Louisiana is a state of antebellum charm and colorful culture. If you want to experience it all - bayous and nightlife alike - your best bet is a road trip in a Louisiana rental car. Whether you want to frame your trip around a visit to iconic restaurants, old plantations or just New Orleans and its surroundings, Louisiana is the right state for a car journey. Pick and choose from these road trips or make your own.
A drive from Baton Rouge to New Orleans has just about everything you could want from a Louisiana journey. Start in beautiful Baton Rouge and then drive across the Mississippi River to visit the Nottoway Plantation, the largest antebellum mansion in the American South. The plantation offers a tour that will get you up to speed on the specifics of historical life in the region - and decor that you won't soon forget. From there, stop over wherever you like on the way to Vacherie, a small community in St. James Parish. You can see many other plantations in this town, which was also a location in the TV series "True Detective." You can take a leisurely drive from Vacherie to New Orleans in your Louisiana car rental the next day. What you do in New Orleans is up to you - and there are plenty of options. From paranormal tours to plentiful vintage clothing stores, New Orleans has something for just about everyone. You absolutely must have coffee and a beignet, though - that's not optional.
If you tour all the charming plantation homes of Louisiana, you'll still be missing an entire portion of the state's history and character. West of the main attractions of the state, you'll find the Cajun area along the Gulf of Mexico. There are bayous galore - and plenty of plantation houses, if you'd like to see more - as well as trees draped with moss. You can take US-90, which once linked San Diego and St. Augustine, which will take you on old roads through bayous you would not otherwise see, to explore this part of the state. Which cities you stop at are up to you - but you'll find plenty of Cajun culture and charm wherever you go. Make sure to try boiled crawfish and try to catch at least one live musical performance that includes an accordion.