New Orleans is a city that marches to the beat of its own drum. With food traditions as diverse as its people, you’ll be sure to find plenty of options that will excite your tastebuds! Learn the difference between Cajun and Creole cuisine, try gumbo, po’boys, beignets and King cake to name a few. With all the food (and drink) on offer, walking the city is a great way to discover more about New Orleans and find your own personal favourites. A stop at the French Quarter Visitor Center at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park introduces you to the traditions and life in the area. There is music playing day and night in the French Quarter and across the city. Try the Maison Bourbon Jazz Club or the House of Blues for music, or check to see if there are performances scheduled for Preservation Hall. 

Stay two nights in New Orleans.

Travel through New Iberia, home of Louisiana Hot Sauce, and known as the spiciest, saltiest, sweetest place on Earth from the abundance of hot pepper sauce, salt domes and sugar cane fields. Shop on Main Street and perhaps stop for snack or lunch at a local restaurant with Cajun and Creole influences and fresh Louisiana seafood.

From there head to Avery Island and visit the Tabasco Factory and Museum, where you can take a tour and see how the world-renowned sauce is made, and learn everything you have ever wanted to know about the five generations of McIlhenny family who have made the sauce and the history of the Tabasco brand. You can dine at Restaurant 1868, with classic dishes all flavoured with the sauce. 

On to Lafayette which is said to have more restaurants per capita than any other American city, and many of them specialize in the distinctive, seafood-laden regional cuisine. Learn about the area's roots by touring either the Acadian Cultural Center or Vermilionville. Lafayette Numerous music clubs feature homegrown talent, including both traditional and contemporary Cajun and Zydeco performers.

Stay one night in Lafayette.

‘Slap Ya Mama’ seasoning originates from the vibrant town of Ville Platte, between Lafayette and Alexandria. Ville Platte is rich in Cajun food, music and language. Cajun heritage and life is celebrated through its festivals, food and music, which take place in the area. Ville Platte’s proclamation as the Smoked Meat Capital of the World shows their people’s dedication to their heritage and love of good, simple, delicious Cajun Food.

Located in ‘The Heart Of Louisiana’, Alexandria and adjacent Pineville, just across the Red River, form a hub, combining elements of north and south Louisiana neighbours.

A modern Southern City, Alexandria still has ties to its past – visit Kent Plantation House, an authentic Creole plantation house and one of the oldest standing structures in the state of Louisiana, or the Forts Randolph and Buhlow Historic Site with exhibits on the Civil War Red River Campaign. Experience the natural side of Louisiana at Kisatchie National Forest where you can hike trails and admire the landscape. When you’ve worked up an appetite you’ll find plenty of dining choices including local, regional and international cuisines. 

Stay one night in Alexandria.

You will find plenty of Southern comfort food in Monroe with over 100 distinct, locally owned restaurants, each offering a mouth-watering taste of true North Louisiana cuisine. Choose from dishes such as fried chicken, smothered pork chops, black-eyed peas, Catfish DeSiard, gumbo, po-boys, sweet potatoes, hot water cornbread, homemade cakes, pies and more. With Panola Pepper Sauce’s headquarters in nearby Lake Providence, it’s no surprise that there is plenty of spice to the dishes you’ll find here! 

Visit the Biedenharn Museum and Gardens which showcases the family home of Joseph Biedenharn, the first bottler of Coca-Cola, as well as beautiful gardens, the Bible Museum, and Coke Museum. Discover how Delta Airlines got its start at the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, as well as world famous General Claire Chennault and his Flying Tigers. Enjoy more natural beauty at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge with a walk over the bayou, a visit to the wildlife photo blind, or a trip around the lake in a canoe. If retail therapy is more your thing, take a stroll through Antique Alley, with its unique antique stores and trendy boutiques 

Stay two nights in Monroe.

Your final stop on the Louisiana Hot Sauce Trail is home to DaT Sauce, a family owned and operated business, originally created by Don Tabor in his back yard with a crawfish pot! Cajun flavours abound in the food here on the Cajun Coast, and in particular with fresh seafood. Why not take a fishing trip and catch your own dinner? 

Morgan City's two main industries shrimping and petroleum and be discovered from the heart of Morgan City's 19-block historic centre, where you can climb the flood barrier known locally as the Great Wall for a bird's eye view of the industrial vessels and shrimp boats plying the busy river before sampling a Cajun-style treatment of the fresh shellfish at a local restaurant. Tour a historic drilling rig and learn about Louisiana's ties to the industry at the International Petroleum Museum or get a close encounter with the area's natural heritage at the Swamp Gardens & Wildlife Zoo, which features alligators and black bears.

 Stay one night in Morgan City