Tabasco/Avery Island near New Orleans, LA is a tourist stop you probably wouldn't think of making, but one you won't regret once you stop there. Avery Island is located near to New Iberia, Louisiana. Although it is called an island, research has shown that it's actually just land raised up by a salt dome, which goes deeply into the earth. What many don't realize is that this salt dome in the earth is 2 ½ miles wide, three miles long and 6 miles deep-large enough to fit Mt. Everest inside of it.. As soon as you step out of your car, you'll smell the aroma of Tabasco.
When you go to the Tabasco factory, you'll be given a tour that consists of a short video and their museum. You'll get more than a tour, however. Their museum has everything you could imagine that is Tabasco-related. Imagine sampling some Tabasco flavored ice cream. The Tabasco Country store is a place that has everything. You'll love just browsing their shelves. You'll get to see the bird sanctuary and tour their gardens. The gardens, known as "Jungle Garden" are beautifully kept with blooming flowers any time you go there. You'll see hundreds of different azaleas, up to a thousand varieties of camellias and 64 varieties of bamboo. They also have some of the most beautiful exotic fruit trees and plants.
Bird City has a great history behind it, too. Snowy egrets were rare forty years ago, but a few remained that weren't hunted. Edward ImIlhenny caught a few of them and caged them so he could start a family of them. When it was time for their migration, he let them go and the flew to South America, only to come back the following spring. They came back to stay and today there more than 20,000 of these beauties.
If you're looking for a great place to eat that offers good food at a good price, you can't miss Prejeans. After dinner, you can check out the Art Pavilion, the music stage and the history stage to learn the history of this island. You'll find the time you spend on Avery Island very interesting and fun.
