Abita Springs is a town in Louisiana, in the Piney Woods of St. Tammany Parish, part of the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore area. It's about an hour east of Baton Rouge, and an hour north of New Orleans, about 15 minutes east of Covington.

The Pavilion was built for the 1884 World's Fair in New Orleans; it was moved to Abita Springs in 1888.

Get in

Access is almost exclusively by private vehicle. From I-12, head north on US-190 to Covington. Then take SR-36 east to Abita Springs.

See

• Abita Springs Brewery, 166 Barbee Rd, toll-free: +1-800-737-2311 ext 2. Sa 1PM and 2:30PM, Su 1PM. The brewery tours include free samples of the brewery's local beers. On Highway 36, just west of town towards Covington. free. 
• 1 Abita Springs Tourist Park. The park features the Abita Springs Pavilion, a large, two-story pavilion once sheltering a spring, built in 1884. It is at the west end of Main St. The park remains open and has a playground and picnic areas. The Abita River runs through it. It is the sight of the Abita Spring Water Festival each October.  
• UCM Museum / Mystery House, 22275 Hwy 36. A uniquely weird collection of folk-art, curiosities, and (let's face it) old junk, entertainingly arranged and displayed. 

Eat

• Abita Brew Pub, 72011 Holly Street. Tu-Su lunch & dinner. 

Drink

• Abita Springs Brewpub, ☏ +1 985-892-5837. Daily 11AM-10PM. A full restaurant and pub, it offers samples of Abita brews (including their non-alcoholic root beer) and has a gift shop. 
• Rosie's Tavern, 22067 Hwy 59 (right by the Pavilion park), ☏ +1 985-809-0454. (updated Feb 2017)

Sleep

• Blue Willow Bed and Breakfast, 505 E. Rutland St., Covington, ☏ +1 985-892-0011, ✉ bluewillowbandb@earthlink.net. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. $125-250. 
• Artesia's Longbranch Cottage, 21516 Hwy 36, ☏ +1 985-892-1662. Call to confirm availability. 

Go next

• Covington is just a few minutes drive west
• Baton Rouge
• Biloxi, just under two hours to the east, along I-10.
• New Orleans