Atlanta claims Coca-Cola but Joseph A. Biedenharn was the first bottler of the soda pop sensation and he built his home in Monroe. Visitors can tour the elegant home and gardens built in 1914, plus view the neighboring Coke…
If you’ve traveled along Interstate 10 between Baton Rouge and Lafayette, you’ll have ridden across one of the world’s longest bridges. The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge — actually a pair of parallel bridges — stretches more than 18 miles and is…
I’m not a doll fan, had a few small ones as a child but most dolls with their vacant stares or beady eyes appeared a bit freaky to me. Call me a geek, but I veered toward rock collecting and…
Visitors come to Grosse Savanne Lodge for the excellent hunting and fishing but on this crisp spring morning we came to shoot birds. Our weapons of choice, however, were cameras. Louisiana is known as Sportman’s Paradise — and with good…
Acadiana is a region steeped in history, culture and tradition and its people are known for their irrepressible and entrepreneurial spirit. It is with this idea in mind that we created the Acadiana Profile’s Trailblazers. Some of the honorees are…
My first battlefield experience was Bull Run in northern Virginia, the first full skirmish of the Civil War and one that would repeat itself years later. Listening to the park ranger talk of flanks and advances while staring at…
Go ahead, twist our arm! The 318 Restaurant Week, a citywide promotion of local restaurants organized by the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau and its partners, returns March 18 through 23 at more than 50 participating restaurants. Lunch and…
How to get the party started and keep it going
When fellow travel writers come to town, it’s on me to make sure they experience the best of Louisiana. Such was the case when Pamela Wattenbarger of Georgia arrived in Lafayette for Mardi Gras. Acadiana tourism folks planned to…
FLORIDA SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Navarre Beach Navarre Beach, Florida, rests between busy Pensacola and Destin and offers a peaceful alternative to Gulf Coast vacations. Maybe it’s the proximity to the Gulf Islands National Seashore or because…
Cheré Dastugue Coen is a veteran food and travel writer who combs Louisiana searching for hidden gems. A native of New Orleans and current resident of Lafayette, she celebrates her home state in her writing, which includes award-winning plays and books. Her non-fiction books include “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History;” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana;” “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags & Sachets” with Jude Bradley; “Cooking in Cajun Country” with Carl Breaux; and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Tour of Acadiana.”
She is also the author of several romance novels and the Viola Valentine Mystery Series, all involving Louisiana characters or settings, under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Visit her blogs LouisianaBookNews.blogspot.com and
WeirdSouth.blogspot.com or her websites, cherecoen.wix.com/cherecoen and
cherieclaire.net.
