Today I had the pleasure of hanging out in Sulphur Louisiana with my daughter, granddaughters and grandson. They were visiting for the weekend and we spent the day museum and park hopping. A favorite past time of us all.
My kids and grands are all interested in museums, a trait I happily passed on to them.
I come across many museums in our travels from town to town. Hubby’s job allows this girl to do some exploring and learning about new communities. Today that town is Sulphur.
Sulphur is a town in southwest Louisiana that was named for the sulphur mines that were in operation in the early 1900s. Today, its economy is mostly supported by the refineries in the area. The refineries are what brings us to the area, which is only a few hours from our daughters.
So today we visited museums.
Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point
The first stop was the Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point. Its the visitor center for the Creole Nature Trail and it had lots of information about the Trail. The Creole Nature Trail is a 180-mile trail that was one of the first National Scenic Byways in the Gulf South.
This trail was once the domain of nomadic Indians, the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte, Civil War soldiers and a host of colorful characters who came to find their fortunes in a fertile land known as south Louisiana.
The visitor center is a hands-on, interactive museum that introduces you to the unique culture that is southwest Louisiana. I enjoy teaching my grandchildren about the cultures of their great state!
Shrimping in Louisiana
The first display was a mock shrimp boat. The shrimp industry accounts for 15,000 jobs and an annual impact of $1.3 billion for Louisiana.
Of course, my granddaughters took advantage of the opportunity to re-enact a scene from their favorite boat movie, The Titanic.
Duck Hunting
The next display was the Duck Hunting exhibit. South Louisiana is a favorite spot for duck hunters. This display showcases items used for duck hunting, complete with a black lab duck dog.
Crabbing
The museum has an interactive “crabbing” exhibit. The art of “crabbing” involves a very technical procedure. You tie a chicken neck, or leg to a string and lower it into the water. After waiting for a little bit, you slowly pull the string in with the blue crab in tow until the chicken leg and crab can be scooped up in a net.
The museum had magnetic crabs, and chicken legs for children to try their hands at crabbing. My grandson was excited to do some crabbing and was happy to have caught several.
Alligators!
Of course, no South Louisiana museum would be complete without at least one Alligator! We counted over 20 alligators when we drove the actual Creole Trail. The museum curator gave us tips on the best places to view alligators.
Louisiana Food
South Louisiana may be most famous for its Cajun and Creole foods. My family loves boiled crawfish and blue crabs, as well as jambalaya, shrimp creole, and etoufees.
Here is an easy Shrimp Creole Recipe from my collection!
Zydeco Music
My granddaughters’ favorite display may have been the Zydeco Cajun Band exhibit. Both of the girls are musical and they were drawn to this one. For those of you that don’t know, Zydeco music is a mix of rhythm & blues and French Creole music that usually involves musical instruments such as fiddles, guitars, accordions, and washboards. Zydeco is upbeat dance music and the lyrics are often sung in the Cajun French language.
An example of Zydeco music:
We had a great morning visiting the Creole Nature Trail Aventure Point Visitor Center and the grands got to learn about our great state of Louisiana.
Stay tuned for more posts about our adventures in Sulphur Louisiana.
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