Louisiana has declared 2015 the year of food as the state looks to make the most of its varied culinary offering.
Agents will be encouraged to highlight the state?s strong foodie history, such as the Creole and Cajun cuisines by promoting the number of food trails that visit restaurants and distilleries throughout the state.
New for 2015 is a six-restaurant tour of Baton Rouge and the opening of a tap room in the Tin Roof Brewery in the city, which sells local craft beer.
Meanwhile in Lafayette, home of Tabasco sauce, two new breweries are opening and the Tabascao sauce factory is currently undergoing renovations, and will be offering tours new in 2015.
Louisiana is also celebrating knocking California off the top spot for movie-making. In 2013, 18 big-budget feature films were produced in Louisiana with 15 produced in California. The plantation homes of the state provided the backdrop for blockbusters such as 12 Years A Slave and there are a number of new antebellum homes opening to the public this year and next.
These include the Whitney Plantation and the Felicite Plantation, where 12 Years A Slave was filmed. These two houses join ten other antebellum homes that offer guided tours and overnight stays.
The state is also famous for its swamp tours of its wetlands and marshes, home to alligators and a wide variety of birds.
Adventure Point will be opening in March at the start of the 180-mile Creole nature trail.
The adventure point will offer visitors an opportunity to get a taste of what they can see and do in the area and will include interactive hands-on exhibits that will showcase the unique estuary system of the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road and Southwest Louisiana?s culture. The building will also house satellite offices of the CVB.
