10 Ridiculously Fun Things To Do in Louisiana

Louisiana isn’t just a place—it’s a feeling. A humid, horn-blaring, roux-simmering mood that seeps into your soul and stays there long after the trip ends. From the jazz joints of New Orleans to the moss-draped bayous of the Atchafalaya, every corner of this state hums with life. It’s where French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean cultures collided, then slow-danced into something completely unique—and deeply flavorful.

Looking for the best things to do in Louisiana? You’ll need an open heart, a curious palate, and maybe a pair of dancing shoes. One day might take you through a Creole mansion or a live oak alleyway straight out of a movie; the next, you're elbows-deep in crawfish at a roadside boil or spotting gators on a swamp tour.

This is a state that doesn’t just invite you in—it pulls you into the parade. Let’s explore the places, flavors, and rhythms that make Louisiana unforgettable.

1. Explore the French Quarter in New Orleans

Location: Centered around Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA 70116

The French Quarter is more than a neighborhood—it’s an experience. With its 300-year-old buildings, cast-iron balconies, and jazz echoing from every corner, it feels like walking through living history. Start your day with powdered-sugar-dusted beignets at Café du Monde, then roam Royal Street’s galleries or duck into voodoo shops and antique bookstores that hold more stories than souvenirs. Every corner has a character, and every street performer seems to be part of the city’s heartbeat.

History and hedonism blend here like nowhere else. One minute you’re inside St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in North America; the next, you’re sipping a hurricane at a bar older than the state itself. While Bourbon Street gets the attention, locals often prefer the charm of Frenchmen Street for live music that feels more authentic and less chaotic.

2. Visit the National WWII Museum

Location: 945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130

The National WWII Museum offers a deeply immersive journey through one of the most pivotal eras in modern history. Spread across multiple pavilions, the exhibits walk you through the war’s major fronts, filled with personal stories, artifacts, and emotionally powerful displays. The "Road to Tokyo" and "Road to Berlin" exhibits bring the Pacific and European theaters to life with striking realism and rare footage. It's the kind of museum where silence often follows awe.

What sets this museum apart is its emotional weight and cinematic storytelling. The 4D film “Beyond All Boundaries,” produced by Tom Hanks, uses special effects and historical footage to create a visceral experience. Interactive exhibits let you follow the war through the eyes of individual soldiers—making history feel intensely personal. Even those with little interest in military history often leave moved and inspired.

3. Tour the Swamps and Bayous

Location: Various locations around southern Louisiana — top launch points include Honey Island, Barataria Preserve, and Atchafalaya Basin.

There’s a side of Louisiana that doesn’t play to the crowds, but once you’ve seen it, you’ll never forget it. Touring the swamps and bayous—by airboat, kayak, or covered tour boat—gives you a front-row seat to one of the most hauntingly beautiful ecosystems in North America. Cypresses draped in Spanish moss, glassy waters reflecting the sky, and the calls of unseen birds create a dreamlike atmosphere. It’s nature in slow motion, full of mystery and magic.

These wetlands aren’t just about scenery—they’re alive with wildlife. Alligators, egrets, turtles, and even wild boars call these places home. Guides often share deep knowledge about local folklore, Cajun history, and ecological preservation. Depending on where you go, you might pass historic fishing camps or long-forgotten ghost towns hidden in the brush. It's a quiet adventure, but deeply immersive.

4. Attend a Mardi Gras Celebration

Location: Statewide, but especially in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles

You haven’t really experienced Louisiana until you’ve caught beads thrown from a float or danced in the streets with strangers turned fast friends. Mardi Gras is more than just a party—it’s a season, a tradition, and a cultural phenomenon that stretches far beyond Bourbon Street. Parades can include everything from towering floats and marching bands to masked riders on horseback (hello, rural Cajun Mardi Gras). There’s music, food, and spectacle at every turn.

New Orleans hosts the biggest celebration, with weeks of parades, elaborate costumes, and the famous “throws” of beads, doubloons, and stuffed animals. But smaller cities like Lafayette and Lake Charles offer family-friendly versions rich in local flair. Some parades are rowdy, others are reverent, but all are grounded in a sense of shared joy and local pride. From king cake to krewe balls, Mardi Gras is a living, breathing expression of Louisiana's spirit.

5. Discover Plantation Homes

Location: Along River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, with notable stops like Oak Alley, Laura, and Whitney plantations.

Louisiana’s plantation homes are stunning, complex, and often deeply emotional places to visit. Lined with live oaks and wrapped in stories, these estates offer a window into the antebellum South—from the grandeur of the architecture to the harsh realities of the enslaved people who made that grandeur possible. Touring a plantation isn’t just about admiring Greek Revival columns or manicured gardens; it’s about learning, listening, and facing history with open eyes.

Each plantation tells a different story. Oak Alley is known for its iconic double row of 300-year-old live oak trees. Laura Plantation focuses on Creole family life and includes detailed narratives passed down through generations. Whitney Plantation, however, stands apart—it's one of the few museums in the U.S. dedicated specifically to the lives of the enslaved, with moving memorials and restored slave cabins that bring truth to the forefront.

6. Savor Cajun and Creole Cuisine

Location: Statewide—especially New Orleans, Lafayette, and rural parishes like St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion

Louisiana isn’t just a place where you eat—it’s a place where you taste culture. Cajun and Creole food is at the heart of the state’s identity, rich with spices, stories, and soul. You haven’t truly visited Louisiana until you’ve tried gumbo that’s been simmering for hours or crawfish étouffée served over perfect white rice. The difference between Cajun and Creole? One's country, one’s city—but both are delicious.

In New Orleans, you’ll find refined Creole dishes like shrimp rémoulade, oysters Rockefeller, and turtle soup served in historic restaurants like Commander’s Palace or Dooky Chase’s. Head west to Acadiana, and it’s all about hearty, rustic Cajun cooking—think boudin, jambalaya, fried catfish, and everything seasoned with "just the right kick." No matter where you go, meals are generous, often shared, and full of love.

7. Experience Jazz in its Birthplace

Location: New Orleans, LA – Frenchmen Street, Preservation Hall, and Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park

Jazz isn’t just background music in Louisiana—it’s part of the DNA. Born in New Orleans in the early 1900s, jazz is a mix of African rhythms, European brass, Caribbean flair, and pure American improvisation. To hear it in the city where it began is something special. From a lone trumpet echoing in Jackson Square to a full brass band leading a second line parade, jazz here isn’t performed—it’s lived.

One of the best places to experience it is Frenchmen Street, just outside the French Quarter. This narrow stretch of bars and clubs hosts nightly live music, often with no cover and no schedule—just pure spontaneity. For a more intimate, time-honored setting, Preservation Hall is a must. No frills, no amps, no distractions—just you, the musicians, and history filling the room. And for a deeper cultural experience, head to Congo Square, where enslaved Africans once gathered to drum, dance, and plant the rhythmic seeds of jazz.

8. Visit the State Capitol in Baton Rouge

Location: 900 N 3rd St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Towering 450 feet above Baton Rouge, the Louisiana State Capitol isn’t just the tallest capitol building in the U.S.—it’s also one of the most dramatic. Built during the Great Depression under Governor Huey P. Long, this 34-story art deco skyscraper offers sweeping views, fascinating political history, and architecture that feels more like a grand hotel than a government building.

Inside, you’ll find marbled halls, carved bronze doors, and murals that blend symbolism with state pride. The legislative chambers are open to the public when not in session, and a self-guided tour takes you through exhibits on Louisiana’s often colorful political past. Don’t miss the observation deck on the 27th floor—it’s free and offers a panoramic view of the Mississippi River and downtown Baton Rouge.

9. Relax on the Gulf Coast Beaches

Location: Grand Isle, Holly Beach, Rutherford Beach, and nearby state parks along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast

Louisiana might not be the first state you think of for beach vacations, but its Gulf Coast offers a laid-back, wild kind of beauty that’s worth the detour. The beaches here aren’t manicured or crowded—instead, they’re natural, often quiet, and perfect for a barefoot escape. Think wide-open skies, rolling surf, and seashells scattered along soft, sandy stretches. It’s peaceful, a little rugged, and very Louisiana.

Grand Isle is the state’s only inhabited barrier island and probably the best-known beach destination. It offers miles of shoreline, excellent birdwatching, and some of the best saltwater fishing on the Gulf. Farther west, spots like Holly Beach and Rutherford Beach provide drive-up access, space to camp or park an RV, and that “on your own little slice of coast” feeling. These aren't resort beaches—they’re raw and real, perfect for disconnecting.

10. Explore Lafayette’s Cajun Culture

Location: Lafayette, LA and surrounding parishes (St. Martin, St. Landry, Vermilion)

If New Orleans is Louisiana’s heart, Lafayette might be its soul. This is the capital of Cajun Country—where the French language still lingers in daily conversation, zydeco pulses from dance halls, and boudin sausage is a way of life. Lafayette blends small-town warmth with big cultural energy, offering a deep dive into Acadian traditions that go far beyond the food (though the food is incredible).

Start at Vermilionville, a living history village that tells the story of early Cajun settlers through preserved homes, costumed interpreters, and live music. Explore the nearby bayous by kayak or boat tour, then end your day at a fais do-do (Cajun dance party) where you’ll hear accordion, fiddle, and washboard in perfect harmony. Local festivals like Festival International de Louisiane and Boudin, Bourbon & Beer bring this culture into full color.

Conclusion

Louisiana is not a place you simply pass through—it’s a place that stays with you. Whether you're drawn to the deep roots of Cajun and Creole culture, the unmatched flavors of regional cuisine, or the raw beauty of its wetlands and Gulf Coast, the state offers experiences you won't find anywhere else in the U.S.

From the rhythm of jazz in New Orleans to the quiet of a paddle through ancient bayous, Louisiana delivers contrast in the best way: lively yet reflective, historic yet evolving. Its cities tell one story, its rural parishes tell another—and both are worth hearing. Each stop reveals a different facet of the state’s identity, shaped by centuries of resilience, diversity, and creativity.

Plan wisely, stay curious, and allow time to linger. Louisiana isn’t about rushing from one attraction to the next—it’s about understanding a place that moves to its own beat. And once you fall into step, you’ll see why so many people return here, again and again.

Planning to visit? Karta has some amazing deals on Louisiana vacation rentals for you.

FAQ

1. What are the best routes to drive to Louisiana?

The best routes to drive to Louisiana include Interstate 10, which runs east-west across the state, connecting major cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lake Charles. Interstate 20 is another key route for those coming from the north, providing access to Shreveport and Monroe.

2. What is the weather like in Louisiana throughout the year?

Louisiana has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Summer temperatures often reach the 90s, perfect for enjoying the state's rivers and lakes. Winters are mild, with temperatures rarely dropping below freezing, making it ideal for year-round outdoor activities.

3. What are some unique traditions in Louisiana?

Louisiana is famous for its vibrant traditions, including Mardi Gras parades, jazz music, and Creole and Cajun cuisine. Festivals like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Crawfish Festival celebrate the state's rich cultural heritage, blending French, Spanish, African, and Native American influences.

4. What is the cost of living in Louisiana?

The cost of living in Louisiana is generally lower than the national average, with affordable housing, utilities, and groceries. Major cities like New Orleans may have higher costs, but overall, the state offers a good quality of life with a range of options for dining, entertainment, and shopping.

5. How can I best explore Louisiana's diverse attractions?

Exploring Louisiana is best done by car, allowing you to travel from the lively streets of New Orleans to the serene bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin. Scenic byways like the Great River Road offer stunning views of the Mississippi River and access to historic plantations, while the Creole Nature Trail showcases the state's rich wildlife and natural beauty.

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