kristofdm8986

Hello dear people, we plan to drive from New Orleans to Dallas with a stop at the Rosedown plantation north of Batton Rouge, then up to lake Caddo where we would rent a cabin and stay 3 nights, then drive to Dallas to take a plain to Las Vegas. Rosedown we'll definitely do but The rest is still flexible. So:

1: Is Caddo lake / Karnack worth the 3 night stay? we like hiking, food ,wildlife, some culture. We would do a lake boat tour, for gator spotting and the cypresses / Spanish moss views.
2: We d' love to just stop in any "down town" to visit a diner (like the ones we get to see on tv ) and have some pie with coffee, eat a burger, the simple things. any suggestions? I read Jefferson is a decent stop.
3: Driving from Caddo to Dallas on the I20, is there anything worth a de-tour, any suggestions on where to just leave the I20 and take some smaller roads? Perhaps cut one night from Caddo and enjoy one somewhere else?
4: Lets say we have some time to kill in Dallas, is the sixth floor museum the absolute must see or is strolling some nice neighborhood with local culture also an option (pop-up stores, restaurants, street art, etc. ... )?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Christopher

PrairieHikerI

I would take a slight detour to Lafayette which has Zydeco and Cajun music venues. You can also eat tasty Cajun food such as red beans and rice, Jambalaya, and Creole Gumbo at restaurants such as Dwight's. The downtown is lively and there are the famous Festival International de Louisiane and Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. Near Lafayette is Cypress Island Swamp where you can walk on a boardwalk and view alligators and many types of birds beneath live oak and cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss.

En route to Rosedale Plantation stop off at Natchitoches. It has many antebellum historic homes and the Cane River Creole National Historical Park at Oakand and Magnolia Plantations. It has a lively downtown with restaurants, etc.

williamscb13

I think that's too many days at Caddo Lake. The state park itself has very few hiking trails from what I remember. I have not hiked at the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge which is right next door but it may have longer hiking trails. The refuge is also free I think so It would be no big deal to drive other there and hike.
I agree that Natchitoches is a decent stop. Cute little downtown, very different architure and you can tour Melrose Plantation which was the home of Clementine Hunter, a self-taught black woman artist. Melrose was an artists colony for a while in the mid 20th century.
Leaving Caddo Lake, probably an hour down I-20 is the small town of Kilgore, Texas. It has the East Texas oil Museum which is worth a quick detour, there's also a Kilgore Rangerette museum and a Broadcast museum, both of which I've never been to.
and I think the 6th Floor museum is a must visit. It's incredibly well done and fascinating. I'd driven through the intersection hundreds of times and did not realize that's where JFK was shot. The Nasher sculpture museum in Dallas is also worth a visit.

for your pie with coffee, stop in Shreveport going from Natchitoches to Caddo Lake. Go to Strawn's eatery and get the pie. Unforuntately, you are not here for peach season, but the coconut, strawberry and chocolate cream pies are also very good. It's a quick detour off the interstate. There are several locations but the original one is near Centenary College and is just named Strawn's. Note: it closes at 3 p.m. the other locations may be open later. The other famous place for pie is Lea's lunchroom in LeCompte, LA. It is not on I-49 but on Hwy 71 which is the road people used before I-49 was built. I don't drive south, so can't tell you much about the pie or the place but it's famous. Probably can't go wrong with either Lea's or Strawn's.

williamscb13

I'm also going to add you might want to look into Avery island and a tour of the McIlhenny tobacco plant if that fits into your itinerary.

Gretchen

Don't forget to eat some good Texas BBQ.

kristofdm8986

Superb, checking Lafayette (looks pretty nice) and the other tips. i did indeed read multiple things on th net about Caddo that made me wonder.... ill be mapping this out and will keep you posted. another questin, let say we park at cypres isl. swamp (or in general...), is this safe to leave gear in the car, out of sight ofcourse. i know, in citues, do'nt, but in more secluded areas? thank you!

tomfuller

Correct that to read Tabasco. If there is a big drop off fee on your rental car in Texas, you might consider returning the car where you rented it in LA and taking the train from New Orleans to San Antonio and renting another there.

williamscb13

You are so right! I am not sure how that happened. I'm going to blame auto correct from Tabasco to tobacco. Good catch.

PrairieHikerI

Unless you have a car with a trunk where you can store your valuables, I wouldn't risk it.