Shreveport sits roughly 300 miles north of New Orleans, and the gap between the two is the whole point. This is a Louisiana of pine forests and cypress swamps, Red River towns and meat pie joints – and it's surprisingly reachable, with UK connections via Atlanta or Dallas into Shreveport and Monroe airports.
Start in Shreveport, where the Red River cuts through downtown and live music spills out of bars most nights – blues, country, Southern soul. The downtown strip is good for independent shops and galleries, and the R.W. Norton Art Gallery holds a serious collection of American Western painting and sculpture. Music pilgrims should head to the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, the stage where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams all once played. Afterwards, cross the river to the East Bank District for drinks, and order stuffed shrimp if you see it on a menu. Outdoorsy options include the Barksdale Global Power Museum's aircraft collection, five-plus miles of trails at Red River National Wildlife Refuge, and the pine-and-hardwood walks at Walter B. Jacobs Memorial Nature Park.
An hour east, the twin cities of Monroe and West Monroe are built around water. The Ouachita Paddling Trails are made for kayaks and paddleboards, while Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge has boardwalks winding through old cypress swamp – a safe way to eye alligators, turtles and wading birds. Back in town, Antique Alley covers the vintage-hunting, and the Biedenharn Museum & Gardens tells the story of Joseph Biedenharn, the first person to bottle Coca-Cola – complete with a five-cent Coke at an old-fashioned soda counter. Food-wise, Mohawk Tavern has been dishing up gumbo and shrimp po'boys since the 1950s, while Scott's Catfish & Seafood in West Monroe does fried catfish with dirty rice and a signature catfish topping of shrimp étouffée.
Finish in Natchitoches, founded in 1714 and the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. Its walkable historic district sits along Cane River Lake, where you can rent a kayak, take a spin on the Cane River Queen cruise boat, or tour the reconstructed 18th-century Fort St Jean Baptiste. The town's essential eat is the Natchitoches meat pie, perfected at Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant since the 1960s; T-Johnny's on the River handles the crawfish étouffée and gumbo side of things. Kisatchie National Forest, the state's only national forest, is nearby for longleaf pine hiking.
For travellers who've already done New Orleans and want the state's quieter, more soulful half, this triangle of towns delivers music history, swamp scenery and some of the best Southern cooking in Louisiana – without the crowds.
