Boutte | Denham Springs | Vacherie | Sorrento
Between New Orleans and the Louisiana state capital of Baton Rouge lies plantation country. The river is lined with the whitewashed, wide columned and French colonial style plantations that grew indigo, sugar cane and rice. Many of the plantations predate the Civil War and prospered before the war tore the South apart in the 1860s. Many have been restored to their former glory and decorated and furnished according to the periods of their splendor.
Located along the Mississippi River, Baton Rouge is the state capital. The city lies on raised bluffs overlooking the river. When early colonists first came upon the spot more than 300 years ago, they discovered a bloody red stick. It was a marker between two warring tribes of Native Americans. The French named it “Baton Rouge” because of the marker. In the last century the city has been marked by the outrageous politics of Governor Huey P. Long and his successors. Plantation country is full of quiet towns known for annual festivals. Gonzales is known as the jambalaya capital, while Ponchatoula is the strawberry capital and Des Allemands is the catfish capital of the world. Each offers a fun taste of life in South Louisiana.
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