Avery Island

Avery Island is in Louisiana.

A few miles southwest of New Iberia is Avery Island, home of the McIlhenny Tabasco factory and a wildlife sanctuary. The island is actually an eight-mile deep salt dome. It was ransacked like General Sherman himself couldn't have done a better job during the Civil War, but thankfully the premises were set aright afterwards and now visitors can drive and walk through 250 acres of subtropical jungle flora with an amazing array of wildlife.

Get in

Despite the name, Avery Island is on the mainland, drive in via State Route 329 from New Iberia.

See

• 1 Jungle Gardens, ☏ +1 337 369-6243. Exotic and prized plant species on display, and also there is a bird colony called Bird City where the original owner (one of them) sought to preserve egrets whose feathers were ravenously being harvested for ladies' attire at the time. (updated Jan 2018)

Do

• TABASCO® Factory Tours, 329 Avery Island Road, Avery Island, ☏ +1 800-634-9599. Daily 9AM-4PM. A self-guided tour of the factory along with a museum, store, and restaurant; after all, this is probably what brought you here.  

Eat

Any Cajun dish is better with a splash of Tabasco sauce on it!

Sleep

• Ramada by Wyndham New Iberia, ☏ +1 337 367-1201, fax: +1 337 367-7877. 2915 Highway 14. This quality motel near to both the Tabasco factory and the Jungle Gardens, and only 25 minutes by car from the Cypress Bayou Casino has a trilingual (English, French, and Spanish) staff. Basic rooms start at $40. 

Go next

• Acadiana