Beautiful Felicianas offer escape to paradise

• By JAMES MINTON
• Baker-Zachary bureau
• Published: Dec 30, 2005

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Many people with a taste for fresh air and the peace and quiet of country living are turning to the Felicianas, the two parishes between East Baton Rouge Parish and counties of southwest Mississippi.

Both parishes offer scenic beauty around every curve, making them prime destination choices for tourists and a magnet for hunters during the fall and winter.

West Feliciana Parish, with a tax base dominated by the River Bend nuclear power plant, offers the whole package to its residents. The schools rank at the top among all public schools in the state, and its parish government has made strides in offering improvements for citizens.

Plantation homes, parks, outdoor activities, shopping and festivals keep the community and visitors busy year round. Involvement in parish and school functions demonstrates the community atmosphere.

If there is something that West Feliciana doesn't offer, then residents are just 30 minutes from downtown Baton Rouge.

St. Francisville offers small-town character and charm.

Major tourist attractions in West Feliciana Parish are Rosedown State Historic Site and Audubon State Historic Site, the Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, privately owned antebellum homes, the St. Francisville historic district and, somewhat surprisingly, the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

The prison, in addition to providing jobs to many area residents, invites school, civic and church groups to visit the sprawling prison farm and many people stop by the museum that tells the story of America's largest prison.

Meanwhile, East Feliciana Parish also offers both rural and small-town atmospheres for city dwellers looking for a slower pace of living.

The villages of Slaughter, Wilson and Norwood are old railroad towns along La. 19 between Zachary and the Mississippi-Louisiana border, while Jackson and Clinton are larger towns on East Feliciana Parish's major east-west route, La. 10.

The state Department of Transportation is completely reworking a section of La. 10 between Clinton and Jackson, which will greatly improve traffic flow in the parish.

East Feliciana is home to several state hospitals and Dixon Correctional Institute, which provide job opportunities to many parish and area residents.

Stop by the Republic of West Florida Historical Museum in Jackson for a look at the past. It's located on College Street in the heart of the town's historic district.