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Louisiana
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated August 2026
The Pelican State · Capital: Baton Rouge · The South
New Orleans jazz, Creole cooking and the mysterious bayou country.
Why go
What makes Louisiana worth the trip.
New Orleans
Jazz, Mardi Gras and the French Quarter — unlike anywhere else.
Cajun & Creole food
Gumbo, jambalaya and beignets worth the trip alone.
Bayou & plantations
Swamp tours and River Road's antebellum estates.
Louisiana on the map
The capital and the places worth building a trip around. Click a marker for a quick note and hotels.
Louisiana — State Facts
A short history
Louisiana's bayous and river deltas were home to the Chitimacha, Houma, Choctaw, and Caddo peoples for millennia before the French established New Orleans in 1718. The territory passed between French and Spanish control, absorbed waves of Acadian exiles from Canada's Maritime provinces after the Expulsion, and was sold to the United States in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase before becoming the 18th state in 1812.
This layered heritage, French, Spanish, African, and Acadian (whose descendants became the Cajuns), produced a culture found nowhere else in America: Creole and Cajun cuisine, jazz born in New Orleans's streets and clubs, and the plantation economy of the antebellum South along River Road, whose legacy includes both grand architecture and the brutal history of slavery it depended on.
New Orleans today blends Mardi Gras spectacle, jazz funerals, and French Quarter architecture with a hard-won resilience after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Baton Rouge anchors state government and petrochemical industry along the Mississippi, while Cajun Country's dance halls, swamp tours, and seafood keep Louisiana's distinct, deeply rooted identity thriving well beyond the city limits.
New Orleans's French Quarter actually looks more Spanish than French architecturally, because a pair of devastating fires in the 1780s burned most of the original French buildings and the Spanish, who controlled the city then, rebuilt it in their own style.
Where to go
The signature places to build a trip around.
Baton Rouge
The riverfront capital and its Old State Capitol.
Selected hotels
New Orleans
The French Quarter, jazz clubs and Garden District.
Selected hotels
Cajun Country
Lafayette, dance halls and Atchafalaya swamp tours.
Selected hotels
River Road
Historic plantations between NOLA and Baton Rouge.
Selected hotels
Go hear music on a Tuesday night at a neighborhood spot like Bacchanal or Vaughan's instead of Bourbon Street, that's where the locals and the musicians who love them actually show up.
When to go
October–April is comfortable; Mardi Gras falls in late winter.
Winter (Dec–Feb)
Mild and the most comfortable season, coinciding with Mardi Gras in February or March.
Spring (Mar–May)
Warm, blooming, and festival-heavy, a lovely time for New Orleans and the bayous. New Orleans stays lively from Mardi Gras straight through spring break.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Hot, sticky, and hurricane-season humid; best endured indoors or on a swamp tour early in the day.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
Cooling temperatures and fewer crowds, though hurricane season lingers into November.
Louisiana FAQ
What is the capital of Louisiana?
Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana.
What is the largest city in Louisiana?
New Orleans is the largest city in Louisiana.
When did Louisiana become a state?
Louisiana became the 18th U.S. state on April 30, 1812.
What is Louisiana known for?
Louisiana is known for new Orleans jazz, Creole cooking and the mysterious bayou country.
When is the best time to visit Louisiana?
October–April is comfortable; Mardi Gras falls in late winter.
Plan your Louisiana trip
Browse hotels and flights through the Guild's travel partner, and explore more of the United States.
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