Category: Louisiana Top List USA
Source: https://top-list.co/top-best-small-towns-in-louisiana-v2130.html
Breaux Bridge
Breaux Bridge is a small town in Louisiana’s St. Martin Parish. Breaux Bridge hosts an annual Crawfish Festival and is known throughout the region for including nicknames in its phone directory. After the first steel bridge in Breaux Bridge collapsed, this steel bridge over the bayou was built in 1950. The painted crawfish honors Breaux Bridge’s status as the World’s Crawfish Capital! Take a stroll down Bridge Street in downtown Breaux Bridge, where you’ll pass some of the town’s oldest structures, including Begnaud’s Hardware Store, the first brick structure built in Breaux Bridge in 1899.
Numerous artists and craftspeople call Breaux Bridge and the surrounding areas home, creating a vibrant art scene for visitors to enjoy while visiting Breaux Bridge. There’s no better place to dine on all the delicious plates Louisiana Cajun cooking has to offer than New Orleans, the world’s crawfish capital. The crawfish etouffee with potato salad looks delectable. The St. Bernard Catholic Church is located on the corner of Bridge and Courthouse Streets. This church was built in 1933 by a number of local craftsmen in the popular French-Roman architectural style of the time.
A visit to Breaux Bridge would be incomplete without a stop at the iconic Café des Amis, which is famous for its weekend brunches. Expect to drink, eat, dance, and let the good times roll. Breaux Bridge is not only rich in cultural opportunities, but it is also rich in natural beauty. Stop by nearby Lake Martin to catch this sunset or bring your fishing pole for a fantastic catch!
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Covington
Covington, a small Southern town with tree-lined streets and charming cottages, is located across the river from New Orleans. This quieter town is culturally rich, with high tea, James Beard-nominated chefs, and Louisiana staples like carriage tours and its own Café du Monde. Downtown, the walkable district, has many shops, galleries, museums, and restaurants, making the nearly 24-mile journey from New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (the world’s largest continuous bridge over water) worthwhile. Covington’s history can be traced back to the humble bovine. In 1813, the town was laid out in a grid pattern with free parking areas known as ox lots where schooners came down the Bogue Falaya River to trade goods from Covington to New Orleans.
The small town’s location at the confluence of three rivers (including the Abita and the Tchefuncte) made it a desirable location for merchants to hawk their wares while parking their oxen in the squares. While there are no oxen in sight today, it still pays homage to its humble heritage, being listed on the National Register of Historic Places and hosting annual festivals such as the Covington Three Rivers Art Festival every fall. The family-owned Southern Hotel, with a lobby known as “Covington’s living room”, is the city’s largest and will make you feel right at home.
The boutique property, located in the city’s historic district in a 1907 building, was restored into a hotel in 2014 and now has 40 guest rooms and two suites, as well as a restaurant and bar. The Garden House, located next to the main hotel, has five rooms in the renovated former Covington Post Office. If you want to feel like a local, Covington has several bed and breakfasts within a few minutes’ walk of downtown. Blue Willow B&B has five suites (one of which has a full kitchen) and lovely gardens.
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Donaldsonville
It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area and is located along River Road on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Donaldsonville’s historic district is said to have the best collection of buildings from the antebellum period to 1933 of any Louisiana river town above New Orleans. Following the war, Donaldsonville residents elected Pierre Caliste Landry, an attorney and Methodist minister, as mayor in 1868; he was the first African American elected mayor in the United States.
Donaldsonville is well-known not only for its culinary significance, but also for its political significance. It served as the state capital in 1830, when the seat of power was first relocated from New Orleans, because more rural legislators were scandalized by the Crescent City’s laissez-faire attitude toward moral behavior. Though the capital was eventually relocated to Baton Rouge, Donaldsonville has retained the quiet, small-town charm that drew Louisiana legislators there in the first place. Indeed, Donaldsonville has been designated as one of the state’s Main Street communities, and it is also home to the intriguing River Road African American Museum.
Today, you can see evidence of this history all around you, whether you’re strolling through the remarkably well-preserved historic buildings, browsing the antique shops, or exploring Fort Butler, which still looks out over the riverbanks. After that, stop by Grapevine Café & Gallery for unique takes on Cajun cuisine while admiring the locally made artworks that adorn the walls. Alternatively, choose a riverside bench and watch the Mississippi flow by.
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Bastrop
Bastrop is a town in Louisiana’s Morehouse Parish. Morehouse Parish’s parish seat is here. The small town of Bastrop is primarily drawn by architecture and the outdoors. Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, was one of Louisiana’s most colorful characters, bringing 99 immigrants from northern states to run grain mills. Bastrop has since served as a safe haven for Civil War soldiers, a refuge for victims of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and, more recently, a home for some of northern Louisiana’s most interesting architecture.
While driving past the town’s Craftsman and plantation-style homes, stop by the Snyder Museum and Creative Arts Center—ask about the region’s historical tours at the Bastrop Visitor Center. Paddling enthusiasts will find plenty of opportunities in the area. There is beautiful, lush nature all over Louisiana, but few quaint towns have access to it like Bastrop. It’s a great place to start exploring the Chemin-A-Haut State Park, which is only 10 miles north of town. The name translates to “High Road” in French, and it’s not a typo. The majority of the park is elevated above the surrounding landscape, providing views out and over the Bayou Bartholomew as it meanders through the area.
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Grand Isle
Small towns are a state’s lifeblood. Sure, big cities are wonderful in their own right, but one of the reasons people love small towns is their sense of community and history. One of the most enjoyable things to do in Louisiana is to visit these small towns. Fortunately, Louisiana has a plethora of small towns scattered throughout the state, each one more delightfully charming than the last. Grand Isle is one small town in particular that is well worth a visit. Often overlooked when it comes to beach attractions, this small town has a lot to offer anyone looking to spend a few days relaxing in nature.
With an abundance of outdoor activities, Louisiana’s only inhabited barrier island is ideal for a weekend getaway. It’s one of the best small towns in Louisiana for visitors of all kinds. Renting a kayak and exploring the bay’s waterways and kayak trails is a great outdoor activity that almost anyone can enjoy. The trails at Grand Isle State Park will take you through an emerald, green sea. Grand Isle is a birdwatcher’s dream. Thousands of migratory birds pass through Grand Isle, so keep an eye out for beautiful buntings, orioles, warblers, and other species. The fishing opportunities on Grand Isle are among the most popular. Anglers of all skill levels flock to Grand Isle in the hopes of catching their next record-breaking fish, from deep sea charter fishing to surf fishing. The state park’s pier is ideal for anyone looking to cast a line without the hassle of a boat. The pier is 100 feet long and provides stunning panoramic views.
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