Thinking About a Vacation? Louisiana Might Just Be the Best Trip You’ll Take This Year

KNGT | Louisiana — Every year about this time, folks start talking about where they're gonna take their vacation. Some are headed to Florida. Some are flying out west. Some are loading up the truck and driving halfway across the country.

Have you ever taken a "Staycation" right here in Louisiana? It sounds kinda funny because we live here. We drive these roads every day. We pass the same signs, the same bayous, the same little towns. After a while, you stop noticing just how much there is to do.

Truth is, people from all over America save up their money just to come visit our state. They wanna eat our food, hear our music, catch fish in our marshes, ride airboats, dance at festivals, and experience what we call a normal Saturday. According to Louisianalife.com, here are just a few of the things we have to offer.

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Staycation ideas in Louisiana

If money's a little tight this year, or maybe you just don't wanna spend two days stuck in an airport, a Louisiana staycation might be exactly what you need.

Living here in Southwest Louisiana, we're already surrounded by some pretty amazing places. You can spend the morning fishing on Calcasieu Lake, then grab a plate of boiled shrimp or crawfish somewhere that doesn't even have a fancy sign out front.

If you've never taken a ride down the Creole Nature Trail, put it on your list. Slow down. Roll the windows down. You never know if you'll see alligators, birds, or just one of those sunsets that makes you pull over and stare for a minute.

Lake Charles has plenty to offer, too.

Walk the boardwalk. Check out the Charpentier Historic District. Spend an evening at one of the "Cajun Vegas" casinos listening to live music or gambling. Take the kids to our brand new Children's Museum. We often forget those places are here because we've lived around them our whole lives.

Feel like taking a little ride? Head toward Lafayette. Stop and grab some boudin. Then grab another link because let's be honest, one ain't enough. Walk through Acadian Village if you've never been. Spend some time learning about the people who built the culture we still love every day.

I've learned that some of the best vacations don't have an itinerary. Its always fun to just say "lets see where this road goes". Next thing you know you're eating at a little cafe you've never heard of or buying homemade jelly from a roadside stand from someone's maw-maw.

Take the back roads. Support a local business. You might come home Sunday evening thinking the best vacation you've had in years was only a couple hours from the house.

Sometimes the best memories aren't waiting somewhere far away. Sometimes they've been right here in Louisiana all along.