Louisiana music, dining are key tourism pillars in state
Louisiana’s 2024 Year of Music is winding down, but at a recent event in Vancouver, Louisiana tourism officials made sure that the Cajun sounds of the bayou stay with listeners long past year’s end.
They did so by bringing a live music show to a dining venue in Vancouver’s trendy Yaletown district, for the entertainment of an invited group of tour operators and media. Taking the stage at the Blue Water Café was singer/composer/instrumentalist Amanda Shaw, who brought her strong voice and virtuoso fiddle chops to the lunchtime event, in tandem with her guitar partner.
Her two impressive sets laid bare Shaw’s considerable talents, which have won her wide acclaim in her home state. She was named a Louisiana Music Legend by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and is an advocate for everything Louisiana, representing the state as a tourism ambassador for the Louisiana Office of Tourism (Explore Louisiana). Shaw maintains the traditions of Louisiana as the birthplace of jazz and the home of Cajun and Zydeco music.
In between sets, executives for Louisiana’s tourism office (Explore Louisiana), including the Canadian market reps Access Marketing (Joanne Scalamogna), plus managers for some of the regions in the state, spoke briefly on their areas of expertise.
Attractions in Louisiana
For example, guests heard that a visit to the Mardi Gras World attraction in New Orleans was a good way to experience the famous Mardi Gras festival without actually being there. Self-guided tours are offered every day for this opportunity to see the massive studio where artists and architects build Mardi Gras floats from the ground up. Tours run every half-hour and last for about an hour.
Also, described about New Orleans was the Sazerac House, which gives visitors their choice of insights to the city’s spirited culture and traditions, through the beverages consumed there. Visitors can take tours that explore Sazerac cocktails, tropical cocktails or whiskey tastings.
Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, brought news on how the newly opened 87-room Origin Hotel Baton Rouge, a Wyndham Hotel, is poised “to take its place as the city’s preferred downtown gathering spot.” The property is a boutique hotel located steps from the Mississippi River, whose kitchens specialize in Cajun and Creole classics, “with a French twist.” The hotel is situated on the Downtown Greenway, a biking/walking path linking parks, businesses and retail in the capital city.
Next up, guests heard about the attractions and amenities at the historic Houmas House, a former plantation estate that has been preserved in Ascension Parish (county). Dining options there include the new Dixie Café, plus the fine dining Latil’s Landing Restaurant at the estate. There is also a very good museum. Houmas House is located roughly half way between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Louisiana tourism’s tagline “Feed Your Soul” will have a special relevance to the tourism theme in 2025, which will be the Year of Food. Those who visit can look forward to sampling the state’s uniquely appealing selection of cuisines at special upcoming events. Explore Louisiana will participate in domestic and international food festivals such as the 2025 Toronto Food & Drink Festival and the 2025 National Geographic Traveller UK Food Festival.
No place in America is better known for incredible indigenous food and music, says Explore Louisiana. Cajun and Creole delicacies, including gumbo, jambalaya and étouffée, plus the best in Gulf of Mexico seafood, are found at every turn, says the tourism organization.
With the Vancouver event in the books, the Louisiana tourism team headed to their next stop in Calgary. That would complete this short western Canada mission.
Go to www.ExploreLouisiana.com/
