Food destinations within easy reach of New Orleans, worth the early start.
Food destinations within easy reach of New Orleans. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Famous for: Boudin links, crawfish boils, dance-hall Cajun music
Lafayette and Cajun country sit 2.5 hours west of New Orleans on Interstate 10, the heart of South Louisiana Acadian cuisine with boudin counters, crawfish boils and Saturday Cajun music dance halls.
Famous for: Tabasco factory tour, pepper sauce origin
Avery Island in southern Louisiana, 2.5 hours southwest of New Orleans, is the McIlhenny family salt-dome island and the home of Tabasco Sauce since 1868, with a factory tour and Jungle Gardens.
Famous for: Satsuma orchards, oyster farms, citrus festivals
Plaquemines Parish runs an hour south of New Orleans along the Mississippi River road, with citrus orchards, oyster farms and the Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival each December.
Famous for: Gulf shrimp boil, seafood houses, Vietnamese fishing fleet
Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, 90 minutes east of New Orleans on Interstate 10, has the largest Vietnamese American fishing fleet on the Gulf, plus Mary Mahoney's and historic seafood houses.
Famous for: Swamp tours, Cajun seafood houses, Houma boudin
Houma, an hour southwest of New Orleans on US 90, is the Terrebonne Parish seat with swamp tours, alligator country and Cajun seafood houses like A-Bear's and Dave's Cajun Kitchen.
Famous for: Antebellum mansion dining, biscuits, river bluff restaurants
Natchez on the Mississippi bluff, 3.5 hours northwest of New Orleans, is the antebellum river city with a Southern dining tradition, Pearl Street Pasta, Carriage House and the King's Tavern.
Peak food season in New Orleans is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. New Orleans rewards trust.