Top Reasons to Go Outside of New Orleans

Take a swamp tour: Get to know the wetlands surrounding New Orleans on a boat ride. The area is home to alligators, snakes, nutria, and more.

Visit quirky Abita Springs: Head to the home of the Abita brewery for an afternoon trip, and check out the Abita Mystery House museum.

Jam to Cajun and zydeco music: Ensembles of fiddles, accordions, and guitars produce eminently danceable folk music, with songs sung in a mélange of English and Cajun French. Zydeco, closely related to Cajun music, adds washboard and drums to the mix to create an R&B-infused, jumping rhythm.

Confront America's complicated history at Whitney Plantation: The region surrounding New Orleans is dotted with a multitude of historic plantation homes. Only one former plantation in Louisiana, Whitney Plantation, has been turned into a museum dedicated to the history of slavery, focusing entirely on the experiences of the slaves that lived there.