Louisiana Off the Beaten Path

This book was a gift for my brother who lives in Louisiana. We used it immediately when he opened it and went to explore the area north of Baton Rouge. The guide was accurate as far as the two plantations we visited. If you're in the area, make sure to visit Rosedown plantation--the tour and guide were excellent.

Reviewed by Mary Greenwood for Reader Views (2/07) "Louisiana, Off the Beaten Path" is a recent guide to Louisiana written by Gay N. Martin, who has written earlier versions of this guidebook as well as guidebooks for Alabama, where she lives. This guide is very up-to-date and takes into account changes as a result of recent hurricanes. However, even with the hurricanes, 85 percent of Louisiana was left intact. "Louisiana, Off the Beaten Path" is divided into five sections, one for each geographic area. In each section, Martin lists "Gay's Favorites, Top Annual Events, Places to Stay and Places to Eat." She also lists some delicious recipes and where to go to do further research. The first chapter covers Northwest Louisiana, which includes Ark-La-Tex, a 200-mile radius around the Shreveport and Bossier City area. What caught my eye were the many art museums and galleries. The R.W. Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport houses one of the three largest collections in the country of American Western paintings and sculptures by Frederick Remington and Charles Russell. Another town I would like to visit is Keatchie, a town where the Greek Revival architecture dates from the 1840's and 1850's and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In Northeast Louisiana, an unusual place to visit is the Poverty Point State Historic Sire, which may be as archaeologically significant as England's Stonehenge. Flying over the park, during the winter, you would see a mound outline of a great bird with a wingspan of 640 feet that was built over 3000 years ago. Central Louisiana is the setting for "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya's," the best-selling book and movie by Rebecca Wells. It is also the home of the musician Jerry Lee Lewis, who grew up in Ferriday, Louisiana, where the Delta Music Festival is held every spring. Southwestern Louisiana is the home of the Acadian Village in Lafayette and the Longfellow-Evangeline Museum in St. Martinsville. Of course, the heart of Southeastern Louisiana is still New Orleans, and "Louisiana, Off the Beaten Path" points out many nooks and crannies to go for food, music and culture that are out of the way. A Cajun Man's Swamp Cruise about 15 miles west of Houma, the Venice of America, looks like an interesting ride. "Louisiana, Off the Beaten Path" shows the diversity of Louisiana: the birds, the food, the swamps, the wildlife, the history, the festivals, the art, the traditions, the music and the plantations. I liked the way Martin lays out each chapter. Her book also includes the interesting side trips or restaurants near an attraction so you can easily make an interesting afternoon or day filled with several activities. After reading the book, I would like to spend a month in Louisiana and visit some of these unique places.