Southern Byways

 Did you know that Louisiana is known for their festivals? They have over 400 festivals a year. That’s averages out to almost one per day. So if you are a lover of festivals, Louisiana should probably be on your itinerary. Just this week alone, I think I counted around seven.Here’s a look at your choices this weekend.

American Whiskey Fest, September 24-25 in New Orleans. This festival brings together the country’s best mast distillers and together with a sampling of distinctive New Orleans cuisine, they raise money for the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.
Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival takes place from …read more

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Thousands of protesters gathered in Jena, Louisiana, Thursday to show support for the “Jena 6,” six black teens charged in the beating of a white classmate.
Tour buses were pulled over to the side of Louisiana Route 49 more than 20 miles from Jena as authorities in the town of 3,000 people controlled access to avoid gridlock.
In Jena, some parking lots were full by 8 a.m. ET.
Thursday was the day Mychal Bell expected to find out his punishment for his alleged role in the school beating.
“This is a march for justice. This is not a march …read more

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1. Louisiana was named in honor of King Louis XIV.
2. Breaux Bridge is known as the “Crawfish Capital of the World”.
3. Saint Joseph’s Cemetery, the only known United States cemetery facing north-south is in Rayne.
4. Rayne is known as the “The Frog Capital of the World”.
5. The world famous “Mardi Gras” is celebrated in New Orleans. Mardi Gras is an ancient custom that originated in southern Europe. It celebrates food and fun just before the 40 days of Lent: a Catholic time of prayer and sacrifice.
The frog capital of the world and an unusual cemetary… now that should make a …read more

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Okay, for today, lets just talk about spiders. Even the little ones give me the creeps and I have to call on darling husband to get it out of the house. But now we are talking about really scary spiders…
Louisiana bug experts say the poisonous brown widow spider, a cousin to the well-known black widow, is increasingly being spotted in Louisiana. The spiders are generally found in tropical areas but were reported along the Mississippi Gulf Coast last year.
And what is even scarier is the fact that they are saying that these spiders are coming from Florida!! I really didn’t …read more

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“Although it was over a thousand miles away, the tornados that destroyed Greensburg Kansas reminded us that there is a chance that global warming is playing havoc with our lives.  Regardless, it was disheartening and sobering to see a town demolished.
On Friday, New Orleans had a wake up call of our own with massive street flooding after a torrential rain.  “
Having lived through a tornado that wiped out an entire street in a nearby town and then a few years later watching a funnel cloud heading straight for us, I can honestly understand what these people are going through. It takes …read more

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“Victimized by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, Watson and other longtime residents here admit they’ve given up on rebuilding in this low-lying neighborhood bordered by the powerful waters of Lake Ponchartrain and the Mississippi River.
The reasons are understandable: Too much reliance on man-made structures that might collapse again in the next big storm; the forces of nature are just too risky. ”
A sad, sad story for the long time residends and the wildlife that also called the area home.
More…

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Today we spend the day strolling the halls of the LSU Museum of art. Over 4000 items can be found illustrating both British and American culture, with a strong influence of Louisiana throughout. Everything from paintings, furnature, pottery, metal work and more.
The Anglo-American Art Museum opened in 1962 in the Memorial Tower on LSU’s Baton Rouge campus. The museum and its collection were established through a generous gift to LSU in 1959 from an anonymous donor who wished to support an institution that would illustrate British and continental influences on early American art and culture in the South. The museum’s …read more

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Not often do you see a hot air balloon in the sky and not stop to take a longer look. Instead of tripping over a curb, or stopping your car in the middle of the highway, why not spend the day at the hot air balloon festival.

The Louisiana Ballooning Foundation presents The NABA National Hot Air Balloon Championships, August 2-6 and the Louisiana State Championships, August 2-6, on the grounds of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. This exciting community event includes hot air balloon competitions in the mornings, balloon liftoffs in the evenings and balloon glows at night. There is …read more

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Even if your not a sports fan, taking in the sights and sounds of a College football game is quite an experence. Spend the Saturday night with 30,000 of your closest friends to cheer for the home town tigers. The atmisphere will make you a fan, even if it’s just for a few hours.

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