Road Trip Advice?: Memphis to New Orleans

While much of south Louisiana is thought of as a largely French descended culture, from its history as the southern tip of New France. For most of its pre-American history, it was a french speaking spanish colony. While the settlers were most often french speaking, there were plenty of Spanish, German, Anglo, Irish, and of course Africans. While the native tribes were largely wiped out, the tribes members that remain in south louisiana often speak French as their primary language. I came across this video which tells the story of the Biloxi Chitimacha of Isle de St Charles.

There are oyster fishing villages downriver from New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish that are still primarily of Croatian descent.

The well established Isleño community stretches into New Orleans, up from St Bernard and Plaquemines Parish. Not exactly segregated and having quite a bit of political power in the region, there isn't much "heritage" that is visible to tourist, other than surnames and a museum, from what I can remember. Katrina's impact to St Bernard and Plaquemines Parish is enormous, and I can't vouch for the quality of the experience for the tourist, but there has always been good and interesting people there, with great food.

The coastal marsh beautiful. The Cheniere with their backbones of live oaks basically start near Grande Isle and stretch all the way to Texas.

Some of the towns that bound the Atchafalaya Basin on the east are interesting. The drive from Thibadeaux up to Pierre Part, Bayou Pigeon, to Bayou Sorrel, and Plaquemine is interesting. There are lingering bits of what you some might call bayou hippy culture in those towns, but mostly it is camps, and people who spend alot of time in the swamp.

On the west side of the basin, if you go to Robin's and continue down the levee road towards Catahoula, you're bound to find many entertaining bars. There are access points from both Bayou Sorrel from the east and south of Henderson from the west, that allow you access to some of the most beautiful parts of the basin.

Though you will likely spend quite a bit of time near the Mississippi River, the River Road from Baton Rouge to New Orleans is a very distinctive section. I prefer the west side, but I'm biased, since that's where I grew up. There is plenty to see in St James and St John Parish.

If you'd like to get more into the Cajun areas. You can crudely break cajun "culture" into 2 regional divisions. Bayou cajuns (farmers) and Prairie cajuns (fisherman). I'm sure my characterization is out of date, but prairie roughly coincides with north and west of Lafayette is prairie and bayou south and east.

I could ramble on for days.
 
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Regarding New Orleans.

Frenchman has lots of great music. If you work your way downriver towards the Lower Ninth fromMarigny to Bywater it is difficult to avoid entertainment.

I'd also like to put in a pitch for Monday night at the Maple Leaf Bar uptown. That area has enough amazing bars, snoballs, legendary PoBoys and other sloppy good New Orleans food to spend a whole evening.
 
venchka said:
Where are you now? If you haven't gotten as far as Lafayette yet, stop at the Conrad Rice Mill in New Iberia. Buy a bit sack of Konriko rice. http://www.conradricemill.com/results.asp?secondary=8

Which way are you headed from Lafayette?
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Haven't left yet.
Trip will happen midway through June.

We'll start in NOLA and then take hwy 90 through Morgan City to New Iberia and then Lafayette.

From Lafayette I'll go NorthEast, through St. Francisville and up hwy 61 into Mississippi.

If you've got suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Things to do/places to eat. We're adventurous types.
 
NOLA - I'd make an effort to shoot at night, in very early/late light, in difficult weather. These conditions fit New Orleans' elegant decay quite well.

Also, NOLA has more than its share of what you might call eccentrics, i.e. street people. Interesting subjects, imho. Not all like their picture taken, so be alert.
 
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MCTuomey said:
NOLA - I'd make an effort to shoot at night, in very early/late light, in difficult weather. These conditions fit New Orleans' elegant decay quite well.

Also, NOLA has more than its share of what you might call eccentrics, i.e. street people. Interesting subjects, imho. Not all like their picture taken, so be alert.
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gotcha. Street people/homeless have never really been my bag anyway, and I've worked with drunks before :). Expect the unexpected/use tact. A helluva lot of tact at times.
 
I don't know if you are into the music but a stop in Floyd's Records in Ville Platte could be worth your while. While they have plenty of CD's, still lots of vintage 45's of Swamp Pop, Soul, Cajun, and Zydeco are available on labels like La Louisianne, Jin, Khoury, etc...
 
vaughn said:
I don't know if you are into the music but a stop in Floyd's Records in Ville Platte could be worth your while. While they have plenty of CD's, still lots of vintage 45's of Swamp Pop, Soul, Cajun, and Zydeco are available on labels like La Louisianne, Jin, Khoury, etc...
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yes and yes. I will check this out.
 
I tend to be vague. I reckon if I point you in a direction, then let you find your own treasure, you'll like it better. Find your stuff. As opposed to seeing my stuff. Does that make sense?
St. Francisville: John James Audubon home.
Natchez: All of it. I can't even begin to tell you where to start. I'll research my memory banks.
Vicksburg: Battlefield. It is massive. The history of the siege and battle are chilling. Hard to imagine that it took place right here.

I'll be back. We are going to NOLA in late July. Tell me where to go!
 
The Lafayette area has had a revival of traditional music being performed and recorded by young bands such as the Pine Leaf Boys, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and Cedric Watson. Check out the bands on Valcour Records. Anybody familiar with Lafayette probably knows about the Blue Moon. Also, while it isn't likely going to be open because of the high water, since it sits on the water Whiskey River Landing has been reliably distinctive. That said many restaurants and bars have family and local entertainment.
 
If you're taking 90 from New Orleans. You'll be passing through Jeanerette home of a destination stop since my great grandparents generation. I have always been fond of stopping at some of the towns south of 90 to do a little crabbing. You could rent a furnished camp on the coast or a hotel with kitchen for not too much money. The towns on the coast certainly need some help following Hurricane Rita and other disasters. There is a lady on flickr who seems to pass often over 90, her photostream can hint what those resilient parishes have to offer.
 
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