LOUISIANA

By Jill Gleeson

Lovely, lyrical Louisiana is like nowhere else in the world.

From Cajun to Creole, each culture (and its justifiably beloved cuisine) thrives in the Pelican State, which also offers tour groups the countless charms of the country’s most unique city, New Orleans. It’s a place where history comes alive in a slew of varied attractions, but it’s also somewhere always looking to the future, with new and freshly upgraded offerings sure to delight visitors. With so much to love about Louisiana, the only issue group leaders might encounter is getting groups to leave come tour’s end.

BY PAUL KIEU/HUNTER ROMERO, COURTESY LAFAYETTE TRAVEL

Popular Demand

THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM

Designated by Congress as “America’s National World War II Museum,” this massive, three-building institution brings to life through extraordinary, interactive exhibits the American story in the global conflict that raged from 1939 to 1945. New as of November is “Expressions of America,” an immersive outdoor sound and light spectacular that transports viewers through history via nextlevel special effects, music and nine-story-tall projections. The National World War II Museum offers groups reduced pricing and is conveniently situated in downtown New Orleans. Travel planners may also arrange for box lunches, guided tours and more.

Houmas House

Houmas House, which is located in Darrow, just about 30 minutes southeast of Baton Rouge and an hour from New Orleans, gives visitors a look at an exquisite sugarcane plantation. Painstakingly restored to the antebellum era, though it traces its beginnings back to 1774, Houmas House boasts a mansion filled with a jaw-dropping array of antiques and historical artwork, as well as sprawling, carefully tended grounds. Special group packages include escorted tours of the Classical Revival-style home, combined with self-guided walks through the gardens and a buffet lunch at the on-site cafe.

Vermilionville

One of Louisiana’s most unique attractions, Lafayette’s Vermilionville is a 23-acre folklife village that depicts, through costumed historical interpreters and artisans, the day-to-day doings of the area’s Creole, Cajun and Native American peoples up until the late 1800s. The site includes seven original homes dating between 1790 to 1880, as well as a wide array of artifacts such as tools, furnishings and housewares from that period. Vermilionville not only gives groups guided tours but can also provide an array of delightful add-ons that range from cooking demonstrations to dance lessons and lunch.

Popular Demand Shreveport Aquarium

Group travelers can meet more than 300 aquatic species and 1,000 individual saltwater and freshwater animals at the Shreveport Aquarium. Themed exhibits feature beautifully hued coral reefs, sultry tropical lagoons and even re-created shipwrecks. Groups are also sure to love watching the shark feedings, which include a talk from one of the aquarium’s experts, snapping turtle feedings in the spring and summer, and interactive tidepool and ray experiences that allow guests to touch stingrays, sea stars and anemones, and more.

Up And Coming

Vue Orleans

When Vue Orleans debuted in February 2022, it seemed destined to become one of Louisiana’s hottest new attractions, and it has clearly fulfilled that promise. At the foot of Canal Street, Vue takes groups through original films and state-of-the-art interactive exhibits that explore NOLA’s distinctive culture through the lens of history, food, music and more. After a high-tech elevator ride that provides its own fascinating view of New Orleans, visitors arrive on the 33rd floor, where a 360-degree indoor observation deck awaits. Head up another flight and experience the 360-degree rooftop platform, with stunning sights such as the Mississippi River and the French Quarter.

Poverty Point Virtual Reality Tours

One of the most important archaeological sites in the country got a big upgrade in December, when a new virtual reality app launched that allows group visitors to experience it as it was 3,400 years ago. Featuring nine experiences, the mobile app explores Poverty Point, a series of massive earthen mounds and ridges erected by Native Americans in what would eventually become Pioneer, Louisiana. While the reason for the earthworks has been lost to time, groups can now stand, for example, on the largest mound and see how it looked when it was built, bringing the past into the present as never before.

Goodman Imax Dome Theater

Also in December, following a million-dollar makeover, Shreveport’s upgraded Sci-Port Discovery Center IMAX Dome reopened as the Goodman IMAX Dome Theater. The theater, which is located in a 92,000-square-foot, science-oriented complex that features interactive exhibits and a planetarium, now boasts a 4K laser-based projection system. Other enhancements include new sound and light equipment, all of which combine to present films with better clarity, color and contrast than groups have ever seen before. Thanks to the improvements, the Goodman IMAX is now able to show feature films as well as educational documentaries.

The Louisiana Purchase Gardens And Zoo

The Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo in Monroe offers more than 400 animals and 100 species, with enclosures grouped along two miles of pathways that connect them with gardens and grounds. Groups will enjoy the recently added budgie and tortoise exhibits, which allow opportunities to feed the critters. Even more upgrades are on the way, including a new sloth exhibit. Still to be built are an alligator feeding habitat with a viewing platform, smaller alligator habitats, a beaver habitat, an otter habitat and a turtle pond, all part of the estimated $1.2 million phase 1 of the zoo’s master plan.