Spotlight on History

Louisiana Travel Stories

As the calendar turns to June and people start packing up to take their summer vacations, the LDMA is highlighting Louisiana travel stories.  Through the years, LPB has traveled to all corners of the state to explore both major tourist attractions and sites considered off the beaten path.  Take a tour of Louisiana’s state parks, historic sites, museums, zoos, and more!             

What’s in a Name? / Lost Louisiana

From 2005-2008, LPB’s Charlie Whinham traveled to 25 cities and towns around Louisiana to discover the origins of their unique names and to tour the sites that make each place special.    

• Abita Springs
• Avery Island
• Bogalusa
• Breaux Bridge
• Bunkie
• Cut Off
• Donaldsonville
• Dry Prong
• Eunice
• Fisher
• Iowa
• Lecompte
• Many

• Mount Lebanon
• Mowata
• Natchitoches
• New Roads
• Opelousas
• Plain Dealing
• Rayne
• Start
• Thibodaux
• Tickfaw
• Turkey Creek
• Zwolle

State Parks and Historic Sites

• Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette
• Cane River Creole National Historic Park in Natchitoches Parish
• Chemin-A-Haut State Park in Morehouse Parish
• Fontainebleau State Park in St. Tammany Parish
• Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve in Jefferson and Lafourche Parishes
• Kisatchie National Forest in Rapides and Natchitoches Parish
• Lake Bistineau State Park in Webster Parish
• Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martin Parish
• Louisiana State Arboretum in Evangeline Parish
• North Toledo Bend State Park in Sabine Parish
• Poverty Point State Historic Site in West Carroll Parish

Historic Churches

• Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville
• Madonna Chapel in Bayou Goula
• St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux
• Touro Synagogue in New Orleans

Museums

• Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf
• LSU Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge
• DeQuincy Railroad Museum
• Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches

Zoos

• Alexandria Zoological Park
• Audubon Zoo in New Orleans
• Baton Rouge Zoo
• Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo in Monroe

Louisiana Travels with Charlie Whinham

See the highlights from Charlie Whinham's latest trip around the state.

• Tabasco Factory & Jungle Gardens in Avery Island
• Historic Walking Tour in Natchitoches
• Poverty Point World Heritage Site in West Carroll Parish
• National World War II Freedom Pavilion in New Orleans
• Photography Field Trip with C.C. Lockwood in the Atchafalaya Basin
• Global Wildlife Center in Folsom
• Eddie Robinson Museum in Grambling
• Bayou Rum Distillery in Lacassine

To see all of these videos and more, you can view the entire Louisiana Travel Stories topic here.