Riding the backroads of Louisiana, will allow you to savor the food, and feel the pulse of the music and people that make this State one of the most exciting and diverse tourist areas in the United States. Biking in Louisiana is easy because the terrain is flat and there is a network of lightly traveled, paved rural roads.

On www.bikelouisiana.com, you’ll find tours in Cajun Country, Greater New Orleans, Plantation Country and along the Atchafalaya Trace.

The tours in Cajun Country will give you many opportunities to hear and dance to Cajun and Zydeco music. Restaurants and small cafes serve up etouffee, jambalaya and gumbo and all kinds of wonderful seafood. Grocery stores have pots of steaming boudin, a Cajun sausage rich in the spices of South Louisiana.

The Louisiana Purchase Bike Route takes you through Plantation Country as it winds it way to New Orleans. It starts in Natchitoches, the oldest town in the Louisiana. Along the way, you will see Creole-style plantations, the Great River Road plantations, the Morganza Spillway, the largest spillway in the world, and small towns that reflect the cultures of the many people who settled this area. Total distance from Natchitoches to New Orleans is 478 miles.

The Atchafalaya Trace Bike Route makes a 390 mile loop around the Atchafalaya Basin. The Atchafalaya Basin is one of few great wetland semi-wilderness areas left in the nation. Its 833,000 acres are home to the country’s most productive habitats for fish and wildlife. Along this route, you will visit towns whose histories date back to the 1700 and 1800’s. The French, Spanish and Indians all played an important role in the development of the area. Along the way, there will be opportunities to take guided tours of the Great Atchafalaya swamp.

Tours in the New Orleans area are designed to give you the history of the area as you peddle through one of the most interesting cities in the U.S. In New Orleans, you can enjoy café au lait and beignets, ride the historic St. Charles street car, see dozens of mansions built by the Americans that came to New Orleans after the Louisiana purchase, tour the Vieux Carre, hear jazz, and of course eat fabulous food.

The web site, sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, will give you all the information you need to plan a bike tour in Louisiana. It contains maps, cue sheets, and information on lodging, food, festivals and historic sites.

Visit Louisiana soon and experience its small towns, friendly people, Creole and Cajun food and indigenous music.

USING THE MAPS AND DIRECTIONS
The maps included with the rides are based on parish road maps and include local roads in addition to major highways. Even so, staying on course can be a challenge since street signs are sometimes non-existent or turned the wrong way. In town, a few of the roads on a route may not be labeled on the map, but they will be in the directions. By using both the maps and the written directions, you will be able to follow these routes even in areas where the road signs are missing. Watch for hints in the written directions, such as “stop sign at the T-intersection,” “right on unmarked road” to help you stay on course. ALWAYS READ THE NEXT DIRECTION AHEAD OF TIME SO YOU WON’T MISS A TURN AND THEN WONDER WHERE YOU ARE!!!

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