Avery Island, Louisiana
 

Starrs, I see from an OLD post that you have been there. Anyone else? Where would you stay? one night enough? Did you visit Rip Van Winkle Gardens? Any info appreciated. Thinking of doing this in Nov after Houston.

Topping

I've been. I didn't stay there. I went down and toured the factory. I LOVED it. The air smells like pepper sauce. And the gift shop there has very cool stuff.

Love the factory tour. Will post more when I'm on computer

The "island" is a salt dome. Would be good for an afternoon visit while seeing other things in the area

We did the factory tour, whichbwas fun. It didnt take long thought. Jungle Gardens was very cool. We stayed up in Breaux Bridge.

Thanks sue, starrs and november. Anything else of value in the area?

We really enjoyed a swamp tour on Lake Martin, New Iberia is a neat town, Shadows on the Teche plantation is interesting, Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge is a great restaurant... We spent 3 days in that area and had a great time.

Good that you're going in Nov. We were there the first week of June and it was really hot. My husband had thought the Tabasco factory tour would just be so-so, but he really enjoyed it. We also enjoyed the Gardens. We did a swamp tour on Lake Martin. We went with Cajun Country Swamp Tours - a father and son outfit who grew up boating and exploring that area. Theirs is a crawfish boat tour, not airboat. Not even sure they do airboats on Lake Martin.

Actually Floridafran, what is a crawfish boat tour? Glad you and DH enjoyed! Looking forward to it!
November, Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge is on our list!

Also in BB, Cafe Jacqueline is excellent. I love BB.

Thanks suewoo, Good Grief! I just Googled BB It is the crawfish capital of the world! My husband is in 7th heaven!

cd,

Thought I previewed before I posted. But re-reading it, I must not have or I'd have been more specific. Sorry for any confusion.

What I should have said is that we went on a tour that takes you in a crawfish skiff vs. going on an airboat tour. We are avid photographers and felt zipping around in a noisy airboat wouldn't be for us. A crawfish skiff is just a shallow-draft, aluminum boat that's wide for its length. I chose Cajun Country Swamp Tours because I'd heard good things about the owner, Butch Guchereau, and because they take a max of 20 people at a time. The day we went there were only 6 of us plus Butch's son, who was guiding that day.

We chose the sunset tour because I wanted to have a chance to photograph the moss-draped cypress trees backlit by the setting sun. Our 2 hour tour got us back to the landing a little after sunset. It worked out perfectly for us. However, if it's fast and exciting you want, then you'd be better off to take one of the airboat tours, though I don't know where those leave from. This is more of a laid-back, informative meander around the edge of the lake, staying almost entirely in the cypress and waterlilies.

Since you're going in November, I suggest you ask if the alligators will already be scarce, if seeing them are important to you. I'd happily go again even if we saw nothing but the beautiful cypress trees. And I could listen to the guide's Cajun accent all day. I had an uncle by marriage who was Cajun and used to love to listen to him talk. :-)

I was down there for work and my company put me in a hotel in Lafayette. I saw these on my visits to BB and remember wishing I could stay there:

http://www.bayoucabins.com/

Thanks Floridafran, the trees, I am sure, are beautiful!!

Suewoo, Thanks for that link, I think we will try and stay there, sounds unique and something we would enjoy!

We took the tour with Butch on Lake Martin too. It was really good.