6 Towns In Louisiana With Thriving Local Businesses

As a Deep South destination, Louisiana gives tourists a deep dive into Southern culture. It does this with vibrant local businesses that range from Antebellum inns to Cajun eateries to beer brewers and meat pie makers. Of course, it is easier to find real deal Louisiana meals outside of chain restaurants, stores, and fast food giants. That is why we have picked six rural communities for you to explore. Here are the best businesses to visit in each little Louisiana town.

Ruston

Ruston has about 14 times the population of St. Francisville and is thus classified as a city rather than a town. But just over 22,000 residents is considered town-sized in a lot of states, so we are going with that definition for this entry. In addition to its permanent residents, Ruston has lots of temporary residents who attend Louisiana Tech University and scavenge shops and eateries. A&H Games provides customers with tabletop games, board games, electronics, and "all the nerd gear" they desire. Rust Magnolias Marketplace presents an array of local products for patrons to peruse. And Gibson's Fresh Grocer uses organic food and nutritional supplements to make Rustonians healthier. A less healthy but more scrumptious Ruston option is Bad Wolf BBQ, whose lathered meats won multiple awards at 2023's Louisiana Food & Wine Festival. Bad Wolf is said to have some of the best BBQs in the state.

St. Francisville

St. Francisville is a bed-and-breakfast mecca with an edge. Some of its grand, gorgeous inns were slave plantations in the Antebellum era. The most notorious of these is The Myrtles, which was built in the 1790s, operated as a cotton and indigo plantation for decades and was plundered during the Civil War. It then changed hands and purposes for over a century before becoming the celebrated hotel, restaurant, cafe, and all-around oasis that it is today. While staying at The Myrtles, tourists can sample St. Francisville's other spectacles like The Francis Southern Table & Bar, which serves Southern cuisine and live music in an indoor/outdoor venue; The Francis Smokehouse & Specialty Meats, which is a specialty butcher shop with a savory eat-in menu; and Magnolia Cafe, which is a cafe, music venue, and restaurant that offers a mix of Southern and Mexican food. All those attractions are garnished with ancient oaks and Spanish moss to create an eerily scenic atmosphere that matches St. Francisville's history.

Breaux Bridge

Another undersized Louisiana city, Breaux Bridge, has roughly 7,500 residents and plenty of businesses to serve them. When cravin' Cajun sausages, they hit up Poche's Restaurant & Market. When rootin' for boudin, they see Charlie T's. When fishin' for fried catfish, they set their hook into Le Cafe. And when going crazy 'bout crawfish, they go to Crazy Bout Crawfish, a shell-crackin' Breaux Bridge institution.

Of course, those businesses also serve tourists, especially the ones who know Breaux Bridge as the "Crawfish Capital of the World." Beyond the aforementioned Cajun joints, it hosts the annual Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival. The next edition is scheduled for May 2 to 4, 2025.

Abita Springs

Abita Springs is a true Louisiana town of about 2,600 people. It is a hub for hikers, bikers, and even horseback riders as part of the Tammany Trace, a 31-mile railroad converted into a recreation trail and wildlife conservation corridor. Tammany Tracers who stop in Abita Springs are treated to an array of refreshing retreats, such as cafes like the Abita Springs Cafe, restaurants like Mama D's Pizza & More, and shops like the Maple Street Bakery. If they decide to overnight in AS, perhaps at the Abita Springs Hotel or Southern Oaks Guest House, they would be wise to sample craft beers at the Abita Brewing Company. Wet with liquid courage, they can then tour the Abita Mystery House and UCM Museum, which displays thousands of oddities from folk art pieces to hoax animal hybrids. These include Buford the Bassigator and Darrel the Dogigator.

Natchitoches

Although hard to spell, Natchitoches is easy to stomach. This 18,000ish-person "city" has its own culinary staple called the Natchitoches meat pie. Consisting of beef, pork, garlic, peppers, and onions stuffed into crescent-shaped pastry shells, Natchitoches meat pies are sold at Mayeaux's Steak and Seafood, the Pioneer Pub, and, most famously, Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant. Those pies can fuel you up before you explore the Kisatchie National Forest, which surrounds the town in several sections totaling 600,000-plus acres. Activities include hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping, boating, fishing, hunting, and off-roading.

While we would not ordinarily recommend visiting a lush Louisiana community in winter, Natchitoches is an exception. For 97 years, the small city has held a gigantic Christmas lights festival. The 98th Annual Natchitoches Christmas Festival is scheduled to run from November 23, 2024 to January 6, 2025. Over 300,000 lights are expected to cover downtown and illuminate businesses like Mama's Oyster House and Papa's Bar and Grill, Georgia’s Gift Shop, and the Pretty in Pink Boutique.

Grand Isle

Believe it or not, Louisiana has seaside resort towns. Grand Isle is one of them. It occupies a barrier island of the same name and attracts tourists not just with beaches but with businesses. After swimming, sunbathing, and/or fishing along the Gulf of Mexico, temporary Grand Islanders can knock off the sand and water at shops like Meagan's Sno-Balls and bars like Native Island Daiquiris. Later, they can sit down for hearty meals at Yum's and the Starfish Restaurant. Naturally, Grand Isle has a large selection of seafood. In addition to consuming crustaceans at restaurants, you can buy them in bulk at Dean Blanchard Seafood or Camardelle's Seafood. Despite our tourism-heavy summation, not all Grand Islanders are temporary. Those amazing local establishments are also patronized by locals. About 1,000 people call Grand Isle home.

You might call Louisiana home after falling in love with its small-town businesses. There is ample opportunity to crush on the plantation inns of St. Francisville, the award-winning BBQ of Ruston, the Cajun cuisine of Breaux Bridge, the Tammany stops in Abita Springs, the meat pies of Natchitoches, and the seafood of Grand Isle. Even if you do not make rural Louisiana your permanent home, you can get a temporary taste of local Louisiana charm.