13 Amazing Louisiana Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

Louisiana’s amazing day trips are each steeped in history, culture, and natural beauty. From the rich heritage of the French, Spanish, and African influences to its role in America’s past, the state’s vibrant history lives on in its cities and towns. Visitors can explore historic plantations, lively towns, and scenic swamps, all while discovering the unique Cajun and Creole cultures that make Louisiana unforgettable. Perfect for quick escapes, these trips, all within three hours of New Orleans, showcase the spirit of the Pelican State through its stories, music, cuisine, and landscapes.

The National WWII Museum, New Orleans

Located in downtown New Orleans, the National WWII Museum is a six-acre campus where six soaring pavilions house historical exhibits, on-site restoration work, a period dinner theater, and restaurants. A world-renowned museum dedicated to the history of World War II, this museum tells the story from an American perspective through interactive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and a massive collection of artifacts and stories. It’s a profoundly moving and educational experience, especially during November, which is recognized as Veterans Day in the U.S. and as Remembrance Day in countries like Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Honey Island Swamp, Slidell

Swamp enthusiasts, wetland lovers, and naturalists can find one of the best-preserved swamps in the United States, the Honey Island Swamp, around thirty-five minutes from New Orleans. Rumored to be the home of the Honey Island Swamp Monster and other mythical creatures, the swamp is synonymous with Louisiana culture and folklore.

The Honey Island Swamp encompasses almost 70,000 acres, part of which is in the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area. With swamps and bayous all over the state full of indigenous plant and marine life, the biggest draw here is alligators. Visitors interested in checking out gators in their natural habitat should hire a local outfitter to safely guide them through the bayous of Honey Island Swamp or Pearl River in a flat-bottom boat or airboat.

Tabasco Factory, Avery Island

While not technically an island, Avery Island sits atop a salt dome surrounded by bayous and marshes within the coastal wetlands of southern Louisiana. It is also the birthplace of Tabasco hot sauce, first concocted by Edmund McIlhenny in 1868. Today, his company continues to be family-owned and operated on Avery Island—the perfect day trip for lovers of everything piquant in life.

It’s about a two-hour road trip from New Orleans to reach this spicy mecca, but having the Avery Island Fan Experience is well worth it. The experience includes a self-guided tour of the Tabasco Museum, Pepper Greenhouse, Barrel Warehouse, Avery Island Conservation, Salt Mine diorama, Tabasco Restaurant 1868, and Tabasco Country Store, where visitors can pick up their favorite hot sauce souvenir. There’s a 170-acre Jungle Gardens on the island, created by the son of the founder of Tabasco sauce, and it is a top attraction in the state for nature lovers, bird watchers, and photographers.

Vermilionville Historic Village, Lafayette

Dive into the rich cultural heritage of Louisiana with a visit to the Vermilionville Historic Village in Lafayette, about two hours from New Orleans. A living history museum in a natural area between the Vermilion River and Bayou, the historic village invites history enthusiasts to wander through a typical 18th-19th century village, enjoy the peaceful setting, and even sample a traditional Cajun “plate lunch” at La Cuisine de Maman.

One of the world’s largest physical representations of an early Acadian settlement with buildings dating from 1765 to 1890, the Vermilionville Historic Village and Folklife Park transport visitors back in time to see seven restored original homes sitting on a 23-acre site where artisans demonstrate crafts performed by the early settlers. Be sure to make time to visit the Healer’s Garden to see, smell, and touch various plants used for medicinal purposes.

Audubon Aquarium & Audubon Insectarium, New Orleans

Aquarium enthusiasts will hold their breath until they reach the award-winning Audubon Aquarium on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, a 30-minute drive from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. With more than 3,600 animals from over 250 species, including endangered African penguins and rare leucistic white alligators, it’s easy to spend the whole day in this underwater paradise. Be sure to see the Gulf of Mexico exhibit, which contains 400,000 gallons of seawater, features a replica of an off-shore oil rig, and is home to an array of sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, and fish.

Included in a visit to the aquarium is admission to the onsite Audubon Insectarium for the entomophiles in the group, where they can explore a garden overlooking the mighty Mississippi with hundreds of free-flying butterflies and work up an appetite for insect cuisine at Bug Appétit.

Whitney Plantation, Edgard

The Whitney Plantation is a museum dedicated to the history of the Whitney Plantation, which operated from 1752-1975 and produced indigo, sugar, and rice as its principal cash crops. It portrays what life was like on the estate for the enslaved forced to work the land, thanks to interpretive art pieces and archival stories told using real stories from the enslaved people.

The museum preserves over a dozen historical buildings, many listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Whitney Plantation Historic District. Permanent exhibits in the museum include the History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery in Louisiana, where visitors will learn about the history of the Code Noir and topics of gender, resistance, and rebellion. The plantation in Edgard is 45 minutes from New Orleans.

Global Wildlife Center, Folsom

Active families looking for things to do with the kids will love this amazing day trip to the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, St. Tammany Parish, an area frequently reserved for country homes, plant nurseries, and equestrian farms. Reminiscent of Africa but in Louisiana, Global Wildlife is a 900-acre free-roaming safari park with over 2,000 exotic, endangered, and threatened animals.

Take a guided safari-style ride in a covered wagon at the Global Wildlife Center, where kids can hand-feed animals in a natural, open habitat. Kids (and adults) will learn through touch as they count the stripes of a zebra, wiggle a camel’s hump, nuzzle a giraffe, or feel the wooly fur of bison. This adventure offers a unique way to engage with nature and wildlife within an hour’s drive from New Orleans.

Abita Springs

The small, sleepy town of Abita Springs, with less than 3,000 residents, is a picture-perfect day trip only 45 minutes from New Orleans. Home to the original Abita Brewing Company, the craft brewery is the oldest and largest brewery in the Southeast of the U.S. The secret ingredient of their famous beer is the water from the eponymous spring that flows under the town.

Both guided and self-guided tours of the facility in nearby Covington are available or book a family-friendly Craft Soda Tour.

Another landmark in this charming town is the quirky Abita Mystery House—a folk art roadside attraction with thousands of found “objects d’art” and odd homemade contraptions. Also known as “Louisiana’s Most Eccentric Attraction,” the house features odd collections, a House of Shards, silly junk, and old memorabilia. Spend some time in nature on the Tammany Trace, an excellent trail for biking and walking.

Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, New Orleans

Nature lovers will discover Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (established in 1990) within the city limits of New Orleans, about 30 minutes from downtown New Orleans. The 23,000-acre nature reserve is one of the largest urban wildlife refuges with bottomland hardwood forests, tidal marshes, lagoons, canals, and natural bayous—a haven for wildlife and a great place to enjoy nature.

The bayou's marshes and waterways provide food and shelter for over 340 species of birds on the refuge and alligators in the waterways. Bayou Sauvage also helps the hurricane levees in the city by acting as a natural buffer in flood management, emphasizing the need to conserve coastal and wetland habitats, as demonstrated during Hurricane Katrina.

French Quarter, New Orleans

The French Quarter, or Vieux Carré, is the oldest and most visited neighborhood in New Orleans, but with so much to see and do in this 90 square block area. Since 1862, the Café du Monde has been serving up its crispy beignets and creamy cafés au lait near the French Market and Jackson Square, so breakfast in the French Quarter is a must to start this busy day trip.

Take some time to wander the streets of the historic French Quarter, stopping to check out the many antique stores like 1899-established Keil’s Antiques and art galleries like Lejardin, then take a stroll down iconic Bourbon Street, which runs parallel to the Mississippi River for the entire stretch of the French Quarter. Some popular shops include Faulkner House Books on historic Pirate’s Alley, where the author famously lived in the 1920s; Erzulie’s Authentic Voodoo Shop; and Southern Candymakers for award-winning pralines, toffee, and tortues. The party on Bourbon Street starts after dark but isn’t suitable for younger members on the trip.

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Barataria Preserve

The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve was named after the famous pirate Jean Lafitte and preserves the region's history and Acadian, Creole, and Cajun culture. It comprises six sites in South Louisiana: the Jean Lafitte sites are the French Quarter Visitor Center in New Orleans, the Barataria Preserve, and the Chalmette Battlefield and Chalmette National Cemetery. The park's three Acadian cultural centers are in Lafayette, Eunice, and Thibodaux. Choose one or two of these significant sites to visit after a 40-minute drive from MSY.

The 26,000-acre Barataria Preserve includes swampland trails, Cajun cultural exhibits, and opportunities for photography, birdwatching, and spotting wildlife in the marshes. Boat tours of the Bataria Preserve are a good idea, especially for families with children who want to spend a leisurely afternoon exploring the swamplands, discovering the abundant flora and fauna, and the over 200 species of birds, snakes, turtles, frogs, and alligators that call the swamps home.

Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge is in a landmark railroad depot on the banks of the Mississippi River, about 90 minutes from Louis Armstrong Airport, and is an inspiring, educational, and entertaining day trip for everyone in the car. The museum houses a growing permanent collection featuring 4,000 artworks and artifacts, exhibitions of internationally renowned artists, hands-on art and science galleries, and the Museum’s most popular attraction—a 2,300-year-old mummy resting in a reconstructed Ptolemaic era tomb in the Ancient Egypt Gallery.

Included in the visit to the museum is admission to the innovative, state-of-the-art Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, where astrology enthusiasts can watch a rotating series of films, including “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean,” “From the Blue Planet to the Red Planet,” and “Secrets of the Pharaohs” in the 60-foot domed theater.

Grand Isle

Grand Isle is Louisiana’s only inhabited barrier island, a beach retreat known for fishing, birdwatching, and its beautiful shoreline along the Gulf Coast. Only about 1,000 people live there permanently, which grows to over 12,000 during tourist season. It’s been a favorite vacation spot for Louisianians—including Kate Chopin, who used the island as the setting for her classic feminist novel “The Awakening.”

A day trip to Grand Isle is the opportunity to slow down, stroll on seven miles of public beaches, swim in the ocean, hire a charter fishing company on the island, or check out the 400-foot public fishing pier and nature trails at Grand Isle State Park. If visitors aren’t in the mood for fishing, there are lots of restaurants where they can indulge in the freshest seafood in the state. Grand Isle is approximately a 2 to 2.5-hour drive from MSY, depending on traffic.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) offers proximity to amazing day trips showcasing Louisiana’s unique cultural, historical, and natural attractions. A short 30-minute drive brings travelers to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, known for its immersive exhibits on American military history. For nature lovers, the Honey Island Swamp offers thrilling swamp tours and wildlife sightings.

Further afield, the Tabasco Factory on Avery Island and the Vermilionville Historic Village in Lafayette are ideal for history and food enthusiasts. Other options include the scenic Grand Isle beach retreat, the historic Whitney Plantation, and the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge. Each destination offers a one-of-a-kind experience that reflects Louisiana's rich heritage and landscape, tempting visitors to return.