Hi-

I'm visiting New Orleans at the end of March/early April, and I'm thinking about renting a car and driving to Lafayette, Slidell, or Houma to check out a swamp tour. I'm just so confused because I don't know which area has the prettiest most lush/wooded swamp. I've heard good things about the Atchafalaya basin and/or Lake Martin, and that's where I originally wanted to go since they offer small boat tours and it's near Lafayette, but I was hoping to see more trees in the photos. They photos of Honey Island Swamp out of Slidell are gorgeous, but the boats are bigger and it it's not in the direction I was planning on taking a day trip. Does anyone have experience/knowledge with both swamps and can offer direction? If Honey Island Swamp is the prettiest, I'll rethink my day trip.....
Thanks!

We took a tour of Lake Martin a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. We saw quite a bit of varied plants and animal life - plenty of old cypress trees, some areas that were so thick the boat could barely pass. So I don't think you would be disappointed there.

Hi November Moon-

I think you went with the tour company that I'm considering going with...Cajun Country Swamp Tours (I was reading through old posts). If that's the tour company you went with, do you remember small the boats were? If not, which one did you go with? There's also Champagne's Swamp Tours, The Atchafalaya Experience, and De La Houssaye Swamp Tours...so many selections.

Aside from a swamp tour in the Lafayette area, what is one other not to miss excursion (aside from eating)? I've thought about Avery Island (it's not too far out the way) and maybe the Arcadian Villiage or Vermillionville. What are your thoughts on those or can you think of another place to see?

Thanks!

Avery Island is beautiful. I went as a child on a school trip and still remember how beautiful it was. You can also tour the McIlhenny tabasco factory though I don't think the tours are as extensive as they used to be.

I would highly recommend detouring for Avery Island.

What about Shadows on the Teche? that may be somewhere it the area.

We did go with Cajun Country Swamp tours - Butch Gutcheraux, the guide is terrific. He grew up in the area and also has degrees in botony and zoology, I believe it is. He was a teacher for quite awhile before he made a full time job of giving tours. We felt he had the whole package - cultural/local knowledge, technical knowledge, and also the ability to describe things in an interesting and informative way. And he was terrific about answering questions - the people on our tour definitely asked questions. The boat was 15-20 feet long, flat bottomed with an outboard motor.

I think it is Champagne's Swamp Tours that leaves from the same dock. We passed their boat out on the lake - it was very similar to the one we were in.

For other places to visit in the area - we really enjoyed Avery Island. We went for the Tabasco Factory, which was fun, but the Jungle Gardens were a surprise highlight of our trip. Really interesting place.

Shadows on the Teche plantation is in New Iberia, so very close to Lake Martin. We took a tour - it was quite interesting and a different experience from the plantation tours on the River Road. The plantation was more of a backwater plantation rather than out on the Mississippi river, so the history is different. Also, the place was in the same family for many generations and was given, in tact, as a historical monument. The people there do a really nice job with the tour and also with the museum across the street.

We didn't get to the Acadian Village or Vermillionville - they looked neat though. We were only in the area for a couple days and since we had rented a cabin out by a lake, wanted to include some relaxation time while we were there.

That's so weird...someone's posting about Honey Island swamp got deleted....

The swamps in the Atchafalaya basin will be prettier, more remote, and probably more of what you're looking for, but they are a little bit further away by car.