Lafayette and Avery Island, LA…Hot, Hot, Hot

Note: We’re Easin’ Along across the south on our way to Arizona and California in a journey we named Lucy Does the Desert. Read below for an account of our third stop, Lafayette, LA.

We left Biloxi with some of the stress and kinks that go along with the beginning of any trip subsiding, and finally beginning to feel relaxed. Our next stop would be at Acadiana Park Campground in Lafayette, LA, a place neither of us has ever visited. My nephew lived nearby for several years and recommended the area highly for the Cajun influence and the Cajun cooking. I was eager to see it for myself.

At around four in the afternoon, we pulled in to Acadiana Park to find it almost to ourselves. There was one large motorhome in the campground. The park ranger told us to park wherever we wanted. Helen (picky, but adorable wife) finally allowed me to pull Lucy into a lovely campsite under a solid Live Oak adorned with Spanish Moss and Resurrection Ferns. The picture is below. Our stay in Lafayette would be a short one. We only had one full day to take in the sights and the seafood, so we settled in early to get a good start in the morning.

Helen had two options for sightseeing. The first recommendation from Trip Advisor was Vermillionville, a historic village not far from the campground. The second option was Avery Island, the home of Tabasco, America’s favorite hot sauce. We arrived at Vermillionville, but because our time was limited, and because Vermillionville seemed a bit too touristy, we might enjoy Avery Island more. Good decision.

Avery Island is about 30 miles from Lafayette and a very pleasant drive through the Louisiana low country. Although it was somewhat early in the day when we arrived, a lot of cars filled the parking lot. Helen went to the Tabasco Country Store to purchase tour tickets for the Tabasco plant, and to get suggestions about what to see while on the property. The nice lady selling tickets said we had to see the Jungle Gardens. The Azaleas and the Camellias were in full bloom and be sure to see them. We toured the Tabasco Museum first.

The Museum is nicely done and does an excellent job of telling the Tabasco story of Mr. McIlhenny creating the sauce and a modest business after losing his banking fortune during the Civil War. The Museum details the extraordinary growth of the product nicely extremely well. The videos scattered throughout the Museum tell the history of Tabasco and describe the manufacturing process in a very informative way.

Next, we entered the plant where the distinctive aroma of Tabasco greeted us. I am a devotee of Tabasco and use it on everything from steaks to gumbo. The hint of spicy vinegar that wafted through the plant was not lost on me and only made me hungry for scrambled eggs.

The most exciting part of the plant tour was seeing thousands of bottles parading through the assembly line and receiving the diamond shaped label that has adorned the bottle for the entire history of Tabasco. A digital counter displayed the number of bottles produced for this day. As we made it to the end of the assembly line, the number exceeded 300,000. Tabasco is hot! Pun intended…

The Jungle Gardens on Avery Island were in full bloom. One lady selling tickets in the shop near the entrance assured us that the price of admission is a value and that this is her favorite time of the year. As I always say, timing is everything.

Enormous Live Oaks and alligators are found all along the roadway that leads us on a self-guided tour. We stopped to admire one large oak, bordered by a brilliant line of azaleas. I have shared a picture here, but this is a tiny sampling of them. The camellias were also on full display, with the shrubs filled with blooms.

We love camellias, and some of the plants here were well over six feet tall. According to one of the markers, one of the McIlhenny sons loved them as well and collected them from all the world to plant on Avery Island. Thank you!

To cap off a great day, we drove to Prejean’s, a Cajun restaurant with a top tier rating. The restaurant was lively for a weeknight, but we obtained two seats in the bar area. A pretty and very accommodating server talked us through the menu, suggesting the award-winning gumbo as a “must have.” She was spot on; the gumbo was delicious with a subtle smoky flavor and loaded with shrimp.

Helen ordered crawfish enchiladas and left nothing. I tried a taste and found it delicious. I ordered a platter of catfish to go with the gumbo. The catfish was light and flakey, just the way I like it. The platter held a lot of food, but I managed. Prejeans was a great experience. The Cajun band that played throughout the evening added a local flavor for the guests.

That about wraps up our third stop. On the way home from Prejeans, we vowed to exercise more. I suppose that means we’ll have to move Helen’s barbells from their present use as a weight for our satellite dish. Oh, well, we’re havin’ fun and just Easin’ Along. Come back.