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LOUISIANA HIDDEN

THERE’S MORE TO THE BAYOU STATE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Visit Shreveport’s Strawn’s Eat Shop to enjoy one of their delicious ice box pies

HIDDEN LOUISIANA

There’s more to the Bayou State than meets the eye

HIT THE ROAD

Discover the best that Louisiana has to offer with these 21 fun fall travel ideas

ISN’T IT GRAND

The iconic Grand Isle: VOTED best town in Louisiana by our readers

September/October

The Louisiana landscape, nature, dreams, the female body, the moon and the “archetypal stories and mythologies” that passed through time are spiritual and metaphysical forces that give expression to Lafayette artist and filmmaker Cayla Zeek’s art. At first glance, her paintings of waterfowl, female figures and South Louisiana landscapes seem straightforward. But that’s only on the surface. Her art dives deep into her own psyche.

LITERARY LOUISIANA Books offering a glimpse into the unknown and the secret

LOUISIANA MADE

Baton Rouge furniture designer launches pickleball brand GRIT.

KITCHEN GOURMET

Louisiana foods that deserve a little love

NATURAL STATE

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Evangeline” and St. Martinville

LA RAMBLER Houma has all of the ingredients for a day or weekend Down the Bayou

the

Koerner

Finding Your Louisiana

WHETHER SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER are still hot or hopefully, notes of coolness have hit the air, these months are the perfect time to start thinking about fall travel. Unlike summer travel, which often includes pools or beaches, fall adventures feel more like road trips and camping to me.

There are so many things to do in the state of Louisiana and the surrounding areas that whether you’re enjoying a staycation, a closecation (traveling close to home — I just made up this term), or a proper vacation, you could fill an itinerary with new towns to check out, cultural events, museums and state parks to visit. Oh, and let’s not forget college football! Driving to see a game and staying the weekend to try a new brewery or cool eatery is fall travel at its finest.

In this issue, Misty Milioto highlights so many fun things to do, you couldn’t possibly fit them all into one fall travel season. For instance, DeSoto Parish has a driving itinerary through new West-Central Louisiana, which they’re calling “Find Your Unwind.” That’s a slogan I can get behind. She also mentions Lafayette’s Festivals Acadiens et Créoles in October. If you haven’t gone to this one yet, you definitely should.

If you’re a little more adventurous and prefer places off the beaten path, check out Cheré Coen’s article on hidden Louisiana spots. Coen breaks the state down by regions and mentions a few places you may not know about. From the smallest chapel to zip-lining with gators to Pinky the Pink Dolphin, Coen includes the random, the bizarre and the historical in her exploration of Hidden Louisiana. Generally, I’m much more adventurous when I travel to a different state or country. I’ll research where to go or once I'm there, ask locals their favorite place. But here, at home, I can be a little lazy. I go to the same old spots and visit the same towns I’ve been before and that I know I like. This fall, I’m challenging myself to be more of an explorer in my own backyard. These two articles are great starting spots to sketch out places to visit. Maybe you can also uncover some of your own hidden treasures in your travels.

What’s your favorite hidden Louisiana spot?

louisianalifemagazine

louisianalifemag

EDITORIAL

Editor Reine Dugas

Copy Editor Liz Clearman

Web Editor Kelly Massicot

Food Editor Liz Williams

Art Director Sarah E.G. Majeste

Lead Photographer Danley Romero

Food Photographer Eugenia Uhl

SALES

Sales Manager Rebecca Taylor 337-298-4424 / 337-235-7919 Ext. 7230

Rebecca@LouisianaLife.com

Renaissance Publishing

PRODUCTION

Digital Director Rosa Balaguer Arostegui

Senior Production Designer Ashley Pemberton

Production Designer Czarlyn Ria Trinidad

MARKETING

Misty Milioto

Writer

Misty Milioto is a freelance writer and editor with 24 years of experience working with publications across the country, including Sunset; Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report; and Modern Luxury’s suite of 80+ regional publications, such as Aspen Magazine, San Francisco Magazine and Scottsdale Magazine. In her free time, she loves traveling and exploring the bounty of foodie goodness in New Orleans, where she is currently based.

What are you Reading?

Misty Milioto

“Dungeon Crawler Carl” by Matt Dinniman. This story follows a man and his cat who must survive a deadly alien-run dungeon crawler game that has replaced Earth. While it’s a totally different genre for me, I love how the author balances genuine horror with dark comedy.

Cheré Dastugue Coen

“Murder Town” by Shelley Burr. I fell in love with this Australian author when I discovered her thriller “Wake.” Her new book follows up the series featuring private detective Lane Holland and a small village whose highway becomes infamous for the horrific murders by the Rainier Ripper.

Jeremy Marshall

“Angel Down” by Daniel Kraus. A story of unique grace and horror unfurled across one breathless, novel-length sentence, “Angel Down” follows the doomed mission of five American soldiers in World War I who are tasked with traversing the atrocities of No Man’s Land in search of what they believe to be a dying comrade, but is, in actuality, a fallen angel.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is a food and travel writer, photographer and author and owner of the whimsical blog, Weird, Wacky & Wild South. Her fiction includes two series of Louisiana romances and the “Viola Valentine” paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire. She remains passionate about her home state of Louisiana, believing that gumbo, crawfish étouffée and chicory coffee makes all things right with the world.

Jeremy Marshall was born and raised in Baton Rouge before moving to New Orleans with his wife, Kristin, in 2018. Beginning his career in the film/TV industry, Marshall worked steadily on over a dozen projects before transitioning to Renaissance Publishing as sponsored content coordinator.

Singing the Blues with Finger Lickin’ Chicken

Shreveport's Chicken and Blues Fest

BY LISA LEBLANC-BERRY

The first annual Chicken and Blues Festival (October 4) features iconic Southern chicken dishes by celebrated chefs and a musical lineup that includes gospel soul singer Jamal Roberts, the dynamic hip-hop, bounce and street soul diva, Sweet Nay, and the high-energy Windstorm party band doing a special tribute to B.B. King. Frontman/ founder “Uncle Ron” Johnson is receiving the Music Icon Award. Celebrated Afro-Fusion Chef Niema DiGrazia, who defeated Bobby Flay on the Food Network in May, earns the Culinary Icon Award. BB Wingz (the official costumed mascot) hits the stage for an electrifying performance, feathers flying.

HAMMOND Look to the Sky

The Hammond Northshore Regional Airshow (October 11–12) is soaring back into Tangipahoa Parish with the theme (and 2025 poster)“Bayou Skies” featuring helicopter rides and one of the nation’s top shows, the Titan Aerobatic Team, as headliner. Franklin’s Flying Circus (featuring husbandand-wife-team, Kyle and Liz Franklin) brings a hilarious, jaw-dropping comedy act, the Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team performs precision aerial maneuverers and the Misty Blues All Women Skydiving Team demonstrates their amazing skydiving formations.

Driving for the Arts

A new Louisiana specialty license plate (inscribed with “Laissez les Arts Roulez!”), created in support of the arts, is valid for life and can be transferred between vehicles. Available statewide, the colorful new plate by Lafayette-based graphic artist, Denise Gallagher, is the culmination of a twoyear process by the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts (LPA). Proceeds from each plate will benefit LPA and its statewide initiatives.

ST. FRANCISVILLE Percy’s Last Laugh

Fans of Southern literature are gathering in St. Francisville’s historic district for the tenth, and likely final, Walker Percy Festival (September 19-20). Themed “The Last Laugh,” the popular fest features presentations by renowned scholars, panel discussions, book club events, a Saturday Night Bourbon Stroll and Taste of Louisiana Dinner inspired by Percy’s wit and works.

BATON ROUGE

Slated for a Splashy Return

The Louisiana-based Leisure Sports (operators of Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, Mississippi) announced that off-season preparations are underway for the transformation of the beloved Baton Rouge family destination, Blue Bayou Waterpark (closed earlier this year). It is being rebranded as part of the company’s Soak n’ Fun experience, with a grand opening slated for May 2026.

Delving into Other Worlds

Books offering a glimpse into the unknown and the secret

BY CHRISTOPHER LOUIS ROMAGUERA

American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives

The Devil in Oxford

“The Devil in Oxford” is the third book in the Ruby Vaughn Mystery series by USA Today bestselling, New Orleans author, Jess Armstrong. Armstrong follows the adventures of Ruby Vaughn, who works for Mr. Owen, owner of a rare used bookstore. When a controversial Egyptologist is found murdered at his own exhibition of rare artifacts, Ruby and her pellar, Ruan Kivell, find themselves diving into the secretive world of antiquities to unravel the mystery. “The Devil in Oxford” is part murder mystery, part story of the occult and part love letter to books. 336 pages, $28

Robert W. Fieseler tackles the long, sordid history of the Florida government’s bigotry toward Black and queer people. Through extensive research, Fieseler reveals the systemic oppression in Florida and turns it personal by giving each of these erased and harassed communities their stories back. In the preface, Fieseler writes about his journey during the aftermath of Hurricane Ida to acquire the secret records that the Florida government didn’t know existed about how they systemically oppressed Black and queer people within the state. As Fieseler writes, the Florida government has never mentioned this period in its history, for “why say sorry to a ghost?” 496 pages, $34

Seeing into The Life of Things

"Seeing into the Life of Things" is a spiritual cousin to Kamenetz’s nominal early work, "The Jew in the Lotus." In that book, Kamenetz shared the story of the Dalai Lama’s conversations with rabbis. In this book, Seeing Into the Life of Things, Kamenetz connects the day-to-day with the spiritual, connects his experience with the rhythm of New Orleans music, to the history that he has so deeply studied. Written in the poetic voice that he has mastered, but with the density of so much knowledge and understanding, "Seeing into the Life of Things" is a book for those seeking to find some spiritual solace in our contemptuous items. 224 pages, $24.99

The American Alligator: Abused, Protected, Restored

Follow the history of the conservation efforts to protect the endangered species within the United States. For over a century, the population of the alligator greatly declined in the American South, due to overhunting and destruction of the wetlands. Robert W. Hastings is a conservationist who was a marine biologist. This book works as not just a comprehensive history of the American alligator, but also as an easy entry point for the layperson about not just this crocodilian creature, but also about the conservation efforts that helped save this species. 106 pages, $19.95

Tenacious Talent

The musical pursuits of Maggie Koerner

BY JEREMY MARSHALL PHOTOS BY KATIE LAROCCA

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY knocks down more than it lifts up. But for Maggie Koerner, a bluesy singer/songwriter who has done more than her fair share of time in the trenches of the music machine, talent was never in question and neither was tenacity. A Shreveport native with a fascination with the vocal gymnastics of Meat Loaf and the crooning of Richard Marx, Maggie faced adversity at a young age, when she was removed from church for being too effective a performer.

“I was kicked out of a Catholic mass once for a solo,” recalls Maggie. “I got applause from the audience, and you can’t do that, so the priest kicked me out. Even at that age, I was writing my melodies and lyrics. That helped me realize I was pretty good at this.”

Maggie made the jump to New Orleans to find her musical family, which she surely did with Revivalists lead vocalist David Shaw and New Orleans late-night funk band Galactic. Her years of musical experimentation and growth would give rise to her first studio album, “The Bartholomew Songs” — 11 tracks of Maggie’s soul laid twitching on the operator’s table. Brassy, bold and deeply felt, the album is an odyssey of an artist cresting to a new supernova built around the rhythmic simplicity and pipe organ swoon of the single “If I Die.” Maggie was surely on her way, with a sound and an album ready to take the world by storm on a grand multi-city tour. Sadly, this was in February 2020, and it looked as if these songs would never be heard.

“The album was originally supposed to be self-titled and released through Concord, but during COVID, they wanted to shelve it. Those songs were my children that I never had. They mattered,” says Maggie. “I got them back after two years, but it was stressful to release them. Some songs were from nearly a decade before, when I lived at a house on 714 Bartholomew Street in New Orleans. They were a portrait of that time, so that it felt fitting to rename the album around that.”

Pulling the Band-Aid of releasing her long-awaited album was a massive milestone for Maggie, a starting pistol for a creative output both fruitful and prolific. Invigorated by the idea that her best song is the one she has yet to write, Maggie began to embrace art for art’s sake with people who make her life feel whole alongside her fluffy support dog and best friend, Tom.

“There was a time when I believed my first album would never be released, so I decided to just start writing and get back to who I was as a songwriter,” says Maggie. “That feeling of sitting quietly alone in your kitchen with an idea and your dog, there’s an intimacy involved that I have always been comfortable with. Now I have at least three albums’ worth of songs, and the world is my oyster.”

The initial byproduct of that is called “Upstate,” her new album set to be released, described as a sweet little album of indie rock, soul variety; the exact kind of sound that Maggie herself wants to listen to. Not only growing as a singer/songwriter but as a person, surviving an onslaught of obstacles, Maggie is more creatively vibrant than ever, ready to continue producing her own music and dreaming of an all-female super group. As the world continues to shift and warp unnaturally, voices like hers matter most; those that offer the audience their whole soul, belted as loudly and proudly as possible.

“If COVID taught me anything, it’s that nothing matters but that Nina Simone quote, ‘An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times’,” says Maggie. “I was never put here to be a pop star. For me, it’s about reminding folks why we’re here on this Earth, even if it’s just to feel good and cry.”

Swing Set

Baton Rouge furniture designer launches pickleball brand GRIT.

BY JEFFREY ROEDEL

PHOTOS BY ROMERO & ROMERO

A SHORT STROLL from the oak- and magnolia-studded canopy of Baton Rouge’s Highland Road Park curves a quiet street with a curious structure standing out both literally and figuratively. It’s the black tower of a barndominium, and it looks airlifted directly from Stockholm. Below modern loft-like kitchen and living spaces spreads an expansive workshop, and the noise echoing from behind its two rolling garage doors is not the agitated buzz off the table saw, the falsetto whine from the belly of the CNC machine or the low hum of the 3D printer, but a percussive thwack and thump that grows increasingly competitive.

This is the Swiss-cheesed polyethylene orb of a neon pickleball slapping the black wood wall above a leather couch before ricocheting to meet the blunt force face of the paddle once again. And again.

A veteran woodworker and industrial design grad from ULL, Jacob Triche is obsessed with detail and process. Growing up, his sketches in school books were angular schematics, not doodles. He can spend a few hours a day swinging away like this, not so much practicing his mechanics next to a massive white board covered in notes and statistics, but instead hitting the ball and listening keenly to the depth of sound it makes flying off the paddle like a master violinist might chart the tone of his vibrato as the bow’s horsehair slides over the strings.

to my ready position for the next ball or for fast hand battles where I can struggle to be faster at the kitchen [the area close to the net].”

Triche isn’t trying to be a prize-winning pickleball player — at least, not yet — but he wants others to get that chance using the paddles he has designed and tested himself through his new athletic brand called Grit.

In fact, one amateur player already has.

Using one of Triche’s early paddle designs, Maddie Nguyen recently won the 3.5 Moneyball Tournament at Stacks Pickleball in Baton Rouge.

“I like the Grit. paddle for its lightness and the texture to grab onto the ball for more top-spin on my shots,” Nguyen says. “The light weight helps me to get back

Triche has multiple paddles of various shapes and weights as well as performance clothing rolling out this year.

“All these brands talk about paddles as if it is so advanced and techy, and to me it’s very basic, and they could be so much better than they are, so I’ve tested so many and hopefully designed something that’s better than anything out there,” says the Baton Rouge native whose custom furniture business Revival Supply Co. took him to Dallas, Denver and finally Redding, California, where he sold his company to an investor and first encountered pickleball culture in 2019. “I

thought people were joking with me, just because they were playing a game I’d never seen on these backwoods courts, and they were all so into it.”

Since then pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in America, and research from the Association of Pickleball Professionals reveals nearly 50 million adults played the sport in the past year alone. That’s almost one out of every five adults in the U.S., and Triche caught the bug, too.

“This is fun, it involves athleticism and competitiveness, design and functionality, all in a small package, so I love it,” he says, picking up a black device that looks like flexible baseball tee. “This is how it all started, I made these.”

Built from the legs of a concert mic stand, and various tubes, springs and custom 3D-printed fittings, the apparatus lets pickleball players swing over and over to a returning, connected ball. It disassembles like a sniper rifle and fits in a small duffle bag.

Whether it’s a handcrafted countertop, a paddle, a practice tee or tech tees and hoodies, Triche’s aesthetics remain minimalist. Steinbeck adventure novels and Scandinavian architecture are the only combatants wrestling for overt influence in equal measure.

His color palettes are focused and muted blacks and neutrals, leaving the textures — of hand-carved cypress or bolt-marked boxcar wood or the feel of the carbon fiber on a paddle — in the spotlight.

“In design, clothing, everything, I like things that are in their most natural state, without any hindrance — that’s going to be as beautiful as it gets. Things don’t get more beautiful by adding complexity. Simplicity is best.”

Besides a large model number and “Designed in Louisiana” the only other markings on the paddles are the bold sans-serif logo and a phrase that has become Triche’s daily meditation: “Made for more.” He’s a working craftsman but with an inventor’s heart, and he hopes Grit. can take him and those inspired by his products to bold new places.

“You have to have grit playing a sport, but you have to have courage to not back down in life, to keep going through adversity, too,” Triche says. “I believe we are ‘made for more,’ like the paddles say, and that’s what Grit. is really about — finding real reward when you beat that fear of failure, and you make or do something you’re proud of and that people respond to. I hope I can work at that every day.”

JACOB TRICHE

OCCUPATION Owner/Designer, GRIT.

INSTAGRAM @grit_pickleball

Q&A

What’s a piece of advice you’ve gotten that has informed your career? The best advice and guidance has usually been given to me by example. To see people work hard at their dreams, day in and day out, has been the most inspiring to me.

You’ve lived in very different parts of the country, but returned to Louisiana. What is it about home that inspires you to keep inventing and pushing boundaries? I’d say it’s the challenge of coming from a place where ambition isn’t as strong as in other parts of the world. It is tough to keep going sometimes. But pushing boundaries comes natural to me. I enjoy doing what most won’t. In Louisiana, my friends and family are a wonderful support for me.

If you could play pickleball with anyone, who would you choose and why? Definitely [top-ranked pickleball player] Ben Johns. I like his demeanor on and off the court. He’s a solid guy who treats people well. And his skills are pretty decent, I guess!

What do you like to do around Baton Rouge for fun? Lots of pickleball at the new spot, Court to Table, and Stacks. I like rebuilding cars and developing new ideas with my friends. I like a dinner out at The Colonel’s Club or at Superior Grill on Highland Road, but I’m always down to try new restaurants. Also, working out at Geaux CrossFit, and taking the boat out on weekends.

Archetypal Meditations

Lafayette Artist Cayla Zeek and the Alchemy of Art

BY JOHN R. KEMP

(Above) The River Commission (Facing page, top) Spoonbill Bow (Middle) Two Cranes Dream (Bottom) Ibis Woman

THE LOUISIANA LANDSCAPE, nature, dreams, the female body, the moon and the “archetypal stories and mythologies” that passed through time are spiritual and metaphysical forces that give expression to Lafayette artist and filmmaker Cayla Zeek’s art.

At first glance, her paintings of waterfowl, female figures and South Louisiana landscapes seem straightforward. But that’s only on the surface. Her art dives deep into her own psyche.

“I’m really into exploring the nature of dreams,” Zeek says. “I study a lot of Jungian analyst books or podcasts. I try to write down my dreams, and I’m really into tarot as a meditation tool and love the archetypal imagery of it. Nature. Motherhood. The moon. The human body.”

For instance, her “Flora and Fauna” and female figure “Dissolution” paintings are immediately recognizable for their intensely bright colors and fluid lines. They are part of what she describes as her love of the female form and wetland birds such as roseate spoonbills. Most importantly, she wants viewers to see “the power of dreams and the beauty of nature,” which she says empower her and, hopefully, other “aspiring” women artists.

While her “Flora and Fauna” paintings conjure up images of nature and the South Louisiana landscape that inspire her, Zeek’s “Dissolution” series on the female figure, which at first glance appear simply as sensually posed female nudes, is on a different philosophical plane and seemingly more self-searching and introspective.

“I was studying a lot about alchemy in college,” Zeek says. “And one of the stages of alchemy is called dissolution, where a solid substance is turned to liquid. It was often symbolized in alchemical archetypal imagery as a woman’s body being boiled in water with a bird erupting from her head, often the bird was a swan. I ran with this imagery creating a series of women with wetland birds erupting from their heads often depicted inside the home. But I have some that are surrounded by

the Louisiana landscape and bodies of water.”

In alchemy, she continues, the dissolution stage “is a time of introspection and acknowledging parts of oneself that were previously rejected or hidden.”

That introspection and exploration through her art has given her a voice. “I feel like there is something in creating a work of art that sends a message through time,” she says. “It’s in the messages I’ve found from other artists that give me faith and strength to live and continue.”

Taking it a bit deeper, Zeek says painting also gives her a “euphoric” sense of happiness. “I’m so happy to be painting and how it’s happening on the page that I’ll cry while painting,” she says. “It’s like total catharsis.”

That “catharsis” continues to bring her recognition. Zeek, a lifelong Lafayette resident and graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is building an impressive career in art. In 2017 Lafayette’s Festival International de Louisiane invited her to create an original work of art for the festival’s poster. At the time, she was the youngest artist to receive that invitation. Two years later, she was chosen to design the poster for the 2019 Washington D.C. Mardi Gras Ball.

In addition, Zeek’s paintings, films and blue-toned cyanotype photographs have appeared in juried art shows throughout South Louisiana, including the Acadiana Center for

the Arts, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, and the Hilliard Art Museum in Lafayette. One of her lithographs is now in the collection of the Alexandria Museum of Art. And then there are her commissioned works, such as her mural at the Baton Rouge Zoo and another in downtown Lafayette that celebrates CODOFIL, Louisiana’s French language and culture.

In 2015, Zeek expanded her parallel world in art when she launched her successful hand-illustrated stationery business under the title of her middle name — Mattea. Her designs have appeared in shows at the Javits Center in New York City.

When not painting, entering shows, giving workshops, gardening, producing video films, designing stationery or reading Jung, the 34-year-old artist and former art teacher plays music, acts in local plays, and studies Louisiana culture and the French language. Zeek’s life is one immersed in the arts.

“Sometimes I’m channeling and not knowing what is going to happen and that’s a really exciting and consuming feeling,” she says. “That’s when I feel like I am creating disciplined magic.”

For more information, visit caylazeek.com

Exhibits

CAJUN

Artisan’s Fall. Work by local artists inspired by the fall season, through Nov. 1. Historic City Hall & Cultural Center, Lake Charles. cityoflakecharles. com

CENTRAL 38th September Competition. Trends in local and international contemporary art, through Oct. 11. Alexandria Museum of Art. themuseum.org

NOLA

Louisiana Contemporary. Features contemporary Louisiana artists, through Jan. 4. Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans. ogdenmuseum.org

NORTH

Clyde Connell and Pat Sewell. Work by two renowned North Louisiana artists, permanent show. Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, Shreveport. laexhibitmuseum. org

PLANTATION

A Bayou State of Mind. Louisiana culture as interpreted by acclaimed Louisiana artists, through Jan. 4. LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge. lsumoa.org

Unsung Heroes

Louisiana foods that deserve a little love

BY LIZ WILLIAMS PHOTOS AND STYLING BY EUGENIA UHL

SOMETIMES things are hidden in plain sight. And when asked to describe those hidden things, it is always a surprise that someone not from Louisiana knows about them. That is what we will be exploring in these recipes — the food that we all eat and love but don’t necessarily promote as part of the food that people think of as Louisiana food.

For example, we eat mirliton. We stuff them, we pickle them and we add them to sauces. During the season, we eat them in every way possible, perhaps even attending a mirliton festival. But this native squash, also known as chayote, is our open secret. Community

Mirliton Quick Pickles

10 ripe mirlitons

1 sweet onion, like a Vidalia, sliced thinly

4 quarts apple cider vinegar

1 bay leaf for each jar

½ cup salt

¼ cup sugar

¼ black peppercorns

2 cloves garlic for each jar

1 tablespoon fennel seed for each jar

1. CUT and trim the mirliton squashes by removing the seeds and slicing each squash into 10 to 12 spears depending on their size. Heat the vinegar with an equal amount of water. Add bay leaves, salt, sugar, peppercorns and garlic. Bring to a boil and add the mirliton and onion slices to the hot liquid. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

2. WITH TONGS, distribute the mirliton slices and onion slices among the jars. Place a bay leaf in each jar. Distribute the peppercorns, garlic and fennel seed.

3. CAP the jars and allow to pickle for 3 days. Besides being a great pickle for potato salads and cole slaw, it also tastes good for burgers and just plain eating. But there is no better garnish for your bloody mary than a mirliton pickle. Makes 7 to 8 quarts

cookbooks have been written about the mirliton, filled with recipes that use the squash in myriad ways during its season.

In Louisiana we are known for our rice dishes — dirty rice, jambalaya (both Cajun style and Creole style) — but we also have eaten corn from the time before the Europeans arrived. Whether ground, dried corn as in couche couche or maque choux, our roots are in corn.

Hidden Louisiana isn’t hidden from those of us who live here. It has an everydayness about it that is part of the rhythm of our way of eating and our way of life. What is not really intentionally hidden but is perhaps unfamiliar to some people and thus it seems hidden, is the depth of and the rich tapestry of Louisiana food. There aren’t just the famous dishes that everyone mentions like gumbo and jambalaya but layer after layer of dishes that make up the complex web of Louisiana food and foodways. Those of us here get to enjoy every day our treasury of wonderful food.

Louisiana Breakfast Grits

This recipe is based on couche couche, leftover cornbread with buttermilk. It is a delicious way to eat cornbread. But you can whip up a batch of grits with buttermilk when the last crumb of cornbread was eaten last night.

3 cups buttermilk and 1 cup water

1½ cups stone ground yellow corn grits

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Cane syrup for drizzling

Fresh berries or figs to taste Melted butter (4 tablespoons)

1. BRING buttermilk and water mixture to a simmer. Whisk in grits. Add salt and pepper. Simmer about 20 to 25 minutes and stir with a whisk off and on to keep the grits from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

2. REMOVE from heat and cover. Serve in a bowl for each person. At the table people can add a drizzle of cane syrup, fresh berries and perhaps a drizzle of melted butter. Serves 4 to 6

Louisiana Satsuma Vinaigrette

This vinaigrette is good on salad, of course, but drizzle it on hot vegetables and you will be giving them a great flavor boost. Stir 2 tablespoons into a cup of sour cream or whole-fat yogurt and you have an easy Louisiana dip for raw veggies.

½ cup fresh satsuma juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Creole mustard

1 tablespoon cane syrup

1 clove of minced garlic

Zest of 1 lemon

1. ADD all ingredients to a pint jar. Replace the lid.

2. SHAKE well until the dressing comes together. Makes a generous cup of dressing

Greens and Pasta

1/8 cup salt

1 pound bitter greens (I recommend either arugula or mustard greens cut into ribbons)

1 pound dry spaghetti

¼ cup olive oil

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. FILL a large pot with water. Stir in salt. When the water reaches a rolling boil add greens and submerge.

2. RETURN the water to a boil and add spaghetti. Cook according to the package directions. When the pasta is al dente, drain pasta and greens in a colander. Return to the pot. Add oil and butter and toss. Add cheese and toss again. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6

Stewed Chicken

1 4-pound chicken, cut into pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup flour

1/3 cup olive oil or your fat of choice

1 yellow or white onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup olives with pimentos

2 bay leaves

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons Creole seasoning without salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1. SALT AND PEPPER the chicken then dredge in flour. Heat oil in a pot. When it begins to shimmer, add chicken and brown on all sides. When the chicken is almost cooked, remove and reserve. Add onions and garlic to pot and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add olives and stir. Add bay leaves.

2. RETURN chicken and juices to the pot. Add wine, Creole seasoning, thyme and 1 cup of water. Stir well. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

3. DUST with smoked paprika. Serve with rice. Serves 4 to 6

THERE’S MORE TO

THE BAYOU STATE THAN MEETS THE EYE

We brake for anything weird, unusual or off the beaten path and a tour through Louisiana never disappoints. ¶ Everyone knows there are tourist attractions in our unique state, but many oddities and hidden gems as well. ¶ We divided the state into regions, so follow us as we take you on travels through Louisiana to unearth the unexpected.

BY CHERÉ COEN

HIDDEN LOUISIANA

Gators & Friends

Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo lets visitors zip line 750 feet above 150 gators.

LOUISIANA

FLORIDA PARISHES/NORTHSHORE

It’s a mystery I

t’s difficult to describe the Abita Mystery House. A rambling collection of buildings filled with thousands of collectibles, found objects, unusual memorabilia, weird taxidermy and animated displays still doesn’t quite detail what’s inside because there’s so much more! Also called the UCM Museum, because the initials sound out “you-see-em mu-se-um,” it’s a roadside attraction, a museum of sorts and an art gallery since the owner is Abita Springs artist John Preble.

Look for taxidermy hybrids such as Buford the bassigator, a combination gator and bass fish, or Darrell the dogigator. There’s a Mardi Gras parade diorama and an Airstream filled with items. The Shard House is literally a barn constructed of barge wood that’s accented by pottery, glass and mirror shards (the bathroom is worth a peek) and the Hot Sauce House is filled with — you guessed it — bottles of liquid spice. There’s even paint-by-number pieces.

The Room Where It Happened

If you’re heading to the Louisiana State Capitol for legislative business, or to view the spectacular view of Baton Rouge and the Mississippi River from its observation deck — Louisiana has the tallest capitol in the United States — be sure to pause outside the speaker’s office on the first floor and notice the bullet holes in the marble. It was here, on Sept. 8, 1935, that U.S. Sen. Huey P. Long, once governor of Louisiana, was shot. He died two days later and his death by an assassin or one of his guards is still argued today.

Long instigated the building of the Louisiana State Capitol, which rises 450 feet and 34 stories. The construction took only 14 months in 1932 and includes architectural gems, murals and outside steps that contain what was then the country’s 48 states. Long’s statue above his grave looks over his building from the adjoining 27-acre park.

PHOTOS: BRENDA KEAN; JEFFREY ISAAC

CHECK IT OUT

The eclectic Abita Mystery House in Abita Springs contains a large and strange inventory, and includes the Shard House accented by pottery, glass and mirror shards.

ACADIANA

The main branch of the Iberia Parish Library, located on Main Street in the heart of town, contains the Jazz Collection Room with items owned by jazz great William Gary “Bunk” Johnson, who lived and died in New Iberia. Be sure to also check out the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes next door.

Backstreet Cultural Museum

You don’t have to wait until Carnival to view the elaborate Mardi Gras Indian costumes. The Backstreet Cultural Museum in the historic Tremé neighborhood celebrates the contributions of the city’s African Americans to New Orleans culture, exhibiting those breathtaking Carnival costumes, plus photos, items from social aid and pleasure clubs, jazz funerals and more.

WHAT NAMED THAT TOWN?

TREASURE HUNT

CENLA

Lecompte was named for a horse who was named for a friend. Thomas Jefferson Wells’ chestnut colt was named for Well’s friend Ambroise Lecomte from Cane River. When the horse won a prized race, the residents decided to call the town Lecomte. A railroad depot painter accidentally put the “p” in the name and it’s been that way ever since.

NORTHEAST LOUISIANA

There are flea markets and then there’s Big Creek Trade Days outside Ruston. We’re talking two enormous horizontal “barns” filled with collectibles, antiques and crafts, plus food vendors throughout the property. Big Creek Trade Days is actually a three-day weekend and occur monthly at 327 California Plant Road outside Dubach.

St. Roch Cemetery

New Orleans cemeteries are known as “Cities of the Dead” for their above-ground tombs lining avenues of cemetery property. St. Roch Cemetery, however, gives homage to the sick and invalid with a chapel room filled with “ex-votos,” tokens such as leg braces and crutches placed there by patrons who have been healed by Saint Roch. This National Shrine of St. Roch remains the only American chapel dedicated to the French saint.

Saint Roch is the patron saint of the sick and invalid. Many believe in his intercession and leave behind “ex-votos,” tokens such as leg braces and crutches, at St. Roch Cemetery.

NEW ORLEANS

FLORIDA PARISHES/ NORTHSHORE

Take in the waters

Grab a kayak and a paddle at Canoe & Trail Adventures and float down sleepy Cane Bayou, a tributary of Lake Pontchartrain east of Mandeville, or the Bogue Falaya with its sand bars from The Chimes restaurant in Covington. Prices are reasonable and the adventures accessible for all members of the family.

The American Rose Center

Louisiana is honored to have the national headquarters of the American Rose Society located only a short drive from downtown Shreveport. Naturally, the organization includes 118 acres of rose gardens featuring a variety of rose species as well as companion plants. The gardens are open year-round with special hours during blooming seasons and as part as the Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights with thousands of shimmering lights, light displays and special Christmas events.

FLYING WITH GATORS

SHREVEPORT

There’s zip lining, and then there’s zip lining with gators. Something to tell your friends for sure. Gators & Friends Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo outside of Shreveport lets visitors zip line through multiple courses, including a final stretch 750 feet above 150 gators. We were told the best time to visit is winter when gators hibernate and don’t eat. Hmmm.

LOUISIANA’S UTOPIA

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

In 1917, a group of workers came to southwest Louisiana to create the Llano Del Rio Cooperative Colony, a community that supported itself in multiple ways, including the growing of food, medical care and education. This exercise in utopian li ving last for 20 years and today visitors may learn about the unique community at the Museum of the New Llano Colony in New Llano, north of Lake Charles.

HOUSES OF THE DEAD

ACADIANA

We must be different in Louisiana and that includes our burial customs. In Rayne’s St. Joseph’s Catholic Church & Cemetery, the graves are buried in a north–south direction instead of the traditional east–west formation. In Mermentau Cove, the Istre Cemetery contains historic little houses over graves, some with working windows.

SHREVEPORT

Chauvin Sculpture Garden

Drive “down the bayou” on La. Highway 56 out of Houma toward Chauvin and just when you think you’ll hit Gulf waters, there’s an odd site at 5337 Bayouside Drive. The Chauvin Sculpture Garden was created by bricklayer Kenny Hill and contains more than 100 primarily religious concrete pieces, everything from angels and other celestial figures to images depicting the fight between good and evil. There’s even a 45-foot-tall lighthouse made up of 7,000 bricks.

The Kohler Foundation owns the property that’s open during daylight hours but touch base with Nicholls State University Department of Art to make sure before you go. Call 985-448-4597.

ACADIANA

Cat Island

Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge north of Baton Rouge is home to a national champion bald cypress tree that’s 80-plus feet tall and 17 feet wide with a circumference of 56 feet. The bald cypress remains the largest tree of any species east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, one of the few massive cypress trees still in existence after the logging of Louisiana swamps in the early 20th century.

Spiritual Guidance

It began in Alexandria in 1940, a liquor store offering wines and spirits but sporting a neon sign akin to a church beacon — even though it’s a ghost calling people in. Folks stop for the wide selection of spirits but never resist snapping a photo of the colorful sign. Today, third generation owners Gus and Michelle Olah carry on as spiritual advisors with locations in Lake Charles and Prairieville.

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

Pinky the Pink Dolphin

Around 2007, a Pepto Bismolpink animal surfaced in the Calcasieu ship channel outside Lake Charles, causing quite a stir. Named Pinky, the pink dolphin has now become a southwestern Louisiana celebrity. Visitors to the area, especially along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road can spot Pinky in the channel and south towards Cameron.

CARVILLE

PLANTATION COUNTRY

For years, those suffering from Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, would be sent to the National Leprosarium at Carville, a hospital tucked away along the River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Many lived and died here and were buried in the hospital cemetery. Treatments improved and the facility closed, but visitors can learn of both the disease, property and its patients at the National Hansen’s Disease Museum.

POVERTY POINT

NORTHEAST LOUISIANA

Around the time the Egyptian pyramids were constructed, a group of indigenous people planned a community in northeast Louisiana with elaborate precision: several earthen ridges in a semicircle facing a wide plaza with various mounds scattered about and what appears to be a giant earthen bird in the rear stretching its wings. The impressive Native American, pre-agricultural city on the Mississippi River flood plain made it ideal for trading among the Southern tribes with the trading network extending for hundreds of miles. Stones found on the site originated as far away as the Great Lakes. Today, visitors may tour the grounds this massive city once occupied and enjoy a host of special events. The site outside the small town of Pioneer is considered so historically important that Poverty Point is a National Historic Landmark, a Smithsonian Affiliate and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park’s open daily except for major holidays.

CENLA

CAPITAL CITY

NEW ORLEANS

Park it here

In 1891, an iron meteorite weighing several tons landed inside Audubon Park. Many people will tell you it was moved from neighboring mountains but that was a ruse to keep folks back in the day from chipping off pieces as souvenirs. Inside nearby Audubon Zoo lies a hill where residents have rolled down for decades. It was created when the Civil Works Administration in 1933 piled dirt there while digging out lagoons for the zoo. Since kids loved the rare mound in flat Louisiana, it became known as Monkey Hill. As children, we were always taught that Monkey Hill was the highest point of the city, but Laborde Mountain in City Park beats it for elevation, a whopping 27 feet above sea level.

Slice of Comfort

Folks visit Shreveport’s Strawn’s Eat Shop for breakfast or lunch or to enjoy one of their delicious icebox pies but what makes the experience unique are the murals lining the walls, everyone from the Three Stooges enjoying a slice of pie while Einstein utters “E=π?!!” to George Washington exclaiming to Abraham Lincoln, “I cannot tell a lie about a Strawn’s pie.”

Strawn’s Eat Shop in Shreveport is routinely voted as a top diner for breakfast or lunch.

Just don’t miss a chance to enjoy one of their famous pies.

PLANTATION COUNTRY

World’s Smallest Church?

One wonders how a wedding might work in the Madonna Chapel of White Castle; Ripley’s Believe It or Not named it the smallest church in the world which may help if you’re trying to control your guest list. The chapel along the west bank of the River Road near Plaquemine was built in 1902 by Italian farmer Anthony Gullo who promised the Virgin Mary he would build a chapel in her name if his ill son recovered. The son rallied and Gullo built his church. The original Madonna Chapel was only 7 feet by 7 feet but when they moved the tiny church in 1924 to accommodate the levee, the current chapel grew to 9 feet by 9 feet. It’s lovely inside and for those who wish to visit, the key is left in the mailbox. Is it the smallest church? Arguably no, but it’s still fun to visit.

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

The Hanging Jail

You may get the heebie-jeebies before learning the odd stories in this concrete monstrosity. One involves Joe Genna and Molton Brasseaux who, in 1926, killed taxi driver Joe Brevelle and dumped his body in old Pickering Mill pond. The men were arrested, convicted of murder, and hanged in the Beauregard Parish jail.

Story has it that Genna and Brasseaux haunt DeRidder’s “Hanging Jail” and tour guides tell tales of ghostly sightings since many died within the 12-inch concrete walls of the 1914 Gothic-style building.

SOUTHERN AND LSU

CAPITAL CITY

French explorers named Baton Rouge for the red stick they spotted on a bluff above the Mississippi River, where Southern University is located today. Visit the school’s “Red Stick Sculpture” by alumnus Frank Hayden at what is believed to be the actual spot. At LSU, don’t miss a chance to say hello to Mike the Tiger, LSU’s live mascot who lives on the campus in the shadow of Tiger Stadium.

VISIT TRANSYLVANIA

NORTHEAST LOUISIANA

The residents of Transylvania don’t miss a chance to promote their town’s name; they painted a bat on the town’s water tower. The name, however, comes from landowner W.L. Richards’ alma mater, Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. The college, by the way, is named for the 1770s Transylvania Colony in western Virginia.

Hit

DISCOVER THE BEST THAT LOUISIANA HAS TO OFFER WITH THESE 21 FUN FALL TRAVEL IDEAS

BY MISTY MILIOTO

ALEXANDRIA The Alexandria Museum of Art is home to a large collection of artwork (both from renowned art icons to lesser-known artists from every corner of the globe). Be sure to catch the 38th September Competition (through Oct. 11), a juried exhibition highlighting contemporary art practices in a wide variety of media. 933 Second St., Alexandria, (318) 443-3458, themuseum.org

LAKE CHARLES Visit the Panorama Music House, a two-story venue located downtown with a full calendar of live music performances every Wednesday through Sunday night. Find a spot upstairs for a great view of the stage and grab a drink at the rooftop bar. 331 Broad St., Lake Charles, (337) 990-5361, panoramamusichouse.toast.site

Gentilly Fest

Gentilly Fest, taking place this year October 10-12, features continuous live music on three stages, a bevy of local food and beverage options, arts and crafts, a kids’ village and more. Headliners include All Strings Attached featuring Michael Ward and sons Shaun and Cortes on Friday night; Hot Boy Ronald on Saturday night; and Cupid on Sunday night. Pontchartrain Park, 5701 Press Drive, New Orleans, gentillyfestival.com

PONCHATOULA The Twin

Steeples Creative Arts Center in Ponchatoula provides a welcoming and inclusive space for artists of all kinds, including painters, sculptors, musicians, writers, filmmakers and creators of all disciplines.

5

The nonprofit organization also hosts multidisciplinary workshops, performances and gallery shows. 220 E. Oak St., Ponchatoula, (985) 265-8411, twinsteeples.org

6 4 MONSTER MASHING Food

HAMMOND Monster Mini Golf — the newest attraction to open in Tangipahoa Parish — features glow-in-the-dark mini golf, a monstrous gaming arcade, laser tag, bowling, a laser maze and virtual reality games. 1665 S.W. Railroad Ave., Hammond, (985) 662-0053, monsterminigolf.com

The Cajun Bayou Food Trail in Lafourche Parish (located just 45 minutes south of New Orleans) features trail markers (there’s also a map on the website) winding through wetlands and Cajun communities — all leading the way to incredible dining adventures. Some of the stops include Bourgeois Meat Market in Thibodaux, Bayou Boucherie in Raceland and Harry’s Po-Boys in LaRose. lacajunbayou.com

On Friday evenings between Sept. 13 and Oct. 24, be sure to check out Live After Five — the largest and longest-running free concert series in Baton Rouge. Rhorer Plaza, 200 St. Louis St., Baton Rouge, (225) 250-7474, downtownbr.org

9 8 Saturday

HUSSER Covey Rise Lodge in Tangipahoa Parish offers skeet shooting, sporting clays and guided

hunts; luxury accommodations; and premium amenities — all in the heart of Sportsman’s

10 Market

The Red Stick Farmers Market in downtown Baton Rouge, led by the nonprofit Big River Economic & Agricultural Development Alliance, is held on Saturdays from 8 a.m.-noon throughout the year. Expect to find artisanal breads, fresh produce, cold-pressed juice, plants and more. 5th and Main streets, Baton Rouge, breada.org

Paradise. 24009 Singing Waterfall Road, Husser, (985) 747-0310, coveyriselodge.com

BATON ROUGE While it’s one thing to watch LSU football on television, it is quite another to tailgate and then see the action live at Tiger Stadium. Home games this season include Louisiana Tech (Sept. 6), Florida (Sept. 13), Southeastern Louisiana (Sept. 20), South Carolina (Oct. 11), Texas A&M (Oct. 25), Arkansas (Nov. 15) and Western Kentucky (Nov. 22). North Stadium Drive at Nicholson Drive, LSU Campus, Baton Rouge, lsusports.net

DeSoto Parish’s new slogan, “Find Your Unwind,” perfectly sums up a a trip to this west-central Louisiana area. The Toledo Bend Forest Scenic Byway, which runs along the state’s border with Texas, is the

�S PLAY!

The Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center in Hammond’s downtown Historic District — the No. 1 interactive educational museum on the Northshore — offers hands-on play and learning experiences that improve children’s motor skills, encourage problem-solving and stimulate the imagination. Exhibitions include The Waterfront (a kid-sized working pier and shrimp boat), Under Construction (where kids can connect plumbing fixtures, take measurements and build with blocks) and Wind Tunnel (exploring concepts of wind and flight). 113 N. Cypress St., Hammond, (985) 340-9150, lcdcofhammond.org

perfect place to spot wildlife in its natural habitat. A one-day self-guided tour can easily cover the 78-mile byway. Be sure to spend some time at the South Toledo Bend State Park, which lies on several small

bluffs extending above the Toledo Bend Reservoir (the largest man-made lake in the South). byways.explorelouisiana.com

RIVER PARISHES The Louisiana Office of Tourism and the makers of Tabasco have created a number of regional culinary trails that traverse byways, prairies, marshlands and waterways. For example, the Andouille Trail winds through the River Parishes and celebrates the combined heritage of the French and German cultures that created this spicy adaptation that’s now found in many Cajun dishes. andouilletrail.com

Hiking the Gorge Run Trail in Washington Parish’s Bogue Chitto State Park is the ideal place to see the leaves changing color. The six-mile hike traverses diverse scenery, including rolling hills, forests, the Bogue Chitto River and lowlands with cypress trees. 17049 State Park Blvd., Franklinton, (985) 839-5707, lastateparks.com

Kisatchie National Forest — the only national forest in Louisiana — encompasses 604,000 acres across seven parishes. It offers diverse recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating and hunting. fs.usda.gov

BATON ROUGE The Origin Hotel Baton Rouge, a Wyndham Hotel, is a chic, contemporary hotel with 87 guest rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness center, complimentary bike rentals and an all-day cafe dubbed Passé. The building was once home to the Baton Rouge Savings & Loan Association and, later, the East Baton Rouge Arts and Technology School. Today, the hotel preserves this legacy with murals, artwork and journals woven into its design. 101 St. Ferdinand St., Baton Rouge, (225) 224-0022, originhotel.com

LAKE CHARLES With fall in full swing, it’s the perfect time to pick up some regional produce at area farmers markets. The Charlestown Farmers Market in Lake Charles happens each Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon and highlights Louisiana-made products, including grains, fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats, gumbo, canned goods, baked goods, plants and more. Mark your calendar for the first Saturday of the month (dubbed Meet Me at the Market), to enjoy the addition of food trucks and live music. 1001 Ryan St., Lake Charles, visitlakecharles.org

Geaux Explore

Louisiana State Parks is a new pilot program that allows Louisiana residents to get a free one-day pass to any Louisiana state park or historic site with their library card (at 19 participating libraries across the state). The program also allows participants to check out a Geaux Explore backpack that contains a set of binoculars, a compass, a magnifying glass, Leave No Trace outdoor ethics cards and guides to Louisiana’s birds, wildlife, trees and wildflowers. checkoutlouisiana.org

19 BON TEMPS

BATON ROUGE Baton Rouge is home to colorful art murals throughout downtown and Mid City. While some are relatively new, others are in progress or have

been around for nearly 40 years. While it’s easy to see them all in one day, top picks include the Visit Baton Rouge Postcard mural by Kayla Newnam at 359 Third Street,

LAFAYETTE Since 1974, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles (being held this year Oct. 10-12) has offered a unique blend of Louisiana food, music, crafts, and Cajun and Creole culture. Girard Park, 500 Girard Park Drive, Lafayette, festivalsacadiens.com

and the Hands mural by Jacob Zumo and Brandan Odums at 200 Convention St. visitbatonrouge.com

For a lovely weekend away, be sure to book a stay at The Hotel Bentley in Alexandria. Opened in 1908, the historic hotel offers stately guest rooms, high-end amenities and gracious hospitality. Be sure to make a reservation at the hotel’s premier seafood and steakhouse restaurant, the Diamond Grill. 200 Desoto St., Alexandria, (318) 442-2226, visithotelbentley.com

ISN'T IT

BY JEREMY MARSHALL

GRAND?

THE ICONIC GRAND ISLE: VOTED BEST TOWN IN LOUISIANA BY OUR READERS

GGRAND ISLE IS LOUISIANA at its most concentrated; a distillation of every unique taste, adventurous spirit and cultural memory that makes the Gulf South special. An 8-mile-long stretch of beach and wetlands, the state’s only inhabited barrier island, Grand Isle is an ancestral land built upon a kaleidoscope of dozens of cultures, of Native tribes, enslaved and freed Africans, fishermen and pirates. Throughout the centuries, Grand Isle has persevered through hardship, protecting Louisiana from vicious hurricanes and coastal decay, ultimately

emerging today as a vibrant community grander and more welcoming than ever. Grand Isle has fostered life for thousands of years, formed by natural sediment carried south by what we now know as the Mississippi River. Home to one of the last remaining live oak chenier forests on the Gulf Coast, Grand Isle is in many ways the foundational point for many of the triumphs and tragedies of human culture in Louisiana. Cut off from the rest of Louisiana by water, a flourishing, yet isolated, community of wealthy New Orleanians took up residence in the early 19th century, building lavish resorts and basking in the seaside splendor. But nature took back the land in 1893 as a hurricane ravaged the sand upon which our ancestors built their palaces. But that was just a pause on Grand Isle’s path to prosperity. Spurned by the construction of a highway connecting the island to the mainland, modern technology helped Grand Isle to flourish, catapulting it into the 21st century. What was once little more than sand and shrubbery has become a hot spot for both sport and recreation, welcoming visitors from around the world or just upriver to bask in a paradise, centuries in the making. Today, Grand Isle is growing stronger by the year. As the fountainhead of Louisiana’s

vast wetland and estuary system, Grand Isle is the proud home of a sizable shrimping, fishing and oyster industry, a byproduct of its centralized importance in the Gulf of Mexico’s eclectic natural ecosystem. Yet, such industrialization requires commitment to coastal renewal that has lasting impacts for all of Louisiana. The Restore Grand Isle initiative has worked effectively to retain the island’s vitality, with efforts that include the planting of live oaks and native Louisiana irises to help quell erosion and maintain its effects in protecting 1.3 million people from critical storm damage. The work is endless but has shown substantial promise. In 2025, as many as 300,000 visitors a year will be traversing to the toe of Louisiana to enjoy world-class fishing, expanding birding habitats and a patented Southern hospitality that is known the world over.

The past and future are always in harmony on Grand Isle, with lush cultural traditions being passed on from generation to generation and from local to visitor. Whether folks are flocking to the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, America’s oldest fishing tournament, or simply looking for some sun and sand on the coast, Grand Isle has always been there to foster life in all its forms and flavors and certainly always will be. So come down for a visit to your Gulf Coast neighbors if you have a mind. The welcome mat is always out.

FALL TRAVEL

DOWN THE BAYOU OR JUST UP THE STREET, THERE’S SOMETHING NEW AND EXCITING FOR YOU TO DISCOVER AROUND EVERY CORNER OF LOUISIANA!

Lafayette CVC

Fall is the perfect time to visit Lafayette. Cooler weather and warm vibes create the ideal setting for unforgettable food, music, and cultural experiences.

Plan your trip around local favorites like Festivals Acadiens et Creoles, the Latin Music Festival, or the Blackpot Festival & Cook-Off. Sample local brews at Gulf Brew or enjoy family fun at the Bayou Vermilion Boat Parade.

Music fills the air throughout fall, from the midweek Mercredi Show to Downtown Alive!, Bach Lunch on Friday, and late nights at local dancehalls. Expect Cajun, zydeco, and modern sounds.

Outdoorsy types can explore the Bayou Vermilion and Lake Martin by boat, or

stroll Moncus Park during the Farmers & Artisans Market held on Saturdays.

Don’t miss Lafayette’s award-winning cuisine—think gumbo, boudin, po-boys, and some surprises along the way.

Add history and art with a visit to Vermilionville or the Hilliard Art Museum.

Discover more fall fun at LafayetteTravel. com/Fall.

The Real Easy

In Central Louisiana, we believe life doesn’t have to be complicated to be fulfilling. That’s the heart behind The Real Easy—a regional brand celebrating the ease, connection, and opportunity that define this unique part of the state. Here, you’ll

find a slower pace with a stronger sense of community, rich cultural traditions, vibrant natural landscapes, and careers that offer more than just a paycheck. Whether you’re raising a family, launching a business, or simply looking for a better quality of life, Central Louisiana makes it easy to thrive. Commutes are short, the cost of living is low, and the people are warm and welcoming. From festivals to forest trails, porch swings to symphony nights, this is a place where life is lived well—and lived easily.

Ready to experience it for yourself? Visit RealEasyLA.com or follow us on social media @RealEasyLA.

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles — the world’s first and largest Cajun and Zydeco music festival — is an unforgettable cultural travel experience set in the heart of Frenchspeaking Louisiana. The free event takes place October 10-12, 2025, in Lafayette’s Girard Park. Festivalgoers rent park space, set up open-sided tents, and invite friends and family to share in the fun.

Founded over 50 years ago with legends like Clifton Chenier and Dewey Balfa, the festival’s cultural lineage lives on through

their children — CJ Chenier and Christina Balfa — who are now regular performers. Watch master musicians jam on traditional instruments, learn to two-step from locals, and taste the soul of the region through gumbo, étouffée, and cracklins. Explore artisan markets, attend cooking demos, or run the Tour de Attakapas — the official festival 5K.

Left to Right: “The Real Easy” Central Louisiana; Festivals Acadiens et Creoles; Port Arthur

More than a festival, it’s a living celebration of heritage and hospitality where every song, bite, and handshake tells a story.

For more information, visit festivalsacadiens.com.

Port Arthur CVB

Port Arthur is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, Sabine Lake, and the Neches River, Port Arthur is perfect for boating, paddling, and fishing. Nature lovers can explore Sea Rim State Park, McFaddin Beach, and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, along with Village Creek State Park and the Big Thicket National Preserve, offering abundant shorelines, wooded trails, and camping spots.

Port Arthur lies along both the Central and Mississippi flyways, making it a top birding destination with 30 trails within a 40-mile radius, including world-famous sites like Sabine Woods and Cattail Marsh.

Designated the official Cajun Capital of Texas, Port Arthur is rich in flavor and history, showcased at the Museum of the Gulf Coast. Dine al fresco on the water,

dance the night away, and savor spicy Cajun seafood on your next Upper Texas Gulf Coast getaway at Visit Port Arthur - true Texas with a Cajun twist!

Learn more at visitportarthurtx.com.

Avoyelles Parish

As you travel the roads of Louisiana this summer into fall, take a backroad trip to the center of Louisiana, yes that is correct, Avoyelles Parish boasts the coordinates to CENTRE de la LOUISIANE, 31.0693876La, -91.9970055Lo. The physical address is 1860 Old River Road, Mansura, LA 71350. Come on out and take a selfie in Louisiana’s center and share your history making photo with us on FB: TravelAvoyelles.

When you visit Avoyelles, you’ll get Louisiana your way. A laid-back stroll down a charming main street –it’s here! Cultural attractions in a beautiful natural setting –that’s us too! And the thrills of a Vegas-style casino with a bounty of entertainment and dining. When is the last time you visited a service station where an attendant pumped your gas and wiped your windshield sites along a historic highway? You’ll find it all and more when you find your center in Avoyelles!

West Baton Rouge

The West Baton Rouge Convention & Visitor Bureau grounds will be center stage, once again, for the Annual Smokin’ Oldies BBQ Cook-Off. This event is a BCA State Championship Cook-Off held on Saturday, September 13th. Come out and watch the competition while dancing to the music of Justin Cornett from noon to 4 p.m. Visit the local crafters and Louisiana food booths. Then on Sunday, September 14th, the Oldies But Goodies Fest begins at 11:00 a.m. with Waters Edge performing from noon to 4 p.m. Come out and enjoy the antique car show, local crafts, and Louisiana food booths. For more information on these events, please visit westbatonrouge.net.

Red River Revel

Get ready for the 49th Annual Red River Revel Arts Festival in Shreveport, Louisiana, on September 25-28 and October 2-5, 2025! This celebration of the arts features a diverse musical lineup of national and regional performers over four stages. The first weekend features renowned artists

like Pam Tillis and The Rumble, while the second weekend presents Galactic with Jelly Joseph and Tab Benoit. This year’s theme, “The Beat Goes On,” highlights the joy of music and drumming! Festival-goers can further immerse themselves in the rhythm by checking out SQUONK! during weekend one and TAIKOPROJECT on weekend two.

Art enthusiasts will enjoy over 100 talented artists showcasing a variety of one-of-a-kind works, including ceramics, paintings, and photography. The Revel is a foodie’s dream with over 100 unique menu items! Don’t miss this cherished tradition! Mark your calendars, visit redriverrevel.com, and celebrate the arts at the Red River Revel!

Visit Mississippi

As the summer heat fades, Mississippi comes alive with outdoor adventures, festivals, and unforgettable experiences.

Just across the river, the cities of Natchez and Vicksburg bring history to life, with

attractions like Longwood, America’s largest octagonal home, and the sweeping landscapes and solemn beauty of Vicksburg National Military Park.

Music fans should check out GRAMMY Museum Mississippi (Cleveland), the Delta Blues Museum (Clarksdale), and the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center (Indianola). For a more literary experience, head to Oxford to visit Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s historic home, and sample the city’s outstanding restaurants.

Fall also brings a lineup of can’t-miss festivals, including the Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival in Greenville, the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival in Ocean Springs, and Cruisin’ the Coast (a must for classic car fans).

Make your next fall getaway one to remember. Plan your journey at VisitMississippi.org. T

Top: Vicksburg Military Park in Mississippi Bottom: Red River Revel

A Poetic Place

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Evangeline” and St. Martinville

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN RABALAIS

“WE TELL OURSELVES STORIES IN ORDER TO LIVE,” writes Joan Didion in her essay collection “The White Album.” Since 1847, many in South Louisiana have clung to a story that began with an anecdote at a dinner party and became one of the state’s foundational myths.

In 1840, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — novelist, travel writer, and the most popular American poet of his era — heard a secondhand account of the separation and journey of two young lovers whom the British expelled from Acadia nearly a century before. For several years, Longfellow filed that story away while he completed other work. Then in 1845, the author whose work includes “Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Song of Hiawatha” started drafting his tale of longing and desire set against the backdrop of Acadian exile. “I know not what name to give it — not my new baby, but my new poem,” he wrote in his diary. “Shall it be Gabriel, or Celestine, or Evangeline?”

Longfellow chose the latter title for his 1847 epic poem. “The great success of ‘Evangeline” launched tourism in Louisiana,” says Jolene Adam, an interpretive ranger at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville. In what Longfellow called “the legend of a girl who, in the dispersion of the Acadians was separated from her lover, and passed her life in waiting and seeking for him, and only finding him dying in a hospital when both were old,” soldiers on both sides of the Civil War sought solace, carrying the poem into battle. “Sorrow and silence are strong,” Longfellow writes in “Evangeline, “and patient endurance is godlike. / Therefore accomplish thy labor of love, till the heart is made godlike, / Purified, strengthened, perfected, and rendered more worthy of heaven!”

(Above) At Evangeline Oak Park in St. Martinville, a bust of Longfellow rises beside the oak tree named after his famous heroine. (Below) At Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, Maison Olivier, the Creole plantation built circa 1815, features a mix of French, Creole and Caribbean architectural influences.

Today, the poem’s legacy lingers among international readers. On Acadian.org, Naomi Griffiths reports that in its first 100 years, “Evangeline” went through 270 editions and 130 translations. Adam says, “At least once a week, visitors arrive from all over the world quoting the poem.”

The Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site is one of two locations in St. Martinville devoted to “Evangeline.” Its New England-born author never travelled to Louisiana, but as Adam says, “He did his research.” Most importantly, Longfellow informed readers around the world about the expulsion of Acadians and their journey to Louisiana, using his imagination to unearth the kind of “story-truth” that novelist Tim O’Brien deems “truer sometimes than happening-truth.”

In 1934, the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site became Louisiana’s first state park. It includes a reproduction of an Acadian farmstead and 11 oaks

that are more than 100 years old, most notably the one named for Gabriel. Since 1996, Adam has directed local and international visitors through the vibrantly painted Creole property that, beginning in the early 1800s, served as a cattle ranch and later produced indigo, cotton and sugarcane.

Many visitors arrive with at least some knowledge of Longfellow’s poem, Adam says, and at least once a week, someone comes looking for the oak named after Evangeline. To see that tree, “undoubtedly the most famous oak in Louisiana,” as William Guion writes in “100 Oaks Project,” Adam points visitors to Evangeline

The Gabriel Oak

site provides a grander canopy than the Evangeline Oak. (Right) Film versions of “Evangeline” appeared in 1913, 1919, and 1929. The documentary “The Search for Evangeline” examines the 1913 version. Shot in Nova Scotia, it was the first Canadian film.

(Above)

at the historic

Oak Park, a five-minute drive from the historic site. There, Emmeline Labiche and Louis Arceneaux, the “counterparts of Evangeline and Gabriel,” as the historic marker notes, finally reunited — or so legend has it. In 1907, Felix Voorhies published that version in “Acadian Reminiscences,” in which the lovers reunite under the Evangeline Oak. Two decades later, Hollywood arrived in St. Martinville to adapt Longfellow’s poem, and in 1929 moviegoers watched Dolores del Río star in the title role. Del Río modeled for the statue of Evangeline that she donated to the city and which stands outside St. Martin de Tours

Catholic Church, “Mother Church of the Acadians.” The statue’s plaque deems Evangeline “the prototype of the Acadian maiden.”

As the French philosopher Simone Weil writes in “Gravity and Grace,” “Imagination and fiction make up more than three quarters of our real life.”

In London or Naples or Pointe Coupee Parish, our experiences deepen when we ponder the worlds that Charles Dickens, Elena Ferrante or Ernest J. Gaines created. Such work provides ways for us to understand ourselves and our relationship to a specific place. It also helps us explain our place to others.

LOCATION

St. Martin Parish

DID YOU KNOW?

The St. Martinville Garden Club has created historical markers for visitors who stroll through the city’s downtown. This “Walk with Evangeline” begins with the establishment of French presence in the New World in 1604 and ends with information about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1847 epic poem, “Evangeline.” “From 1764 to 1789 about 3,000 exiled Acadians traveled by ship to live in Louisiana, some taking as long as six months and arriving in the same clothes they were deported in,” one marker informs visitors. “Louisiana was then a colony of Spain, but the Acadians managed to retain their French culture. Their descedants, the Cajuns, continued to keep their language and lifestyles. This culture is alive and well today and over 500,000 descendants can be found in the parishes of Louisiana which make up Acadiana.”

Food, Friendly Folks and Fun Times

Houma has all of the ingredients for a day or weekend Down the Bayou

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MELANIE WARNER SPENC ER

WE WALKED INTO DOWNTOWN JEAUX at about 10 a.m. comin’ in hot and hungry from our drive into Houma from New Orleans. I claimed the last open table while Mark staked a spot in the growing line. It was a sunny Saturday and locals — from parents and their brood to uniformed members of the nearby Vanderbilt High School girls’ volleyball team — were fueling up and catching up in the former pharmacy. Owner Tommy

Guarisco worked the room greeting patrons, asking those he knew (nearly everyone) about their mom, bussing tables and doing whatever else needed doing. While sipping Community Coffee in paper cups with the Louisiana coffee company’s logo and awaiting our biscuits and gravy, pancakes and eggs, we plotted out our game plan for the day. Per usual, my priorities were food and nature, whereas Mark was angling to score books and vinyl. Either way we were ready for adventure. After breakfast (which Mark declared the best biscuits and gravy he’s had outside of our home), we took a much-needed walk around the historic downtown area. Our walk began at the tree-shaded Courthouse Square in front of the circa1930’s Classical Revival-style Terrebone Parish Courthouse. From there, we aimlessly wandered up and down nearby streets noting the mix of red brick turn-of-the-20th-century architecture and white stone midcentury buildings. The long and narrow red brick Smoky Row building at Main and Church streets which is home to Mahony’s Irish Pub caught my eye and Mark’s

too, albeit for him it was less about the design and more about the potential for finding his favorite Irish beers. It was of course noon somewhere, but alas, the closed sign dangling on the door made a good decision for us. I’m trying not to read too much into the fact that the next most interesting building on our self-guided walking tour was the imposing French Gothic-style Saint Francis de Sales Cathedral, dedicated in 1938. A funeral was in progress so rather than go make confession we crossed ourselves, sent up a little silent prayer for the deceased and their family and took a brief pass through the cemetery behind the cathedral.

It would be quite some time before either of us were hungry for lunch, so we hopped in the car and took the 15-ish minute drive to the Bayou Country Sports Park, having heard a rumor about its scenic walking trails. The park also has facilities for disc golf, baseball and soccer, plus a large playground, picnic areas, a fishing pond and a beach. Every inch of the park is well-maintained and it seems like it’s a lot further away from downtown than it is in reality. We enjoyed the trails and the scenery for a while before heading back into civilization to dip into 2nd & Charles booksellers. I usually try to stick to locally owned businesses, but we are book lovers with

There is no way to do the restaurant scene in Houma justice because there are just so many good places to fill your belly. On this trip, we opted for breakfast at Downtown Jeaux, which gives you the opportunity to walk it off while enjoying the sites in the charming downtown. We ambled through the oak-lined greenspace at Courthouse Square and took in the wealth of midcentury and turn of the 20thcentury architecture.

no shame, happily buying from chains and indies alike. Mark was pleased with the vinyl section so it was worth the trip to the strip mall and big box store area of town. To balance things out, we bopped back downtown to visit Bent Pages & Co. bookstore, owned by Angele LeBoeuf and her aunt Racquelle LaCoste Ford. It is housed in the circa 1927 Bethlehem Steel building, making it seem as if it has been there for decades. (Which in a way it has, because LeBoeuf and Ford purchased it from the former owner who opened the bookstore there in the ‘90s.)

There was a book signing in progress, a vendor selling her baked goods on the porch and books, books and more books nearly stacked to the rafters. It is a certain type of heaven for bookish types.

It became apparent that we could easily make it a weekend in Houma. Various chain hotels abound, as well as whole-house vacation rentals, but family-owned Grand Bayou Noir bed and breakfast on Bayou Black is where I’d book a stay. Dinner reservations at Ember Kitchen + Cocktails (and most likely a filet mignon) and a meal at 531 Liberty would also be on our itinerary. There would

Barbecue lovers won't want to skip on Big Mike's BBQ Smokehouse. We split the brisket platter, which was plenty after having had a hearty breakfast a few hours prior. The mac and cheese is legit. If your appetite isn't shot, pop into the charming ice cream parlor Scarlet Scoop, which has been a downtown staple since 1969. No, Cajun Fresh Market isn't in Houma, but it is nearby (about 20 minutes away) in Raceland and worth a stop for fresh produce and Cajun specialties like cracklins and boudin.

have to be a couple of hours set aside for Greenwood Gator Farm, which is only about 20 minutes from downtown and (depending on when you visit) has baby alligators, so enough said. A swamp tour with Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours & Adventures also sounds like a lot of fun. Add some history into your trip with visits to Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum, the Terrebonne Folklife Culture Center and the Regional Military Museum, which are all downtown. And no trip Down the Bayou would be complete without live music. The Waterlife Museum and Folklife Center each host regular music events featuring local bands, Friday nights at A-Bear’s Cafe is happening and various bars host musicians as well, so it won’t be too hard to find — and pass — a good time. You can also catch a show of a different sort at Le Petit Theatre De Terrebonne, which has a robust calendar of plays (comedies and dramas) throughout the year. We might have to plan our full weekend in October so we can catch Rougarou Fest. All of that being said, we were on a day trip so finally, after having spent our mad money on books

and records, we worked up an appetite. It was time to split a plate lunch with fixins at Big Mike's BBQ Smokehouse downtown. (Note: There’s also a location in Thibodaux.) The brisket was as tender and flavorful as anything I had when we lived in Texas, and I’d drive an hour again just for the macaroni and cheese. Fortified once again, we set out to take a little country drive around Bayou Black. Folks were fishing and otherwise enjoying the afternoon. It was about time for us to head back to New Orleans, but not before grabbing an ice cream cone at Scarlet Scoop. This charming ice cream parlor has been in business since 1969 and feels like stepping back in time. It doesn’t hurt that there is a restored vintage (and open for business) Conoco gas station, Downtown Full Service, next door. Overall, Houma — especially the historic downtown — has that irresistible blend of nostalgia, small town charm and neighborly friendliness. So much so that the next time we daytrip there, we assume the owner of Downtown Jeaux will recognize us and ask about our moms.

LOCATION

Houma

1682

The city of Houma takes its name from the Houma Indians who settled the area. Houma, or “ouma,” in the tribe's language, means “red.” A French explorer is credited with the earliest written account of the Houma Indians in 1682. .

1822

On March 22, 1822, Terrebonne Parish was established when it was annexed from Lafourche Parish. Terrebonne is the most southern parish in Louisiana.

33,406 Houma is the largest city in Terrebonne Parish. The 2020 census reports a population of approximately 33,406 people.

Down by the River

Strolling on the bridges of North Little Rock

BY CHERÉ COEN

“DOGTOWN” MIGHT BE FIGHTING WORDS in North Little Rock. Some residents embrace the nickname — as does the city, which is home to an array of dog-friendly establishments, parks, trails and the “Dogtown Proud” mural. Others, not so much.

It’s a nickname with various origins. One theory is that, years ago, folks in the capital city across the river rounded up their stray dogs, crossed the Main Street Bridge from Little Rock and let the pooches loose on the other side. Naturally, the folks in North Little Rock were not pleased.

“The citizens of North Little Rock fed [the dogs that were dumped] and adopted them, and the name ‘Dogtown’ was bestowed on North Little Rock,” wrote John Cook in the 1985 winter edition of the Pulaski County Historical Quarterly.

Visitors won’t find dogs running wild through town, but plenty of other wonderful reasons for a weekend getaway.

DAY ONE

MORNING – It’s not the Evil Empire from “Star Wars” so go on and head to the dark side for breakfast, the Dark Side Coffee Co., that is. Located in the Park Hill Historic District, folks here serve up craft coffee made from roasted small-batch, sustainably harvested beans.

In the center of town lies the Argenta Arts District, one of North Little Rock’s oldest neighborhoods filled with arts venues, restaurants, theaters and outdoor space. Here visitors will find festivals, live music, the Third Friday Art Walk and an array of public art. Visit its boutique shops and take in the eclectic ambience.

AFTERNOON – Quench your thirst at Flyway Brewery, Arkansas’s first legal distillery since Prohibition. The taproom not only serves up a wide variety of cold brews, but a heightened menu which drew the attention of Guy Fieri and his Food Network show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” The brewery gets its name from the Mississippi Flyway, a migratory bird trail that flows through Arkansas, which is why the mural by artist Robin Tucker features a variety of birds including bluewings since the nearby town Stuttgart is known as the Rice and Duck Capital of the World.

A former rock quarry in use from the late 1800s to the early 20th century has been transformed into a new city park between the existing Emerald Park and

the Arkansas River. Phase one of the Big Rock Quarry Climbing Area has just opened, offering numerous rock climbs with more to come. Visitors may also enjoy the park’s bike paths with a variety of skill elements.

EVENING – Enjoy an Italian dinner at Rivera, a local favorite, then catch a show at the Argenta Contemporary Theatre on Main Street, which performs everything from musicals to new and classic theatrical works.

DAY TWO

MORNING – Enjoy coffee, handcrafted baked goods and more at Blackberry Market, a community gathering space in the heart of the Argenta Arts District. Then work off that breakfast either hiking or biking on the multiuse trails skirting the Arkansas River. The Arkansas River Trail travels 88 miles through Little Rock, North Little Rock, Maumelle and Conway with an additional loop from the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge in North Little Rock to the Big Dam Bridge and back. Families may want to visit Funland Amusement Park with its splash pad and train.

AFTERNOON – There’s literally something for everyone when it comes to dining fare. Tortas Mexico serves up Latin dishes, the folks at Brood and Barley

From Left to Right: Recreation opportunities along the Arkansas River Trail, include hiking, strolling and biking. Peregrine Pale Ale from Flyway Brewery is a hop-forward pale ale with bright notes of citrus zest. Blackberry Market's peach butter toast (peach butter, goat cheese, topped with granola), avocado toast (avocado spread, arugula, topped with carrots or tomatoes) and fresno toast (fresno cheese spread, arugula, pickles). Argenta Contemporary Theatre's performance of “My Fair Lady.”

Don’t Forget

Back to those dogs. The annual Dogtown Throwdown, which features live music, plenty of food venues and other festival fun, will be Oct. 10-11 in the Argenta Arts District.

have opened the new Pizza Pub and Caverns and Forests Board Game Café not only serves lunch but host game competitions as well.

There’s so much to enjoy at St. Joseph Center of Arkansas. The 1910 orphanage on the National Register of Historic Places that serves as creative haven for the community had a devastating fire this year but it’s rebounding and we couldn’t be more pleased. Folks can still tour the 63-acre sustainable farmstead, buy produce at the farm stand or practice yoga with the goats of St. Joseph.

EVENING – Grab a bite and brew at Brood and Barley, then head to Dickey-Stephens Park for a late-season baseball game with the Arkansas Travelers, a Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The name, one of the longest running nicknames in baseball, comes from the 1800s folk song, “The Arkansas Traveler.”

Peaceful Horizon

A walk along Rockefeller Beach; Grand Chenier

ASHLEY VERZWYVELT DAILEY, BOYCE