STOPOVER IN LAPLACE, LOUISIANA
LaPlace is a convenient spot to overnight when you're visiting the Louisiana plantations. I recommend you plan in a swamp tour here as well.
4284 Hwy. 51, in LAPLACE, (985) 618-1600. Continental breakfast. Pool; coin laundry.
This is a cog in the reliable chain and features really unusual bathroom plumbing.
2082 W. Main Street, in LUTCHER, (225) 869-8900. L M-F, D Thur-Sat.
Built in 1895 during Louisiana’s lumber boom--this town harvested cypress--when it served as a bar and boarding house, this spacious restaurant features vintage high ceilings is a comfortable gathering place for locals. It retains a lovely Victorian mahogany bar that greets arrivals and has some interesting collectables as part of the decor. The menu offers Cajun and Creole dishes, including gumbo, seafood, and po’boys. I chose a crispy Caesar salad and an unusual appetizer plate of crawfish empanadas to go with my colorful Hurricane cocktail.
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| front dining room in Nobile's Restaurant in Lutcher, Louisiana |
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| rustic paintings for sale in Nobile's Restaurant in Lutcher, Louisiana |
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| Hurricane cocktail at Nobile's Restaurant in Lutcher, Louisiana |
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| Caesar salad at Nobile's Restaurant in Lutcher, Louisiana |
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| crawfish empanadas at Nobile's Restaurant in Lutcher, Louisiana |
110 Frenier Road, in LAPLACE. Cajun Pride Swamp Tours glide through the legendary, privately owned Manchac Swamp, where you will see alligators, turtles, and a variety of birds. Seasoned guides introduce additional local flora and fauna as the pontoon boat meanders through the waterway, and they tell tales of hurricanes, survival, and the unique Louisiana culture. According to Captain Allen--our Cajun guide who sports a gravelly voice much like the late actor Redd Fox--whether you see alligators “depends on the temperature.” At 70-degrees plus they come out. Allen keeps alligators in his home as pets and sometimes brings one along for his riders to hold. If you’re real lucky, as I was, he will do this on the day you visit and you, like I did, might get to hold a two-foot-long
baby alligator.
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Cajun Pride Swamp Tour in LaPlace, Louisiana
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| alligator spotted on Cajun Pride Swamp Tour in LaPlace, Louisiana |
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| egrets spotted on Cajun Pride Swamp Tour in LaPlace, Louisiana |
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| red cardinal spotted on Cajun Pride Swamp Tour in LaPlace, Louisiana |
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Captain Allen holds alligator on Cajun Pride Swamp Tour in LaPlace, Louisiana
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| visitors hand off alligator on Cajun Pride Swamp Tour in LaPlace, Louisiana |
Nearby plantations. More
ideas for exploring the U.S.
images ©2017 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Now that swamp tour would be most interesting! That one called out to me.
ReplyDeleteWow! Have always wanted to dig a little deeper into the swamp culture of the south. LaPlace looks like a great spot to do just that!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of LaPlace so it's great to learn something about it. The swamp tour sounds fascinating especially as we have nothing like it in Australia.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try those crayfish empanadas they looked delicious. That swamp tour looked like quite an adventure. Not sure I'd want to hold that mini gator though ;)
ReplyDeleteTurns out I am allergic to crayfish so I wasn't happy I ate those empanadas. The alligator had his mouth held shut for the tour.
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