Have a pine time at Long Leaf museum

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel editor
• Published: Oct 26, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Congratulations go to the Southern Forest Heritage Museum at Long Leaf. The restored sawmill town recently received two important honors including its official inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, the Pioneer America Society with the Association for the Preservation of Landscapes and artifacts presented its annual award to the museum which is about 20 miles south of Alexandria.

“Long Leaf is the only place in the South where an early 20th century sawmill complex is so complete,” said Bob Carroll, the museum’s executive director. With three steam locomotives and a planer mill, the museum looks as if workers left yesterday.

The Crowell family operated the mill until 1969. The buildings and equipment remain just as they were until 1996 when the property, which had been deeded to a non-profit board of directors, opened as a museum dedicated to the story of forestry. The museum is open daily for tours. Visitors can view a video presentation in the former commissary, now a visitor center and gift shop. There’s a walking tour and an optional motor car ride on the old Red River and Gulf tracks.

The National Register of Historic Places is administered by the National Park Service. The official listing denotes places of historic significance. The museum was nominated by Patricia Duncan of the Louisiana Historic Preservation Division for the Pioneer America Society award. For more information, contact (318) 748-8404.

Sunday outing
The Battle of Jackson Civil War Re-enactment continues through today at Centenary State Historic Site. Artillery and infantry drills will take place throughout the morning. Camp life and blacksmith demonstrations lead up to the re-enactment at 1:30 p.m.

Bear Corners Restaurant of Jackson will sell po-boys and beverages. The Gustavus Adolphus Scott Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will sell ice cream cones. The historic site, 3522 E. College St., has spacious grounds with plenty of space for a family picnic. It is one block from the Audubon Regional Library, Republic of West Florida Association Museum and Old Hickory Railroad Depot and Train Museum. The site is open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Call (225) 634-7925.

Bourbon Street tour
World-famous for its nightlife, New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, a fashionable address more than a century ago, remains a cherished neighborhood.

Sunday, Nov. 2, five private homes will be opened to the public during the Treasures of Bourbon Street house tour. Homes will be on view from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets at $15 per person must be purchased by 3:30 p.m. on the day of the tour at 729 Dumaine St. or 1111 Bourbon St. The event is sponsored by the nonprofit Historic Bourbon Street Foundation. The tour will feature:

• 729 Dumaine St. — A small gem of Victorian architecture furnished with contemporary pieces and an art collection.

• 839 Bourbon St. — An 1830s Creole townhouse with a lush courtyard entered through an arched loggia and furnished with Empire, Federal and Victorian antiques.

• 816 St. Philip St. — A two-story brick townhouse dating from the 1800s containing antique furnishings and a ghost story featuring a previous owner.

• 1100 Bourbon St. — An early 1800s Creole cottage that acquired huge shuttered Victorian dormer windows after an 1870s fire. The ground floor of the building, true to French Quarter tradition, has been occupied by a corner grocery since the early 1900s.

• 1111 Bourbon St. — This Victorian cottage is filled with a collection of Louisiana, Empire and Victorian antiques. The two-story structure, dating from the early 1800s, overlooks a romantic courtyard.

For more information, call (504) 524-3621.

Giant Omelette fest
Abbeville’s Magdalen Square will be the setting Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 1-2, for the Giant Omelette Celebration. Stirring up plenty of fun, the town offers a walk-a-thon at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, followed with antique implement viewing, an arts and crafts show, Howard Helmer omelet demonstrations and a tractor “egg cracking” competition. Entertainment will be presented by D.L. Menard and Renaissance Cadienne Cajun Folkloric Troupe. The festival closes at 5 p.m.

Sunday, activities open with a Mass at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. Following a morning of festival events, the procession of chefs and eggs begins at 1:30 p.m. Omelette preparation and serving takes place at 2 p.m. Entertainment will be by the Berard Family Band, Tabasco Girls Dance Team and Fa Tras Cajun Band. For more info, visit http://www.giantomelette.org.

All Hallow’s Eve
Audubon State Historic Site, La. 965 in West Feliciana Parish, invites visitors to discover Halloween traditions of the 1800s on All Hallow’s Eve, Friday, Oct. 31. The interactive program from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. takes place on the Oakley House grounds. Try pumpkin carving. Bob for apples or wander through an old-fashioned maze.

John House, site manager, said while Halloween customs have changed over 200 years, some of the traditions are still found today.
The historic site on La. 965 is about 30 minutes north of Baton Rouge near St. Francisville. Call (225) 635-3739.

La. Swine Festival
Salute the pig! The Louisiana Swine Festival takes place Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 and 2 at The Fair Grounds in Basile. A celebration of Louisiana’s swine industry, the festival includes everything from a battle of the bands to the queens’ greasy pig contest.