Top 10 things to know about the Felicianas

• Advocate staff report
• Published: Jun 14, 2009

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

East and West Feliciana parishes are known for much more than artist John James Audubon’s two favorite places to watch birds.

The scenic beauty of the two parishes, north of Baton Rouge and just southwest of Mississippi, has for years drawn tourists to enjoy the charm, history and congeniality of the rural Felicianas.

West Feliciana Parish

1. A bastion of quaint bed and breakfasts, St. Francisville is the only incorporated town in the parish.

2. The majority of the parish’s tax base comes from the River Bend nuclear power plant.

3. West Feliciana’s public schools rank high each year in the statewide accountability test scores.

4. The parish is home to Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where visitors flock for the famous inmate rodeos, held twice a year, and the prison museum.

5. Three of the parish’s major tourist attractions are the Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge, Rosedown State Historic Site and Audubon State Historic Site.

East Feliciana Parish

6. The parish is home to the towns of Jackson, Clinton and Slaughter as well as the villages of Wilson and Norwood.

7. The Republic of West Florida Historical Museum, on College Street in Jackson, features military, aircraft, scientific and musical artifacts, along with native wildlife exhibits and a working railroad.

8. The historic Court House in Clinton is the oldest Louisiana courthouse still used for its original purpose, but is being renovated. The courthouse opened in 1840.

9. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Clinton, built in 1871, is a great place to visit. Check out the church’s Victorian gothic style, its lovely stained glass and original chandeliers.