More Than Gators and Gumbo – A Roadtrip Through Louisiana

Everyone knows snippets of Louisiana.  New Orleans jazz, spicy cajun jambalya, swamps thick with alligators gliding menacingly.  But beneath the clichés lies a tangle of stories as heady as the music drifting through the French Quarter on a warm evening.  

For my money, it’s the most intriguing of the US’ fifty states and – put very simply – the culture, heritage and history of Louisiana is like nowhere else in America.  

The state’s history is unquestionably messy, with ownership bouncing between French and Spanish hands – ignoring the large Native American populations whose presence preceeded Europeans by centuries – before becoming a US State in 1803.  Along the Mississippi River, French settlers, Native Americans, Germans, West Africans (slaves and free people of colour alike) lived in communities where food, music and storytelling were shared rather than siloed. That communal instinct still defines the state today.

Louisiana’s past is rich, tangled and dark.  There’s no better way to understand it than taking a roadtrip through its culinary and musical heritage.

Toes A-Tapping

It goes without saying that New Orleans is one of the world’s greatest music cities.  Anywhere that can boast Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Harry Connick Jr. has some serious credentials to flex!  

Wandering the French Quarter anytime from mid-afternoon quickly becomes an exercise in following your ears. Around Jackson Square, Bourbon and Royal Streets, outrageously talented musicians blast out jazz standards and improvised soul. Few places on Earth are quite so intoxicating

For an introduction to the city’s musical heritage, head to Preservation Hall, the spiritual home of traditional New Orleans jazz. Concerts last about fifty minutes, and run daily from around 5:00pm until late evening.  Tickets range from roughly USD $25–40 and are best booked online.

This will get your juices flowing for the best night of live music you’ve ever experienced.  Stops at one of the oldest jazz bars in the country, Fritzel’s on Bourbon Street and the Spotted Cat Club on Frenchmen Street are highly recommended.  

But whatever you do, don’t make firm plans…your ears will inevitably lead you somewhere better than any tightly scheduled itinerary.  Bonus points if you catch the Young Fellaz Brass Band, a 10-12 piece ensemble, who normally play on the corner of Frenchmen and Chartres Streets.  The dancing their joyous sound inspires regularly stops traffic!

Allons Danser

While New Orleans takes the musical spotlight, the rest of the state more than holds its own. Two hours west along I-10, Lafayette hosts multiple music festivals each year, including October’s Festival Acadiens et Créoles, a joyful celebration of Cajun French-language music and heritage which takes over the city.  Signs around town read Allons Danser! - let’s dance - and they mean it.

As the slogan suggests, music here is an all-day exercise. For a two-step with your brunch, head to Buck & Johnny’s, where zydeco bands, driven by an accordion and with percussion provided by the iconic froittor (a full-body washboard), fire up around 9am to accompany breakfast diners. Locals need no excuse to take to the floor

Twelve hours later, The Blue Moon Saloon - part garage, part southern grandma’s porch - hosts jam sessions that showcase the full range of Louisiana’s musical DNA. Once again, the (tiny) dancefloor beckons as couples of all ages twirl their way through the night. 

Never let anyone tell you Louisiana isn’t a full-body experience.

More Than Just Spice

Ask someone what they know about Cajun food and they’ll likely say “spicy.” That’s not wrong - but it’s far from the full picture.

Louisiana has multiple themed food trails from po’boys (a white baguette sandwich typically filled with fresh shrimp) andouille (a peppery and smoky local sausage) to hot sauce (Tabasco sauce was invented in…) giving travellers a reason to criss-cross the state via roadside diners and family-run producers, whose food may only be surpassed with the quality of stories being told. 

Stops all over the state pay testimony to a proud culinary heritage. At Jacob’s in LaPlace – your first roadtrip stop from New Orleans - andouille has been smoked on the same site for nearly a century.  It’s sadly not the same building, which has burned down more than once, an occupational hazard of open smokers in confined spaces!  

For early risers, Cajun Vista Lodge offers Gulf fishing charters where you can catch your own lunch. Even as a complete novice, there’s something deeply calming about being on the water at 7am - and something childishly thrilling about feeling a bite on the line and reeling it in. 

Bring In That Rainbow

For the best crash course in Cajun cooking anywhere in the state (or the United States come to think of it), book a class at Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience in Vacherie, about an hour outside New Orleans.  Chef and recent TV star Spuddy Faucheux walked us through the Cajun “Holy Trinity” before encouraging everyone to “bring in the rainbow” of flavours that turn jambalaya or gumbo into something special. The ingredients can be found on every Cajun table (vegetables, andouille, shrimp, seasoning) but the ordering of items is

absolutely critical to hit the balance between heat and flavour that sets Cajun cuisine apart.

As Spuddy explains, Louisiana’s food is a microcosm of the culture: each ingredient keeps its identity while shaping everything else around it – much like each newly arrived community to the state. The results are dishes – gumbo, jamlabaya, shrimp creole, fried okra - so flavourful you’ll struggle to believe you made them yourself.  Top tip - bring an extra stomach, as you won’t be going hungry!

If cooking feels like a bit too much hard work – those food comas take a minute to pass - a curated tour is an excellent addition to a roadtrip itinerary.  While New Orleans offers countless options, my favourite starts back in Lafayette where Marie Ducote-Comeaux’s Cajun Food Tours regales travellers with fantastic storytelling and some of Cajun country’s best dishes. Travelling between five stops in a converted school bus, you’ll sample the classics while learning about the survival instinct that taught Cajuns to catch, cook and eat anything that runs, jumps or swims. And yes, this means alligator is on the menu and yes, it’s the best you’ll ever eat.

The tour ends with King Cake, traditionally associated with Mardi Gras but enjoyed year-round. Whoever finds the tiny plastic baby Jesus in their slice is crowned king for the day. As you soon realise in Lafayette, there’s always an excuse for a celebration.

Phil Thomas received support from Visit River Parishes and Travel Lafayette for this roadtrip.

Whetted your appetite? Look out for our ultimate Louisiana road trip guide in June’s edition of Darkus.

Article by Guest Writer, Phil Thomas - Author of Someone Else's Country