2 Best Sights in Side Trips from New Orleans, Louisiana

This 170-acre garden has trails through stands of wisteria, palms, lilies, irises, and ferns, and offers a lovely perspective on south Louisiana wilderness. Birdlife includes white egrets and Louisiana herons, and there's also a 900-year-old statue of Buddha. These gardens belonged to Edward Avery McIlhenny, the son of the Tabasco company's founder, who brought back plants from his travels: lotus and papyrus from Egypt, bamboo from China. You can park your car at the beginning of the trails and strike out on foot, or drive through the gardens and stop at will.

The highlight of a visit here is the magnificent 20-acre garden filled with semitropical vegetation and the sort of vistas that only a salt dome can offer in south Louisiana. A café looks over Lake Peigneur and provides a restful and picturesque spot for refreshments after exploring the gardens. Be on the lookout for the peacocks—if you're lucky, one of the males will open his feathers for you. Also on the grounds is the Joseph Jefferson Home, a highly idiosyncratic mansion that combines Steamboat Gothic, Moorish, and French-plantation styles. It was built as a country home for stage actor Joseph Jefferson in the mid-19th century and is open for 40-minute tours. There is also a bed-and-breakfast on the grounds.