Louisiana is famous for the excitement of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and the many drinks enjoyed on Bourbon Street, but this State is actually home to a vast array of towns, cities, and small towns.
With wetlands covering around 2.5 million acres of the State, Louisiana is a very diverse area and one where you should definitely consider exploring as many towns and cities as possible.
Louisiana has its very own system when it comes to dictating what it comes to dictating between the different municipalities. In Louisiana, this is measured by population.
Any area with a population exceeding five thousand occupants is a city and anything below one thousand occupants is a small town. This means that any area with a population between one and five thousand is considered a town.
With this in mind, in this guide, we’re taking a look at 10 of the most quaint and beautiful towns that you should consider visiting if you’re in Louisiana. So, if you’re planning a road trip, be sure to take notes.
Keep on reading to find out more!
1. Port Allen
Port Allen is located just outside Baton Rouge in the suburbs, so it is super easy to visit this beautiful town during your trip to Louisiana. Quite often, you will find that this town is referred to as a city.
But with a population below 5,000 people, it is actually a town.
Port Allen is a beautiful town to visit if you are interested in getting a stunning view of the Mississippi River.
In the Mississippi Riverfront Development, which is located in Port Allen, you will be able to get panoramic views of the river itself with Baton Rouge as the backdrop.
On a clear day, the view is absolutely breathtaking, and reason enough for you to visit Port Allen.
If you are interested in the rich history of this State, then Port Allen is a great place to go.
There are lots of different museums here for you to visit to develop your knowledge of Louisiana history, and experience a new area of this State at the same time.
2. Avondale
If you want to experience the wetlands of Louisiana, then Avondale is a great place to go.
With a population of just below 5,000 people, this is one of Louisiana’s larger towns, but it is a great place to go if you are interested in motorsports, golf, and crocs.
Avondale is home to Louisiana’s NOLA motorsports park. This park is a full-service motorsports park and people travel from all over to visit it.
It is a popular excursion for those visiting New Orleans as the track is only roughly 20 minutes outside of downtown New Orleans.
As well as being home to this motorsports park, Avondale also boasts some excellent golfing locations. Due to the proximity to wetlands, often these golfing areas are home to crocs.
So visiting Avondale gives you a good chance of seeing crocodiles in their natural habitat.
3. Jeanerette
A town that was once a city that you should definitely visit in Louisiana is Jeanerette. Jeanerette had a population exceeding 5,000 in 2010, but since the 2000 census, the population has been dwindling, and now it stands below 5,000 people.
Jeanerette which is nicknamed “Sugar City” is a town in the Iberia parish with a very diverse population.
It has a very rich cultural history, and this makes it an excellent place to visit if you want to find out more about the people who have lived in Louisiana over the years.
It is the home of many museums, all of which will tell you lots about the history of this majestic town.
If you are interested in architecture, then we’re sure you’ll find the buildings in Jeanerette very fascinating.
A lot of these buildings are original buildings dating back hundreds of years, so walking through Jeanerette can give you a real idea of what Louisiana used to be like.
If you are passing through, we would definitely recommend calling into this former city.
4. Winnsboro
As you will start to notice throughout this guide, a lot of the towns in Louisiana are very rich in history, and Winnsboro is another example of that. Winnsboro has lots of attractions and things to see in it, but by far one of the best places is Patriots square.
Patriots Square in Winnsboro is truly unlike any other Patriots square that you may encounter in any other area of the USA. They have more Stars and Stripes than you could imagine, and it really is a star attraction for the town.
The town is also home to a number of public parks and fishing grounds, and these really attract people to the area.
In Winnsboro, you can really be at one with nature, and this is something that many people love. If you want to visit a classic Louisiana town, this is a great place to go!
5. Berwick
Berwick is a very popular suburb in Louisiana, and as a result, it has a very healthy population. That being said, the population is still below 5,000 people which is why it is still considered a town.
Berwick has some excellent schools and a rich suburban feel that many other suburban towns in Louisiana don’t really have.
It might seem strange to visit a town just because it is a suburb, but once you get to Berwick, you will really understand why we recommend visiting this town.
The architecture of the Long-Allen bridge is truly beautiful and the views that you can get of this bridge are incredible.
Berwick is also home to the International Petroleum Museum which is the perfect place to visit if you are somebody who likes learning about fossil fuels. All in all, this really is a quaint and beautiful town, and definitely worth a visit!
6. Arcadia
In Northern Louisiana, you will find the truly quaint and beautiful town of Arcadia.
While there are tons of beautiful things to see and do in Arcadia, this town has become for one thing in particular, and that is the death of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker – a.k.a. Bonnie and Clyde.
Before 1934, Arcadia was relatively unknown. But that all changed when the Bienville Parish Sheriff ambushed Bonnie and Clyde, resulting in the deaths of the pair.
After their deaths, Bonnie and Clyde were brought to Conger’s Funeral Home in Arcadia and this caused a huge interest in the town.
At the time, thousands of people lined the streets to watch the car that Bonnie and Clyde stole (containing their bodies) towed into Arcadia.
Since then, the link to Bonnie and Clyde has really kept Arcadia on the map. But there are lots of other excellent things about Arcadia, and you will only truly understand those once you visit this town!
7. Delhi
Delhi is a town in Louisiana that was formerly known as Deerfield. It is in the Richland Parish and it has a population of fewer than 3,000 people – this alone makes it one of the smallest towns on this list.
Unfortunately, over the years, Delhi has been linked to quite a lot of negative press coverage – primarily the Mississippi Delta Tornado outbreak in 1971.
During this outbreak, the only f5 tornado to ever hit Delhi hit just outside the town and 47 people sadly lost their lives. But this shouldn’t deter you from visiting the town.
Like many areas of Louisiana, Delhi is home to a lot of historic buildings, and these make the town particularly beautiful. One of the most notable buildings in Delhi is its E.W. Thompson Drug Company drug store.
This building has been in operation since 1873 in the same location. So, visiting this town can really feel like taking a step back into the past – and that is what makes it so beautiful!
8. Stonewall
Stonewall is a popular town among residents of Louisiana as it has an excellent educational system. However, for those visiting Louisiana from far and wide, Stonewall is attractive because of its natural beauty and farming history.
The thing about Louisiana is that all of its towns are quaint and beautiful.
There isn’t necessarily any single thing that makes these towns attractive to visitors, instead, it is simply the fact that they have that classic and unique charm that Louisiana has in abundance.
As Stonewall is historically a farming town, it is a great place to visit for lovers of the outdoors, due to its large amounts of fields and agricultural land.
If you are a lover of food, then Stonewall has plenty of delicious eateries to choose from, with quality meals that you will struggle to find anywhere else.
You should also check out Gators and Friends which is an animal park that will help to improve your knowledge of these beautiful creatures. So if you want to get up close with some gators, and eat some great food, be sure to check out Stonewall!
9. Port Barre
Louisiana is famous for its nightlife, and this isn’t just true of its bigger cities. If you want to visit a town where you can admire its beauty by day, and enjoy the hustle and bustle of it by night, then Port Barre is made for you!
By day, you will be able to spend the day exploring the various antique stores that can be found in Port Barre.
For anyone who loves history, Port Barre is a real dream, and you are guaranteed to find some hidden treasures in the many antique shops that adorn the streets of Port Barre.
You will also be able to find out more about the history of this quaint little town by visiting some of the museums that can be found there. Port Barre is a historic town, and as such it carries a lot of history.
A trip to Port Barre is an excellent idea for anyone who wants to find out more about the history of this Southern State while admiring its beauty and embracing the joy of Port Barre’s nightlife. We’re sure you’ll have a ball when visiting this town.
10. Sterlington
Let’s finish this list off with Sterlington. This is one of Louisiana’s smallest towns, but it does have a growing population.
The main reason why we have included it on this list is that this quaint and beautiful town is in close proximity to Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Many people visit Louisiana just to look at the historic buildings of Baton Rouge or experience the nightlife of New Orleans. But no trip to Louisiana is complete without immersing yourself in the nature of this State’s wetlands.
Sterlington is a great town to visit during your trip as you can pay a visit to Black Bayou Lake at the same time.
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge allows you to appreciate the true beauty of Louisiana, and that this State is actually incredibly beautiful.
Its high croc population can be a little daunting at times, but once you see them residing in Black Bayou Lake, you will learn to see them differently. In the same way that Louisiana residents see them. That is why you should definitely visit this town!
Summary
In short, there are lots of quaint and beautiful towns in Louisiana that you should consider visiting during your trip. These towns are totally off the beaten path, and quite a few of them aren’t even tourist locations.
So, you will definitely get the true feel of this State by visiting these towns.
Thanks for reading!
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