Louisiana throws out welcome mat for 2006 travelers

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel editor
• Published: Jan 1, 2006

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Louisiana's tourism and hospitality industry welcomes 2006 with hopes for better things to come. New Orleans and southwestern Louisiana put hurricane recovery plans at the forefront, and want visitors to know the welcome mat is out. Louisiana residents can get a jump start on out-of-state visitors by planning mini-trips to the state's antebellum plantation homes, attractions, museums and parks in the upcoming months.

In New Orleans, celebrations like Mardi Gras, the Jazz and Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Festival will take place. Expect them to be modified according to circumstances, but the business they generate will help the tourism industry get back to its pre-K mode. Twelfth Night (Jan. 6) is just a few days away, so watch for Mardi Gras news in the coming weeks.

Eagle Expo '06

The Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau, based in Morgan City, will host its first Eagle Expo Friday-Saturday, Dec. 3-4. Events will include boat tours on Lake Palourde, Lake Verret, Grassy Lake, Intracoastal Waterway via Bayou Black and the Atchafalaya Basin to view eagles' nests.

Presentations will be given on the American Bald Eagle, wildlife, flora and the culture of the area. Also planned is a tour of Brownell Memorial Park, a designated birding sanctuary.

According to birding experts, the Cajun Coast area has the highest concentration of American Bald Eagle's nests in Louisiana. At the conclusion of the Eagle Expo, people are encouraged to have lunch on their own at a local restaurant and then spend an afternoon on a self-guided walking or driving tour along the St. Mary Parish birding loops, which are highlighted in the America's Wetlands Birding Guide. The guides will be available at the Cajun Coast CVB's locations: 112 Main St. in Patterson and 15207 U.S. 90 West Frontage Road in Franklin.

The Eagle Expo will be a ticketed event. Admission fees are $50 per person, Friday; $50 per person, Saturday; or $65 per person for both Friday and Saturday. For information, contact (985) 395-4905 or (800) 256-2931. Also, check the Web site: http://www.cajuncoast.com.

Vegas on the Teche

Jeanerette Recreation Center, 803 Huberville Road, will be the site for Vegas on the Teche Wednesday, Jan. 11. There will be Vegas style games, prizes, food and games. Contact St. Joseph School, (337) 276-3615.

Baton Rouge star gazing

Explore the mystery of the star of Bethlehem through Saturday, Jan. 7, at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in Baton Rouge. The holiday feature uses the planetarium's digital star field computer simulation to re-create the night sky more than 2,000 years ago. Planetarium hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday; and 1-5 p.m., Sunday. Admission for galleries and one Space Theater show is $8, adults, and $7, children, ages 2-12.

The planetarium's newest sky show, Passport to the Universe, runs Jan. 8 through May 6. Tom Hanks narrates the voyage to the edge of space, and the show uses a database of more than three billion stars and visualizations from world renown experts to take audiences on a virtual re-creation of the universe. The museum, 100 S. River Road, is across from the Old State Capitol in downtown Baton Rouge. For information, contact (225) 344-5272.

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