Experience true "Southern hospitality" at one of Louisiana's 11 most hospitable towns
When visiting the South, guests are sure to be welcomed with open arms.
Whether visitors stay in a big city or small town, guests will be able to easily find hospitable service.
Like other states in the South, Louisiana fosters a sense of community and is full of "Southern charm." In order to help tourists and residents alike find these Louisiana communities with the utmost hospitality, WorldAtlas contrived a list of the 11 most hospitable towns in Louisiana.
Minden, Louisiana was founded in the 1830s by a group of Utopian settlers from Germany. The town's well-preserved history can be explored in depth at the Germantown Colony Museum and the Dorcheat Historical Museum. Visitors can find welcoming accommodations at The Villas at Spanish Court or at Huffman House Bed and Breakfast.
Leesville, once known to be a lawless land where outlaws clashed, now is a popular destination for its natural beauty. Plenty of outdoor adventures are to be had at South Toledo Bend State Park and Sabine National Forest. Leesville is home to the largest military base in the state, Fort Polk, and the surrounding area is a hub for shopping and dining.
Breaux Bridge, also known as the "Crawfish Capital of the World," is a charming small town in South Louisiana. Breaux Bridge hosts an annual Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival in may, where visitors enjoy crawfish, Cajun music, crafts and a carnival. In this town, there is a landmark bridge with a crawfish painted on the top that leads to downtown.
Historically, Abita Springs was home to a Choctaw Native American community who named the region's springs "fountain" because of their medicinal properties. In the 1800s, Abita Springs began attracting visitors as a health and recreational destination. Now, the town appeals to those seeking fresh water, natural beauty, culture and the 'quiet life.'
Bastrop was once a settlement that began, in 1796, as a modest and struggling frontier community. Now, Bastrop is a thriving community, with plenty of events and festivals occurring around the courthouse square. Nearby attractions like the Georgia Pacific Wildlife Management Area and the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge are perfect for visitors who enjoy outdoor activities.
Natchitoches is the oldest town in Louisiana, and is considered the oldest permanent settlement within the borders of the Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches' National Historic Landmark District features French Creole townhouses, the 19th-century Kaffie-Frederick General Mercantile and the Minor Basilica. There is also the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, which includes the 18th-century Oakland Plantation.
Farmerville is a rural community that's best known for Lake D'Arbonne State Park, where visitors find great opportunities for fishing, kayaking and relaxing within nature. Throughout the year, various fishing tournaments are held at Lake D'Arbonne, where anglers of all levels have the chance to compete. Additionally, during the summer, Farmerville hosts its Louisiana Watermelon Festival, where attendees can sample Louisiana crops and produce.
Opelousas, also known as the "Zydeco Music Capital of the World," is the third oldest town in Louisiana. Zydeco's Louisiana Creole roots and influence can be explored at Opelousas' Zydeco Music Exhibit at Le Vieux Village Heritage Park, or visitors can see Zydeco music live on Friday nights during the Music & Market series. Historic architectures can also be found throughout Opelousas, with structures from the antebellum and Victorian periods.
St. Francisville is a picturesque destination in Louisiana, with its numerous historic sites and well-preserved architecture. Antebellum structures in the Greek Revival and Southern Gothic styles can be found throughout St. Francisville. Visitors can also indulge in shopping and dining opportunities within historic downtown.
St. Martinville has a rich history, as the area was founded in the 1760s by Acadian exiles who were forced out Nova Scotia, Canada by the British Empire. Additionally, after the French Revolution, the town became a safe haven for Royalist immigrants who escapes the guillotines in France, which is how St. Martinville got the nickname "Le Petit Paris," or "Little Paris." St. Martinville's expansive history can be explored at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Commemorative Area.
Grand Isle is a town in Louisiana located on a narrow barrier island on the Gulf Coast that's known for its beaches, especially those within the Grand Isle State Park. This park is full of trails, campsites, a fishing pier, the Grand Isle Birding Trail and the Butterfly Dome. Additionally, the Wake Side Cable Park attracts water sports enthusiasts with its jumps and obstacles.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: What are the most hospitable places to visit in Louisiana?
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Associated Press
39 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Hurricane Erin forces evacuations on North Carolina's Outer Banks but expected to stay offshore
Holly Andrzejewski hadn't yet welcomed her and her family's first guests to the Atlantic Inn on Hatteras Island when she had to start rescheduling them, as Hurricane Erin neared North Carolina's Outer Banks on Tuesday and threatened to whip up wild waves and tropical force winds. Although the monster storm is expected to stay offshore, evacuations were ordered on such barrier islands along the Carolina coast as Hatteras as authorities warned the storm could churn up dangerous rip currents and swamp roads with waves of 15 feet (4.6 meters). Andrzejewski and her husband purchased the bed and breakfast, known as the oldest inn on the island, less than a week ago. By Monday they had brought in all the outdoor furniture and made sure their daughter and her boyfriend, who are the innkeepers, had generators, extra water and flashlights as they stayed behind to keep an eye on the property. 'It's just one of those things where you know this is always a possibility and it could happen, and you just make the best out of it. Otherwise you wouldn't live at the beach,' said Andrzejewski, who will also remain on the island, at her home about a 15 minutes' drive away. Erin lashed part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday. Forecasters are confident it will curl north and away from the eastern U.S., but tropical storm and surge watches were issued for much of the Outer Banks. Officials at the Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, North Carolina, reported to the National Weather Service rescuing at least 60 swimmers from rip currents on Monday. The storm intensified to a Category 4 with 140 mph (225 kph) maximum sustained winds Monday while pelting the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the southeast Bahamas, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. By Monday night, sustained winds had dropped some to 125 mph (200 kph) with Erin about 690 miles (1,110 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda and about 780 miles (1,255 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras. Government officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands said all services were suspended on three of its islands and ordered residents there to stay home. Some ports also closed. On North Carolina's Outer Banks, coastal flooding was expected to begin Tuesday and continue through Thursday. The evacuations that began Monday on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke came at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that jut into the Atlantic Ocean and are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. A year ago, Hurricane Ernesto stayed hundreds of miles offshore yet still produced high surf and swells that caused coastal damage. This time there are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway, the National Weather Service said. Some routes could be impassible for several days, authorities warned. This is the first time Ocracoke has been evacuated since Hurricane Dorian struck in 2019, leaving behind the most damage in the island's recorded history. Tommy Hutcherson, who owns the community's only grocery store, said the island has mostly bounced back. He's optimistic this storm won't be as destructive. 'But you just never know. I felt the same way about Dorian and we really got smacked,' he said. Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly. Erin, the year's first Atlantic hurricane, reached a dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large hurricane into midweek. 'You're dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It's a dangerous hurricane in any event,' the hurricane center's Richard Pasch said. Bermuda will experience the most severe threat Thursday evening, said Phil Rogers, director of the Bermuda Weather Service. By then, waters could swell up to 24 feet (7 meters). 'Surfers, swimmers and boaters must resist the temptation to go out. The waters will be very dangerous and lives will be placed at risk,' acting Minister of National Security Jache Adams said. Erin's outer edges hit parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical storm winds Sunday, knocking out power to thousands. ___ Associated Press journalists Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, and Julie Walker in New York contributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erin forces evacuations on North Carolina's Outer Banks but expected to stay offshore
Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina's Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday. Evacuations were ordered on some barrier islands along the Carolina coast as authorities warned the storm could churn up dangerous rip currents and swamp roads with waves of 15 feet (4.6 meters). Tropical storm and surge watches were issued Monday for much of the Outer Banks. Officials at the Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, North Carolina, reported to the National Weather Service rescuing at least 60 swimmers from rip currents on Monday. Tourists and residents waited for hours in a line of cars at Ocracoke Island's ferry dock — the only way to leave other than by plane. 'We definitely thought twice,' said Seth Brotherton, of Catfish, North Carolina, whose weeklong fishing trip ended after two days. 'But they said 'mandatory' and that pretty much means, 'get out of here.'" Forecasters are confident Erin will curl north and away from the eastern U.S., but it's still expected to whip up wild waves and tropical force winds along the coastal islands, Dave Roberts of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm intensified to a Category 4 with 140 mph (225 kph) maximum sustained winds Monday while pelting the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the southeast Bahamas, according to the center. By Monday night, sustained winds had dropped some to 125 mph (200 kph) with Erin about 690 miles (1,110 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda and about 780 miles (1,255 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras. Government officials in the Turks and Caicos Islands said all services were suspended on three of its islands and ordered residents there to stay home. Some ports also closed. On North Carolina's Outer Banks, coastal flooding was expected to begin Tuesday and continue through Thursday. The evacuations that began Monday on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke came at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that jut into the Atlantic Ocean and are increasingly vulnerable to storm surges. A year ago, Hurricane Ernesto stayed hundreds of miles offshore yet still produced high surf and swells that caused coastal damage. This time there are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway, the National Weather Service said. Some routes could be impassible for several days, authorities warned. This is the first time Ocracoke has been evacuated since Hurricane Dorian struck in 2019, leaving behind the most damage in the island's recorded history. Tommy Hutcherson, who owns the community's only grocery store, said the island has mostly bounced back. He's optimistic this storm won't be as destructive. 'But you just never know. I felt the same way about Dorian and we really got smacked,' he said. Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly. Daniel Pullen, a professional photographer who lives on Hatteras Island, said he's already lost three days of work shooting family portraits because of the evacuation order. Pullen doesn't plan to evacuate, fearing he could be stuck off the island for days and even weeks if the main Highway 12 washes out. 'It's a bit like Russian roulette,' Pullen said. 'Do you stay and take the chance of it hitting you? Or do you leave and take the chance of getting stuck off the island for weeks at a time? I would say the majority of Hatteras Island residents can't afford to stay in a motel for a week or two weeks.' Erin, the year's first Atlantic hurricane, reached a dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large hurricane into midweek. 'You're dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It's a dangerous hurricane in any event,' the hurricane center's Richard Pasch said. Bermuda will experience the most severe threat Thursday evening, said Phil Rogers, director of the Bermuda Weather Service. By then, waters could swell up to 24 feet (7.3 meters). 'Surfers, swimmers and boaters must resist the temptation to go out. The waters will be very dangerous and lives will be placed at risk,' acting Minister of National Security Jache Adams said. Erin's outer edges hit parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical storm winds Sunday, knocking out power to thousands. ___ Associated Press journalists Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, and Julie Walker in New York contributed. Ben Finley And John Seewer, The Associated Press
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Hurricane Erin's massive waves threaten to isolate North Carolina's Outer Banks
There's a popular T-shirt on Hatteras Island on the North Carolina Outer Banks that says: 'One road on. One road off (sometimes)' — poking fun at the constant battle between Mother Nature and a thin ribbon of pavement connecting the narrow barrier island to the rest of the world. Mother Nature is probably going to win this week. Hurricane Erin is forecast to move hundreds of miles offshore from the islands but the massive storm is still sending waves 20 feet (6 meters) or greater crashing over vulnerable sand dunes. Officials have ordered evacuations of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands even without a hurricane warning because that tiny ribbon of highway called NC 12 will likely be torn up and washed out in several places, isolating villages for days or weeks. The 3,500 or so Outer Bankers who live there have handled isolation before. But most of the tens of thousands of vacationers have not. 'We haven't seen waves of that size in a while and the vulnerable spots have only gotten weaker in the past five years,' said Reide Corbett, executive director of the Coastal Studies Institute, a group of several universities that study the Outer Banks. What are the Outer Banks? In a basic sense, they are sand dunes that were tall enough to stay above the ocean level when many of the Earth's glaciers melted 20,000 years ago. The barrier islands in some places are as far as 30 miles (48 kilometers) off mainland North Carolina. To the east is the vast Atlantic Ocean. To the west is the Pamlico Sound. 'Water, water everywhere. That really resonates on the Outer Banks,' Corbett said. The most built up and populated part of the Outer Banks are in the north around Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, which aren't under the evacuation order. South of the Oregon Inlet, scoured out by a 1846 hurricane, is Hatteras Island, where the only connection to the mainland is the NC 12 highway. South of there is Ocracoke Island, accessible only by boat or plane. The first highways to reach the area were built more than 60 years ago. And the Outer Banks started booming, as it went from quaint fishing villages to what it is now, dotted with 6,000-square foot vacation homes on stilts. How do they maintain the highway? On a nice day, what look like snowplows and street sweeper brushes wait on the side of NC 12 to scoop and sweep away the constantly blowing sand. When the storms come, water from the ocean or the sound punch through the sand dunes and wash tons of sand and debris on the road. In more extreme cases, storms can break up the pavement or even create new inlets that require temporary bridges. It cost the North Carolina Department of Transportation more than $1 million a year in regular maintenance to keep NC 12 open during the 2010s. They also spent about $50 million over the decade on repairs after storms. But the state estimates Dare County, which includes most of the Outer Banks, brings in $2 billion in tourism revenue a year. So the cycle of clean up and repair continues. It can take time to fix things. Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 both cut inlets into Hatteras Island and ferries were needed for two months. It can still take days to get NC 12 back open even after more routine Nor'easters. What about erosion in general? It's not just storms that impact the island. As the planet warms and polar ice melts, rising ocean levels threaten the Outer Banks. In a place where most of the land is only a few feet above sea level, every inch of sand counts. In Rodanthe, which sticks the farthest out into the Atlantic, the churning ocean has swallowed up more than a dozen homes since 2020. Officials think at least two unoccupied homes are likely to be lost if the waves from Erin are as strong as predicted. So why do people live on the Outer Banks? Shelli Miller Gates waited tables on the Outer Banks to earn money as a college student in the late 1970s. She remembers houses with no air conditioning, televisions or phones. And she adored it. 'I love the water. I love the wildness of it. It's the way I want to live my life,' the respiratory therapist said. It's a lifestyle embraced by many. The area's shorthand 'OBX' shows up in many places as a source of pride, including the first three letters on license plates issued by the state. The isolation contributes to a sense of community. Gates has seen people band together countless times when their connection to the outside world is severed. And there is always the allure of getting to live someplace where others just get to visit. 'There's things everywhere. There's earthquakes and lizards and floods. Looks at the poor people out in western North Carolina,' Gates said. 'There are so many things that can happen to you. I feel like you have to find the place that feels like home.' ___ Associated Press Journalist Ben Finley contributed to this report.
