Hot Honeymoon
 

We are going to Avery Island Louisiana, the Mecca of hot sauce the home of my mistress Tabasco ;)

With buying a new house etc we have decided that we will skip an expensive honeymoon and use the extra money for things for the house and to build our equity in the home.

We will be leaving Wichita, Ks. And driving down to Louisiana in September; here is my question though our thought process was to just take our time see the site along the way, so if anyone knows of any great things we should do let me know.

We have a week to do this in, we had planned on going for a longer trip but as I said we have scaled back.

My trip plan as of now is to spend a few days in Avery Island but other then that I thought we could stop and stay where we wanted a day here a day there etc.

Any suggestions or help would be great, thanks in advance.

-SFG-

Little change in plans after getting more info seems we cant stay on Avery Island and will be staying in New Orleans so any suggestions would be great, don’t really care for the night life seen.

Sunflower,
What are you and your fiance interested in?
Food, architecture, cajun history, etc?

We love old buildings, antiques and history. She likes local arts and crafts. We are open to most everything, also do you know anything about Lafayette and Baton Rouge? We thought we might spend some time there as well. Baton Rouge on the way to New Orleans and Lafayette after we see Avery Island.

I lived in Lafayette for years. I'm not too familiar with Baton Rouge besides driving through.

You may want to check out this thread: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35105022

I would suggest a trip to St. Martinville. It is very close to Avery Island. Take a look at this website: http://www.cajuncountry.org/
Unfortunately you will just have missed the Zydeco festival. That would have been tons of fun.

This website gives lots of info on history, culture, food, etc in Lafayette: http://www.lafayettetravel.com/

Would you be interested in a swamp tour? There would be opportunities to see local wildlife and I think the swamps are strikingly beautiful in some areas.

By the way, Byrd gave you excellent advice on your thread too. Hope this helps.

Oh I love the idea of a swamp tour! What is the weather like that time of year; forgive my ignorance but what is Zydeco music? Thank you for the advice and I will look at the info you gave me.

The weather will still be warm (or very warm) in September, but that means the alligators will be out in full force. If you want cooler weather, later in the month is better.

Okay, you'll be coming down I-35 from Wichita, so here is the plan I'd recommend.

Day 1:

I'd drive straight south on I-35 through Oklahoma on into Texas. I would take I-35W on the Ft. Worth side of the DFW metroplex so you can avoid traffic. If you leave early morning from Wichita, you would be arriving in the evening in Austin. That is where I suggest you spend the first night.

Night 1 in Austin, TX
Day 2: Tour Austin and then drive to San Antonio

Since you're on your honeymoon, I would normally suggest Lake Austin Spa Resort or something like that, but since you said you want to save money, perhaps a reasonably priced hotel in downtown Austin would be nice for you. You could go see the bats, eat at some local restaurants, walk along Town Lake Trail or go to Barton Springs. All of these things are great for newlyweds, they are romantic but still let you get out and about.

From there it's onto San Antonio, about 1.5 hrs south.

Night 2 in San Antonio, TX
Day 3: Drive to Lafayette, LA

Drive straight through Houston on I-10 (it's faster than 610 or any other loop) and try to get through the area as fast as possible to avoid getting stuck in gridlock. Look at the skyline as you pass.

Drive straight through to Lafayette, LA. I'm guessing it's around 6-7 hours driving. Stay at a B&B or hotel in Lafayette.

Night 3 in Lafayette, LA
Day 4 tour Avery Island

Drive down US90 to New Iberia and take the exit for Avery Island. Go do the factory tour and then the Jungle Gardens tour. Do the Jungle Gardens tour as slow as you can - it is magnificent and you want to catch it all.

That night, stay at a B&B in St. Martinville.

Night 4 in St. Martinville area, LA
Day 5 tour St. Martinville and then drive to New Orleans

Visit the Evangeline Oak (very romantic place to be) and tour the Mardi Gras museum, the church, etc...

Then, head onto New Orleans via US90. Stay at Hilton Riverside or wherever.

Nights 5-6 in New Orleans
Day 6:

Tour French Quarter. Shop antiques on Royal or Magazine. Go to Audubon Aquarium, Insectarium, and/or WWII museum. Take a streetcar to the Audubon zoo. Eat at world famous restaurants like Emeril's, K-Pauls. If you want cheaper, buy a muffaletta at Central Grocery on Decatur.

Day 7: Take a swamp tour in the morning. Head to Oak Alley and Laura plantation in the afternoon. Spend the night at Nottoway.

Night 7 at Nottoway Plantation.

Day 8: Head back up to I-10 and then take I-49 north to Natchitoches. Go to Lasyonnes and eat a meat pie for lunch. Walk around the quaint downtown and then hit the road. Try to make Shreveport by night.

Night 8 at Shreveport, LA
Gamble at one of the casinoes, or just rest.

Day 9 Return to Omaha.

This will be a very long travel day, driving from Shreveport to Omaha, but this keeps your trip within 9 days. That means you only have to take 5 days of vacation.

Ok an honest question so I wont look stupid, How does one eat a mud bug?

I answered on your other post.