation are 9-5 From its beginnings over 200 yrs ago, Oak Alley was just a land claim on the map. Today Oak Alley is a National Historic Landmark, dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history its inhabitants left behind. With an emphasis on its time as a sugar plantation, visitors are invited to walk under its iconic alley, explore its exhibits: Slavery at Oak Alley, the Big House, Sugarcane Theater, People of Oak Alley and the Blacksmith Shop and leave with a better understanding of this complex history.
5.) Whitney Plantation located in Wallace hours of operation are 9:30-5pm Whitney Plantation lets you explore the legacy of antebellum Louisiana on a former sugar plantation. Unique to area plantation museums, this one focuses on slavery. Learn about plantation life from the perspectives of the slaves through exhibits and narratives and walk in the footsteps of those who lived and toiled here as you visit preserved slave cabins and see the Spanish Creole Big House. Download the Whitney Plantation app for the self guided tour.
6.) The Myrtles Plantation located in Saint Francisville Experience antebellum splendor in the circa 1796 National Register plantation home renowned for its mystery, history and intrigue. Our recently opened restaurant 1796 is a beautiful blend of the old and the new, centered around an open hearth.
7.) Vermilionville located in Lafayette hours of operation are 10-4pm Get a taste of life for the 18th century Acadian settlers in this 23 acre village with meticulously recreated period homes, costumed staff demonstrating arts and crafts and a restaurant serving Cajun and Creole food
8.)Louisiana's Old State Capitol located in Baton Rouge hours of operation are 10-4 Louisianan's Old State Capitol sits on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge. Completed in 1849, the castle-like fortress has been restored to its original grandeur. It houses both traditional and state of the art interactive exhibits and a multi-media film presentation. Audio tours available in English, French, German and Spanish Free Admission.
9.) USS Kidd located in Baton Rouge hours of operation are 9:30-3:30pm The USS Kidd Veterans Museum is a nonprofit organization, highlighting the role that Louisiana and its citizens have played in U.S. military history. The shoreside museum offers a permanent collection of Louisiana veterans' artifacts, traveling exhibits, visiting ships and event space with views of the Mississippi river. For nearly 40 yrs the museum and the USS Kidd, a national historic landmark, and the museum's largest artifact have served as a reminder to the people of Louisiana of the service and sacrifices of our state's veterans. Both are visited by thousands of people from around the world each year.
10.) Destrehan Plantation hours of operation are 9:30-4pm Built in 1787 Destrehan Plantation is the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley. The plantation is open 7 days a week except for major holidays first tour begins at 9:30
11.) Jungle Gardens located in Avery Island hours of operation are 9-5pm. Avery Island, home of Tabasco Pepper Sauce is also home to a 170 acre botanical treasure known as Jungle Garden. Take a self guided tour through southern Louisiana marshes and bayous inhabited by indigenous wildlife. Visitors can walk, bike, hike or drive the 3 mile garden trail with multiple stops to view alligators, a White Egret rookery, live oak gardens and more.
12.) Kaffie-Frederick General Mercantile Store located in Natchitoches The actual general store dates back to 1863. Located on a scenic cobblestone street with the Red river just across the road. It's filled with old and new merchandise equipped with an old cash register that's over 147 yrs old. Listed with the National register of historic places this is an all American must see.
13.) Insta-Gator Ranch and Hatchery located in Covington The only alligator ranch in Louisiana offering guided tours. You can touch, feed and even catch alligators in a controlled setting. See hundreds of alligators from babies to 8 footers and all sizes in between. Things to do only 1 hour from New Orleans or Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
14.) Rip Van Winkle Gardens located in New Iberia Near the entrance is a 12-minute film that runs continuously on background/history of the site. The mansion is open for tours and there is a restaurant on site. The story of the disaster (explosion, sinkhole) that took in some of the garden and a resident's house during the late 20th century was mind boggling and all that was left of the house is a chimney in the lake. There are roughly 50 peacocks on the property so don't forget your camera. While in New Iberia also check out the Shadows on the Teche plantation home.
15.) LSU Rural Life Museum located in Baton Rouge hours of operation are 8-5pm Step back in time to pre-industrial Louisiana at this 27-building museum complex, one of the best outdoor museums in the U.S., featuring tools, furniture and other artifacts and, the highlight, a recreated 19th-century plantation that portrays the daily lives of these early settlers.
16.) Global Wildlife Center located in Folsom hours of operation are 9-4 Take a ride in a wagon as you enjoy the free ranging animals that are just yards away you can see most of the animals. The only way you are going to interact with the giraffes is if you book the private tour in the 8 passenger PINZ vehicle. with a minimum of a 4 person booking.
17.)Capitol Park Museum located in Baton Rouge hours of operation are 9-4:30 With thematic exhibits on diverse aspects of Louisiana history, industry and culture, the museum includes two permanent exhibits: Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation and Experiencing Louisiana: Discovering the Soul of America. Don't forget to check out the Magnolia Mound Plantation home while you are here Dating back to the late 18th century, this historic home is one of the oldest wooden buildings in Louisiana. It was spared from demolition in the 1960s and is now open for tours.
18.) St Joseph Plantation located in Vacherie St. Joseph is open for tours! We are following proper CDC guidelines to ensure your visit is safe and enjoyable. Please visit our website for details at www.stjosephplantation.com. Enjoy a relaxed tour or the St. Joseph home and grounds. Learn about sugar farming in rural South Louisiana, and about all those who contributed to the home and land since its beginning. St. Joseph has also been the home of several film and TV projects, including "Queen Sugar", "12 Years a Slave", "Mudbound", "Underground", and more. We are open 7 days a week from 9:30a-4p with 7 tour options available each day.
19.) Acadian Village located in Lafayette hours of operation are 10-4pm Step back in time to a small 19th-century Cajun bayou community, which includes genuine Cajun homes relocated and combined with recreated period buildings and a Native American museum.
20.) Sci-Port Discovery Center located in Shreveport hours of operation are 9-5 Sci-Port Discovery Center is a 92,000 square-foot science and entertainment center made up of Louisiana’s Space and Science Center, Power of Play Children’s Museum (POP) and Louisiana’s only IMAX® Dome Theater. Louisiana’s Space and Science Center includes over 200 hands-on exhibits, interactive programs and demonstrations and the Sawyer Space Dome Planetarium. POP is a kid-sized Shreveport-Bossier where kids ages 8 and under can learn through the power of play. The IMAX® Dome Theater immerses guests in award-winning films through state-of-the-art technology. Center accolades include Best Science Attraction for Kids in Louisiana, Attraction of the Year in Louisiana, and one of Parents magazine top ten science centers in the nation. Sci-Port is a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, the Association of Children’s Museums and the LA Space Consortium. The Center is located at 820 Clyde Fant Parkway on the downtown Shreveport Riverfront.
21.) Biedenharn Museum and Gardens located in Monroe hours of operation are 10-5 Built in 1913 by Joseph A. Biedenharn, visitors can tour this historic home and magnificent Elsong Gardens located on the estate.
22.) Chennault Aviation & Military Museum located in Monroe hours of operation are 9-4pm Located in one of the last standing buildings from the World War II Selman Field Army Air Corps Navigation School, the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum highlights northeast Louisiana's impact on aviation and military history. Admission is always free. Exhibits feature weaponry, uniforms, photographs, documents and other artifacts. A growing collection of military aircraft is located outside. All branches of the U.S. military are featured, from World War I through the present day, and there are also exhibits on Selman Field (which trained over 15,000 navigators) and Delta Airlines (which was born in Monroe from a regional crop dusting service). An extensive exhibit is dedicated to the life and times of Gen. Claire L. Chennault (a northeast Louisiana native) and his Flying Tigers fighter group.
23.) Frogmore Plantation located in Ferriday Selected by Rand McNally as "MUST SEE SITE IN THE SOUTH" the COTTON THEN & NOW tour is a guided tour of southern history from 1700’s – today with cotton in the fields to view or pick depending on season; furnished slave cabins; rare, antique steam gin, plantation store museum and gift shop; 20 historical bldgs. Contrast w/modern farming and computerized cotton gin, cotton trivia, & world stats. CIVIL WAR TOUR includes a DVD video/powerpoint pinpointing causes of the war; Orpheo Audio guided tour includes eight historical buildings and explains European connections, plantation life under martial law, and the effects of the war on owners and slaves. CALL FOR DATES AND TIMES: DELTA MUSIC TOUR intertwines plantation culture and history of gospel music with live vocalists and continues through blues, ragtime, and jazz and on to rock and roll. Includes visit to State of La Delta Music Museum on the Miss. Blues Trail.
24.) Alexandria Zoological Park hours of operation are 9-4:30 Since 1922, Alexandria Zoological Park has shared the wonders of the natural world with generations of zoo-goers. Get face to face with 500 animals including lions, tigers, crocodiles, monkeys, bears, otters and many more. Come explore a natural world filled with hoots, howls, and roars right in the heart of Central Louisiana. Alexandria Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. While in Alexandria check out the Kent Plantation Home
25.) Fort St. Jean Baptiste located in
Natchitoches
hours of operation are 9-5 The fort is a replica of the fort built by the French during the early colonial days. For a small entrance fee you can come here and see a video about the fort and its history, talk to the guides and see some displays before walking out to the fort. Since the French and Spanish fought over places like this, the history is interesting.
26.) Shreveport Water Works Museum hours of operation are 10-4 Shreveport's first water works was built in 1887. A National Historic Landmark. Free admission.
27.) Cane River National Heritage located in Natchitoches Cane River National Heritage Area in northwestern Louisiana is a largely rural, agricultural landscape known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its multi-cultural legacy. Historically this region lay at the intersection of French and Spanish realms in the New World. Today it is home to a unique blend of cultures, including American Indian, French, Spanish, African, and Creole. The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for approximately 35 miles. The heritage area includes Cane River Creole National Historical Park, seven National Historic Landmarks, three State Historic Sites, and many other historic plantations, homes, and churches. What is a National Heritage Area? A National Heritage Area is a place recognized by the United States Congress for its unique contribution to the American experience. In a national heritage area, natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make national heritage areas representative of the national experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved in the areas. Continued use of the national heritage areas by people whose traditions helped to shape the landscapes enhances their significance. The Cane River National Heritage Area is one of forty-nine National Heritage Areas recognized by Congress for their significant contributions to the American experience. In partnership with the National Park Service, CRNHA, Inc. celebrates the nationally significant history of the Cane River region, preserving it for the benefit of current and future generations.
28.) Poverty Point World Heritage Site located in Epps hours of operation are 9-5 Historic site that features Native American artifacts dating back twelve centuries before the birth of Christ.
29.) Shreveport Aquarium hours of operation are 10-5pm DISCOVER …an underwater world of wonder. Travel through brightly colored coral reefs, creaking shipwrecks, dark ocean caves and tropical lagoons. Marvel at the variety and diversity in our unique galleries and get up close and other cool creatures in one of our many touch tanks. Hand Feed our stingrays, touch our moon jellies, observe shark feedings and more! Hunt for treasure, gems and fossils in Louisiana's only indoor mining experience. Enjoy holiday experiences like Mutiny at the A-SCARE-ium in October and BELIEVE! The Magic of Christmas in December. VIP tours, camps, parties and field trips are available.
30.) The Regional Military Museum located in Houma Our museum is dedicated to the brave men and women throughout our country’s history who have defended our great nation, at home and abroad. The goal of the Regional Military Museum is to commemorate their sacrifices made on behalf of all Americans – past, present, and future. Please visit our website to learn more or stop in for a visit.
With hundreds of things to do in the state I could keep you forever entertaining your minds with the amazing things to do. I would highly recommend searching the cities close to where you're travelling to and stop along the way.
I hope that you have enjoyed this week's tour and come back next week for another amazing adventure. Remember to always be kind as it costs nothing and if you see someone without a smile stop and give them yours a smile is contagious.
Written by: BeautifulChaos318
