15-Day Louisiana Road Trip

We’re two couples planning a 15-day road trip in Louisiana. Do you think 15 days is too long? I’ve seen on some sites that a week is enough. Can we extend our trip to include Texas, or is that unrealistic? Thanks for your help!😊

Hi, Yeah, 15 days might be a bit much. Last year, we did Texas/Louisiana in 2 weeks. The two states have nothing in common. Louisiana is beautiful, but I don’t find the cities very interesting (Lafayette, Baton Rouge), except for New Orleans, which is in a league of its own. CDT

Thanks! Could you share the stops on your itinerary and the must-see spots? Thanks for your help

We arrived in Austin for 3 nights and rented a car there. After that, we went to Fredericksburg, Dallas, San Antonio, Lafayette, and New Orleans. In Dallas, you're right next to Fort Worth—it's super touristy but worth the trip. Honestly, there isn’t much to do in Lafayette, but exploring Louisiana itself is pretty nice. Baton Rouge is the same—there’s nothing there. On the other hand, New Orleans is great, but watch out—some areas are sketchy. If we go back, we’d rent a place in the nicer neighborhoods a bit farther from the downtown area where all the action is. But it’s still a great city.

Thanks

I agree (and based on 2 trips): 1 week is enough to visit Louisiana. For 2 weeks, you can combine it with Texas, or Georgia, or even the northwest part of Florida, returning from Tampa or Orlando.

Thanks for your advice! We’d love to hear about your experience from your two trips. In your opinion, what are the must-see spots in Louisiana, and what would you recommend skipping so we can make time to visit Texas or Georgia—since our friends have already been to Florida?

Sample itinerary starting from Atlanta over 2 weeks: - Arrival in Atlanta - Atlanta for 2 days - Drive to Natchez via Montgomery (1 day, with stops along the way) (Option to add an extra day by detouring through Vicksburg for the Civil War battle sites) - Natchez for 1 day (The "Mansions" – plantation owner homes) - Drive to Lafayette, swamp tour (Lake Martin) 1 day - Lafayette for 1 day (Vermilionville – historical eco-museum) (Option for an extra day with a round-trip to visit NASA’s site in Houston) (Option to add another day for swamp visits, hiking, etc.) - Drive to New Orleans with stops in New Iberia and Avery Island (Tabasco factory) 1 day - New Orleans for 2 days (Possibly a 3rd day, especially for the WWII museum) - Plantation route 1 day. Visit 2 plantations (3 is possible, but you might get overwhelmed!). Can be done as a day trip from New Orleans. With a return flight the next day, this makes for a solid 15-day trip with the options.

The rest, including Baton Rouge, isn’t particularly interesting.