Exploring Natchitoches: Louisiana’s Oldest City and Hidden Gem

Exploring Natchitoches: Louisiana’s Oldest City and Hidden Gem

In Louisiana’s oldest city, Natchitoches (pronounced Nacka-tish), you can celebrate, discover and explore the destination of travellers since 1714. No other place as unique as the Cane River Country exists in all of Louisiana. The oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, Natchitoches, is a vibrant community dedicated to preserving its incredibly rich and diverse heritage.

Located in Central Louisiana on Interstate 49, you’ll find the original French Colony in Louisiana, established in 1714 and located on the historic El Camino Real de los Tejas, designated a national historic trail in 2004.

Chances are, the thing you’ll love most about Natchitoches (aside from the famous meat pies) is the charming 33-block National Historic Landmark District—a shopper’s paradise and a bed & breakfast lover’s dream.

Natchitoches, well known for the filming of Steel Magnolias, is also known as the City of Lights from mid-November through Jan. 6 each year.

The world-famous Natchitoches Christmas Festival and parade is always held on the first Saturday in December. Throughout the year, we celebrate our music, food and culture with events and festivals such as the Natchitoches Jazz R&B Festival, Zydeco Festival, Meat Pie Festival, Creole Heritage Festival, Melrose Arts and Crafts and many other annual events.

The Cane River National Heritage Area is a rural landscape of plantations, homes and churches along the Cane River. It is home to the Cane River Creole National Historical Park that includes Oakland Plantation and the complex at Magnolia Plantation, the only two bicentennial farms west of the Mississippi River, as the farms were owned and farmed by the same families for over 200 years.

It is now preserved for future generations by the National Park Service. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy hiking, biking, stargazing and bird watching in the Kisatchie National Forest, comprised of over 600,000 acres. Kisatchie provides 80 km of multiple-use trails, a 27-km National Scenic Byway, and panoramic vistas. Discover hunting or fishing in numerous lakes, bayous, Cane River and the Red River. Don’t miss your chance to feed, hold and have your picture taken with a real alligator at Gator Country, which houses over 250 alligators.

Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, a full-scale replica of the French fort built in 1732, is open Wednesday to Sunday and westward along the El Camino Real lie three other State Historic Sites: Los Adaes, Fort Jesup and Rebel State Park that is waiting to be explored. The award-winning LA Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum is conveniently located in the historic downtown area.

Stay in one of several National brand hotels or one of our many historic bed and breakfasts, including the Steel Magnolia B&B, where the movie was filmed. Several dining options in the historic downtown area include local favourites Mayeaux’s, Maglieaux’s and Lasyone’s and Mariner’s on Sibley Lake. If you time it right, you might catch the Zydeco Breakfast at the Commissary downriver.

There’s so much to explore in Natchitoches. Why wait?

Book your adventure at natchitoches.com