STORY AND PHOTO BY MARK LAGRANGE

BAYOU COUNTRY

THE ROMANCE AND HISTORY OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA ARE REVEALED ALONG THE SOUTH’S OLD SPANISH TRAIL.

NOT TO BE MISSED

Guided tours of the swamps are available in Kraemer, Houma and other towns. In Henderson, take an airboat deep into the Atchafalaya Basin. basinlanding.com

SIDE TRIP

Louisiana boasts 2.6 million acres of marshland, and you can see a largely unspoiled portion on the 180-mile Creole Nature Trail. Starting at Sulphur (about 80 miles west of Lafayette), take Highway 27 south through the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. At Holly Beach, continue east along the Gulf Coast on Highways 27/82, amid stands of ancient live oaks on the way to Creole, where the route veers sharply northward on Highway 27, then follows Highway 14 north and west to Lake Charles.

NEARBY ATTRACTION

The French Quarter, New Orleans

CHOOSING ASSORTED INGREDIENTS for a good gumbo is a fine parallel to meandering along the beautiful, uncommon traces of southern Louisiana. A journey through bayou country, which is steeped in Cajun French culture, isn’t a traditional road trip. Although Highway 90, once known as the Old Spanish Trail, is the main route, it’s the side roads that lead to places with a Southern culture all their own.

As you make your way westward on Highway 90 across southern Louisiana, the influence of the Atchafalaya River Basin on the surrounding landscape becomes evident. It is the largest intact river swamp in the U.S. and holds some of Louisiana’s most scenic views. The basin, which stretches into the Gulf of Mexico, is a National Heritage Area.

From Highway 90, take Louisiana 329 to Avery Island, one of five salt domes that have moved the land above them to form “islands” within the marsh. Avery is also known as the birthplace of Tabasco pepper sauce. Take the Tabasco factory tour, and then spend time at the island’s Jungle Gardens. The 170-acre preserve is dotted with blooming azaleas and camellias when in season. During warmer months, alligators sometimes sunbathe on the edge of several ponds throughout the gardens. Springtime offers a fabulous view of the thousands of egrets nesting in Bird City, the island’s private pond.

Just north of Avery Island, the salt domes push up out of the swamp to form Jefferson Island, where you’ll find the Joseph Jefferson Mansion. Built in the 1800s, the mansion boasts elegance and grandeur. The great oaks that surround it have stood for nearly 350 years.

No tour would be complete without a sampling of Louisiana’s preserved Cajun French culinary culture. It’s worth the time to stop in Breaux Bridge, which the state Legislature proclaimed the crawfish capital of the world. Visit during the famous Crawfish Festival the first weekend of May to savor authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine and enjoy zydeco and Cajun music. Are you ready to dance?

Stands of cypress trees rise out of the Louisiana swamp.