Food festivals take center state for themed group tours, and there is a never-ending array of possibilities for the foodies in your groups. Foodies of the group will satisfy their cravings in Louisiana Cajun Country and New Orleans. 

Music draws a large crowd, and for groups Louisiana is a perfect fit. The state in home to the jazz of New Orleans, Cajun music in the Lafayette area, the Delta Blues/Swamp Blues traditions of Baton Rouge, and Shreveport. 

For groups with an interest in history and heritage, following the trail of the Mississippi through Plantation Country and the history of the French Quarter in New Orleans are the main focus. History lovers will enjoy heritage sites, museums, plantation tours, riverboat cruises, Cajun music and the French Quarter in New Orleans. More than five hundred festivals a year give groups a wide variety from which to choose, and there is something for everyone.

More groups are getting in on the action when it comes to things to do in Louisiana, and while New Orleans is the center of attention in the state, groups shouldn’t overlook the smaller cities and towns that are prime group destinations. Think Lake Charles, Lafayette, Shreveport, and Natchitoches. 

“Virtually every operator that we meet…is currently offering a Louisiana product or is planning on including a Louisiana product in the next eighteen months,” says Susan Smith, International Programs Manager for the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

When it comes to timing, the domestic groups also tend to follow the festival and event calendar when visiting, for example, the February and March Mardi Gras celebrations; May for Festival International, Jazz Fest, and the French Quarter Festival; October for Festival Acadiens, Red River Revel, Shrimp and Petroleum Festival; and in December the domestic groups all flock to Festival of Lights, Bonfires on the Levees, or Cajun Christmas.

The mainstays of group trips in Louisiana will always include eating, listening to music, visiting plantations, and swamp tours, since these activities provide experiences that can only be found in Louisiana. From the unique cuisines of Cajun and Creole to the unique music that has its own four award categories at the Grammy Awards—Jazz, Blues, Cajun, and Zydeco—to the Historic River Road plantations that are known throughout the world to the Atchafalaya Basin, which is the largest swamp/wetlands in the United States.

“Because Louisiana and its heritage and history are well known we find that every visitor finds many things of interest and enjoyment,” concludes Smith. “Louisiana is tourist friendly because we have been one of the world’s top tourist destinations for almost two hundred years and practice makes perfect.”

Rita Cook is a freelance writer from Arlington, Texas.

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