Imperial Calcasieu Museum Source: Forest Runner / Flickr | CC BY Imperial Calcasieu Museum This landscape is on the northern edge of a region renowned for its birdwatching, with close to 200 bird species recorded in the park and its immediate area.

The navigable rivers in the park make this a paradise for water activities, especially kayaking and canoeing, and you can paddle as far as Calcasieu Lake, 20 miles to the south. Something special here is a rare, 70+ acre stand of longleaf pines, the oldest living southern pine species. Primed for camping, hiking, birding and paddling, this park is named for Sam Houston Jones(1897-1878), the 46th Governor of Louisiana, who helped safeguard this naturally important space. North of Lake Charles, at the confluence of the Calcasieu River and Indian Bayou, is more than 1,000 acres of wilderness made up of pine and hardwood forest, and lagoons strewn with lofty cypress trees. Sam Houston Jones State Park Source: Laurens Hoddenbagh / shutterstock Sam Houston Jones State Park On that day the Krewe of Krewes Parade takes over the city, featuring more than 60 krewes.ĥ.

Lake Charles also has one of Louisiana’s largest Mardi Gras celebrations, with a family-friendly season packed with parades, gumbo cook-offs and lots of King Cake in the build-up to Fat Tuesday. The whole thing kicks off a pirate ship arriving at the lakeshore to take control of the city, and this sets the tone for 12 days of live entertainment, a carnival midway, parades, Cajun food, fireworks shows, sports competitions and crazy contests. One of the largest gatherings in Louisiana takes place in the first two weeks of May in Lake Charles.Ĭontraband Days, or the Louisiana Pirate Festival, goes back to 1957 and attracts upwards of 200,000 people to the city. Annual Events Source: William Silver / shutterstock Mardi Gras, Lake Charles You couldn’t pick a better spot if you want to discover the remote and watery wilds of southwestern Louisiana, on the Creole Nature Trail, or along the waterways just upriver from the city.

Modern Lake Charles is a fun-loving city, with close to 80 festivals each year, and a hub for Louisiana’s gaming industry, with two Vegas-style casino resorts side-by-side on the riverfront. Sitting at the waterfront in Lake Charles, it’s easy to imagine the schooners that helped bring commerce to the region via Texan and Mexican Ports. The largest city in Southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles is at the head of a string of lakes on the course of the Calcasieu River before it flows into the Gulf Coast.

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