Had an amazingly slow breakfast at the
hotel, but at least I got a rubbery waffle and a one egg
omelette (with no fillings) for my 45 minute wait. I also had an interesting conversation with an couple who had strong opinions about
Rihanna,
Scientology,
Tom Cruise, and
John Travolta.
Crossed the
Mississippi River from
Natchez into
Louisiana.
Stopped at a very nice
Louisiana State Welcome Center in
Vidalia.
After a leisurely four hour drive, I arrived at
Avery Island (via
Alexandria and
Lafayette).
Avery Island is, of course, the home of
Tabasco Sauce. I stopped at a rather humorous
toll house (on the right side of the road) where a
friendly Cajun man passes you a
pamphlet then collects your
one dollar using a long stick with a
clothespin at the end. After paying the
toll, you cross a "
bridge" about 15 feet long (which you really may not recognize as a bridge).
Avery Island has two primary attractions:
The factory tour consists of a brief video about the history of
Tabasco Sauce, the
McIlhenny family, and
Avery Island. After the video, you walk through a viewing area above a
bottling line in the factory, and then to a display area. Each visitor gets several free
mini-bottles of Tabasco Sauce.
The
Tabasco Country Store has a special meaning to me, because it is featured in one of my favorite
slot machines. I spent a lot of time in the store looking at many Tabasco and spice themed items which I had not seen before. I made half of a meal at the free tasting bar and then ate an order of excellent
Crawfish Étouffée at the picnic tables outside. I could not resist a few souvenirs from the store, including some
Tabasco Earrings,
Tabasco Potholders,
Tabasco Refrigerator Magnets, and some
Spicy Pickles. I found the Tabasco Factory tour and Country Store very enjoyable and worthwhile.
After all the time I spent in the store, visiting the
Jungle Garden was not really an option as it was approaching 5 o'clock. I stayed at a
Best Western Hotel in
New Iberia which was quite nice (and only about $61 + tax using a coupon from a hotel book which I picked up at the welcome center). One interesting thing about this hotel was the notice placed prominently in the room:
I was quite happy that I did not receive any calls during my stay about gas leaks.
