THE ANDOUILLE TRAIL

SOUL & SPIRITUALITY

Churches and cemeteries depict the spiritual richness of the region.

St. Michael’s Catholic Church's most unique feature, the Lourdes Grotto, was added to the church in the 1870s. The grotto is housed behind the altar and constructed 18 years after the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Modeled after the grotto in Lourdes, France, materials used to create it pay homage to the surrounding region. This grotto is made from bagasse, the dry pulpy residue left after juice from sugarcane is extracted. The recessed dome is fashioned out of an overturned sugar kettle, and the altar is covered with small clam shells from the Mississippi River.

St. Michael's is also home to the Henry Erben Organ, the oldest working organ of its kind in Louisiana. The organ came to the church by boat in 1857.

Explore the grounds of the Kulgar and Kenner cemeteries in the Bonnet Carre Spillway. The graveyards were originally established for the enslaved in the 1800s and later served as the burial grounds for black Civil War Union Army veterans.

Religion impacted the lives of African Americans during segregation. Built in 1936, our Lady of Grace Church, now located at Historic Riverlands Christian Center exhibits what life was like for Black people living under Jim Crow laws and emphasizes different music genres created by African American musicians throughout history in it's Soul River Musical Journey. Call (225) 869-8148 to schedule a cemetery tour with Crazy ‘Bout History Tours

Montage of Desiree Archinard Locoul and Laura Locoul. Photo courtesy of Laura Plantation and the Zoe Company.

HISTORIC WOMEN OF THE RIVER PARISHES

Stories from women who shaped the culture of this region.

Under French Civil Law in Louisiana, women - including some women of color - were allowed certain rights including being able to own land and manage plantations. Journey to a land that time forgot and discover the diverse lives and livelihoods of Creole women throughout the River Region.

Discover the life of Laura Locoul and other Creole women, both free and enslaved, who were instrumental in managing and maintaining Laura Plantation. Learn the history of Louise Monica-Hebert and Agnes Hodgins-Monica two prominent Italian entrepreneurs who owned their own grocery stores in Garyville, Louisiana. Two women who became plantation owners after their husbands died were Amelia Picou, a free woman of color who became the owner of the Reserve Plantation, now the Godchaux House and Louise Von Seybold Marmillion who owned and managed San Francisco Plantation.

Travel to Frenier Cemetery to see the grave of Julia Brown, a prominent African American landowner, local healer (traiteur), midwife, and practicing Voodoo priestess who was said to have predicted the deadly Category 4 hurricane of 1915. The Cajun Pride Swamp Tour features a replica of Julia’s house hidden deep in the bayou.

ITALIAN AND SICILIAN INFLUENCE IN THE RIVER PARISHES

From culture to cuisine, Italians made their mark.

Italians have been immigrating to Louisiana since 1682 when Neapolitan Enrico de Tonti traveled with LaSalle to claim the area for French King Louis XIV. Garyville, LA was the largest Sicilian community outside of New Orleans for decades. Explore Garyville Historic District, a cul-de-sac of historic buildings, featuring the Garyville Timbermill Museum and Pond, the Gary State Bank, and the Garyville General Store.

Find a moment of peace and serenity at the St. Hubert Rosary Walk and St. Hubert Prayer Garden, offering the perfect settings for reflection surrounded by pine trees and a variety of beautiful flowers and plants.

LOUISIANA'S RIVER PARISHES ON THE BIG SCREEN

See the sites where these famous movies were filmed.

The many plantation houses of Louisiana’s River Parishes have offered unique and historically accurate settings for many movies, such as Django Unchained filmed at Evergreen Plantation and 12-Years A Slave, which was actually filmed at four different locations including Felicity, Bocage, Destrehan, and Magnolia Plantations. However, not all movies filmed in the River Region are historical, like Brad Pitt’s Interview with the Vampire, which was filmed at Oak Alley Plantation or The Skeleton Key, also filmed at Felicity Plantation.