The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, or Atchafalaya Swamp bridge, Louisiana French "L'Atchafalaya"…read more is a 18.2-mile bridge, one of the few roads from Grosse Tete, Louisiana, to Henderson, Louisiana An 18.2 mile bridge that crosses the largest swamp in the US, or if you rather, the largest wetlands in the US. A "Swamp" is a forested wetland. It's an enchanting sight for sure. Nothing like it in the world. It has its own beauty like none other. Home to the Alligator & Nutria. Nutria is a swamp "rat" that is trapped for its luxurious fur. Fur more luxurious than a mink. Cooks up better than a chicken & you can train them as pets. haha. The Atchafalaya swamp is best known for its iconic cypress-tupelo swamp trees, roughly 260,000 breathtaking acres, the largest remaining contiguous tract of coastal cypress trees in the United States. Mostly destroyed by the loggin industry in the 1800's. From 1830 to 1953, the community of "Bayou Chene" the native Chitimacha tribe, lived & thrived there logging, hunting, trapping & fishing the shallow waters. There were a few Chitimacha villages or "towns" there, the "Village of Bones" or "Namu Katsi" the "Cottonwood Village" known as "Kushuh Namu" in the Chitimacha language. That's all gone. Completely gone. Like it wasn't even there. Vanished into the silty shallows. You can research it, it's an interesting read if you enjoy Native American History. Long story short, after years of flooding, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers screwing it up, turning it into a permanent flood zone, with disaster after disaster of rising waters, the community left with the closing of the United States Post Office at Bayou Chene in 1952. Most of the residents of Bayou Chene relocated to the nearby basin towns like New Iberia, St. Martinville & Breaux Bridge, like my grandfather. Today, absolutely nothing remains of the native American "swamp community." The government loves to destroy, "order thru chaos" next it will be "fill in the blank" community. It's history & memories buried underneath the murky waters of the Atchafalaya Basin. It's only visible reminder of what once was, is ugly cut down ancient cypress tree stumps from the loggers that will never grow back. Not for centuries, if ever. Long time ago, my Grandfather had a fishing cabin here, his father b4 him. We all have many great childhood stories & memories staying with my grandfather in Breaux Bridge. With my father away at war, mother visiting her parents, my grandparents, I was born here, in Louisiana, even thou we lived in Pensacola at that time. All that I have left, all that remains of it now, is this photo I have of my mother & her cousin, my Uncle playing outside there on the Atchafalaya Basin. You can see the iconic trees in the background. My mother sure does look adorable in her cowboy boots. A real beauty like none other just like the Atchafalaya basin. My heart aches for a people erased, a one of a kind ancient forest lost. But my memories of her, and our time together there, will forever remain. Highest recommendations.

I do love a good bridge! And even better is when they seem to be stable and not so scary you feel…read moreyou will fall from. This has a peaceful view that is relaxing. It is a long bridge over a bayou/swamp area, I guess the Atchafalaya Basin. I can imagine boaters going along fishing, swamp creatures doing their thing, wild boars doing whatever they do. Being fairly straight, at some times the sides narrow in, at least there is a breakdown lane for the most part. I can also imagine a hunting or fishing shack being somewhere in the middle and a family having owned it since the beginning of time. I really like this bridge.

The Atchafalaya River is a supporting cast member for the Mighty Mississippi River and only gets…read morehonorable mention when the great floods from the north threaten people and property along Old Man River. The Morganza Floodway, which leads to the Atchafalaya Basin and the Atchafalaya River in south-central Louisiana is opened to divert water from the Mississippi River during major flood events this is accomplished by flooding the Atchafalaya Basin, including the Atchafalaya River and the Atchafalaya Swamp. The spillway and adjacent levees also help prevent the Mississippi from changing its present course and threaten NOLA, but the Cajuns that make the Atchafalaya Basin home rarely get mentioned no matter how these events affect their lives and livelihoods. Bridges are a powerful symbol--a metaphor for "crossing over." And our lives are all about making different crossings - as we try to peer to the other side of the bridge, we wonder...What is waiting for us on the other side? In this case it's Krotz Springs that sits quietly along US Highway 190, famous for its artesian spring water that was accidentally discovered while drilling for oil. These Atchafalaya Bridges are dual cantilever bridges built in 1973 and 1988 to replace the original 1933 truss bridge. The muddy water that flows to the Gulf of Mexico are filled with rich sediments and are home to an array of wildlife and fish species that provide a living for those that call this beautiful swamp land home. No there isn't anything that makes these structures unique and they look like hundreds of other we've all crossed over, but to the people that rely on these bridges everyday to live their everyday lives they mean everything so that makes them pretty special...

I love this bridge! I have started taking back roads to get to Baton Rouge from Lafayette which is…read morehow I happened upon this bridge recently. Side note-as someone who strictly took interstates to get around, I highly recommend taking back roads when you can. The scenery is much lovelier and the drive/traffic is way less stressful. Try it! Once I saw this bridge approaching I knew I was in for a treat. It's fairly new and the bridge is smooth, smooth, smooth. Normally that would lead me to start going fast because I love to drive fast, but this time I went the limit and took in the view. That's probably a good thing since after reading the reviews I've learned cops like to hang around at the bottom. Do yourself a favor and take the back roads slow and easy and enjoy this beautiful bridge. Bonus-Billy's Boudin just opened a new location in Krotz Springs right before or after you cross this bridge, depending which direction you're going.

We enjoyed visiting the old buildings and reading the history of each. They had a live musician…read moreplaying cajun music and he was very pleasant and entertaining. The place is nicely kept.

We adored our time at the Acadian Village. However, we visited at night during their Noel Acadien…read moreAu Village Christmas event, not during regular hours when they offer their history tour. I fondly remember visiting as a child and having the wonderful opportunity to learn how the early Acadian settlers homesteaded in their quaint Acadian cottages. Everything from making soap with lard, to spinning linen from cotton. They even used indigo flowers to make blue dye. Our visit for Christmas, although absent of a history tour, included a beautiful stroll through an illuminated Acadian Village. There was a beautiful manger set up, as well as the village chapel decorated with thousands of lights. Definitely worth a very inexpensive entry fee to meander through the village and experience some holiday cheer. They also had an amusement park decorated in lights, but we didn't get a chance to check out any rides, as the lines were pretty long for most of them, and we arrived late. Our visit definitely put me in the holiday spirit though! I plan to come back after the holidays for a history tour. It's such a nice place rich in history and culture.

If you love spooky season, haunted history, or haunted houses then The Gothic Jail should be on…read moreyour list to visit. Every Halloween season, they put on such a spectacular haunted house. All of the volunteers are fantastic, and you can tell they enjoy what they do. The costumes, the lights, the decorations, the effort, everything is top notch. When it's not spooky season, they offer lantern tours during specific times of the year. It's full of history with a hint of the macabre. This place is a treasure that deserves all of the attention and public attraction.

This jail was built by the lumber company at a time when this area was lawless having been for a…read morecouple hundred years considered No Man's Land. The jail is notorious for having a double hanging. The conditions must have been brutal. It is made entirely of concrete and the cell windows had bars but no glass. No heat or cooling available. It ceased operation as a jail in the 1980s.

Arrived after tour time, but was offered a personal tour instead of waiting for next tour time…read more Friendly staff. Great tour

We really enjoyed this tour. It was incredibly educational…read more The guides were very informative and personable. The education timely!

This state capitol feels like a monument to both old and new. Sprouting out amongst the nearby…read morebuildings as a concrete obelisk, you probably wouldn't think much of the Louisiana State Capitol. Its greens are a bit underwhelming but as you get closer to the building you do get a sense of its historic significance. Once you're in and past security you're greeted with an art deco style interior that feels old and outdated but in a bit of a charming way. Going on a Friday before a long weekend meant the place was a ghost town but that was nice as we felt we had the whole place to ourselves to explore. There wasn't much going on when we went but they do have an amazing observation deck that allows for beautiful views of the Baton Rouge area (for free!). You do have to take two elevators to reach the top but it's well worth it. Keeping with the theme both elevators are small and old fashioned which kind of adds to the charm. There's also a gift shop at the top where we bought some magnets from for a reasonable price. This was a fun pit stop we hit along the way to New Orleans which is how we would view this place as a whole. There's nothing here that would make you go out of your way for it, especially with how difficult parking can be around there (we walked 10 minutes from our spot). However, if you're on your way to NOLA or are very interested in Louisiana's state history, then this place would definitely be for you.

The tallest capitol building in the United States is well worth a visit. The lobby is gorgeous and…read moreyou can take the elevator up to an outdoor viewing area with 360 degree views of the city. There is a small gift shop up there, too. You can also peek into both the state legislature rooms which are amazingly detailed and decorated. Don't forget to find the back hallway on the ground level where Huey Long was shot. There are still many, many bullet holes in the walls from that incident, believe it or not. It's free to visit and well worth checking out.

I love this liquor store!! Beer wise they have things I can't get in Texas. I love that they have…read moresamples that you can sample.

Great liquor store with nice and helpful people. The store is clean and kept up. Prices are good…read moreif not better than other places and that is a plus!!!! I am glad to have this store around.

Incredible experience honoring those who served our country in the military. Thank you for the…read moresacrifice you made on our behalf. Freedom isn't free. There were plaques for each war celebrating those who served. Also, there were displays of a helicopter, a jet, a tank, and a torpedo to name a few. Please head out there to see what you are missing. You won't be disappointed! I was extremely pleased!

I am a disabled Veteran who was an Army Paratrooper, My name is listed on these walls twice, and I…read moregrew up here.. so let that be known now as my review will contain some bias. While I served overseas my family and I helped have this Memorial and Honor sanctuary be built by donating what we could. This area of Southeast Texas started this project before it was nationally popular thing to be patriotic. They started building this place out of the respect of the community and the veterans that help this country everyday. Personally, I am honored to be listed among so many heroes. Personally, I am proud of the Veteran that lives on the site to protect it daily since some years back a bunch of local kids vandalized the place and tore up the grounds. Yes, they were caught and truly ridiculed by the community and they served their judicial sentence given; but the harm was done, and once again a Veteran stepped up to stand guard with honor over this local landmark. If you spend any amount of time out there you will learn many things and meet Veterans from many areas that travel here to see their friends and other tokens of memories gone by. If you spend enough time here, you will learn that the gentleman guarding the area served on a transport vessel... if you talk to him further you will learn that he manned the Anti-Aircraft gun on that vessel... and if you hold the conversation long enough he will show you a picture of that vessel he served on and point to the ACTUAL AA GUN from that vessel sitting right near the building and ceremony area. (how cool is that?) I have taken many pictures of this area, and this review is long over due, so please spend a moment to go here and respect the care and love that has been placed into building this area. It may seem tattered and weather beaten, but remember that the site has remained through many Hurricanes and floods, weather beaten winters and winds, and honestly.. as a Veteran... I would not want it any other way; spit shine and polish is saved for the parades, the weather distressed monuments attest to the true Veterans that make these places memorable and how they will never go away. God Bless ALL of our Veterans.. and God Bless the United States of America... "This We'll Defend"[U.S. Army Motto]

A nice family walk! It was a little cold and windy, but it did not disappoint as we spotted a…read morecouple gators! The walk ways are disability friendly as they are mainly paved. The viewing platform has a 'closed' sign on it, but we just walked around and had the opportunity to get an elevated view, where we spotted our big-daddy gator!

This was a fun and neat stop! The board walk is in great condition, and they were replacing the…read morespindles on the overlook tower when we were there. Being as it is February and most of the gators are staying hidden, we still saw 4 and a nutria rat. I would love to come back when the cat tails are blooming and when there's more birds migrating through. It's a beautiful area and this was an excellent way to see the swamp!

We had a great visit. Family, Fun, & Great food…read more "Southern hospitality", is a real thing!

Downtown Baton Rouge is nice. You have your random people yelling that Jesus sent them to save…read moreeveryone and to change their ways, various Farmers Markets, stores, museums and so much to see and do. A wide variety of things to do for everyone.