Day 10
As we left Monroe and headed south towards Lafayette, cotton fields that bordered the Interstate turned to oil drilling sites amid wooded areas, then sugar cane fields between the towns.
On a recommendation from Jeff at Landry Vineyards, we stopped for lunch at Prejeans as we entered Lafayette. Great Cajun fare amid swamp-like décor. We both started with a side salad that was served with warm, fresh buns.
Todd ordered the cup of Duck and Andouille Gumbo with a ½ Muffuletta Panini.
I ordered the cup of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo with a ½ Chicken Club Panini.
After check-in, we explored some of the city, picked up some supplies at Walmart, then wound down with the hotel’s complimentary drinks and a snack.
Day 11
After breakfast we drove to Avery Island – home of Tabasco. We parked, then entered the visitor centre, only to be told the tour was about to start (great timing).
In the 1860s, Edmund McIlhenny planted Capsicum pepper seeds on Avery Island.
At that time, the Southern cuisine was mainly bland, so McIlhenny worked at creating a pepper sauce to add spice and flavour to the food. And Tabasco sauce was born….
Today, like then, the reddest peppers are picked and made into a mash that is aged. In the past the aging period was 30 days. Today the mash is aged in a barrel (they use old Jack Daniel barrels) for up to three years.
Then the mash is mixed with a quality distilled vinegar before being strained and bottled.
Video Clips for Automation Junkies
Tabasco sauce is labeled in 22 languages and sold in over 180 countries.
The Tabasco store offers an array of Tabasco products.
After the tour, another attraction on Avery Island is the Jungle Gardens. The Gardens were developed by Edward McIlhenny (son of Edmund), who attempted to reverse the extinction of Egrets. He brought eight to the area and raised them in captivity, before releasing them for migration. The birds returned, reproduced, and now thousands come to the island each year. (That said, we only saw 1; must not be the right time of year).
We saw our first alligator! It was sunning itself under a sign that warned visitors of alligators – it didn’t even look real since it didn’t move, but we could see it breathing…it was real.
Along one walkway, this guy greeted us – have to say, I stopped pretty quickly and did a few steps back. ( picture doesn’t give you an idea how big it is…Todd said it was about 3” long ! )
In the Asian garden area, a Buddha sits in a glass temple. The Buddha, from 1100AD, was given to McIlhenny by a couple of friends in 1936 who bought it, unclaimed, from a storage warehouse in New York.
On our way back from Avery Island, we stopped at Jefferson Island for lunch at the Rip Van Winkle Gardens. But, it was 2:17 and lunch wasn’t being served after 2 PM. So we drove back to the hotel, parked and walked to Poupart Bakery for a sandwich (rated #2 on Trip Advisor). Alas, they don’t serve lunch past 2 PM. Next stop, nearby T-Coon’s (rated #53 on TA) – guess what? They also closed at 2PM (feeling like we are back in Argentina….). As a last resort, we ended up having a “late, late” lunch at Chili’s. Late lunch = no dinner needed. We spent the evening on the patio yakking with Louisiana-local hotel guests.
