Hot Sauce, the Capital and the Tigers

Up and on the road early (well, vacation-early not actually early) to check out of the hotel and head to Avery Island to explore the home of Tabasco.

Someone did not appreciate my running commentary 😁

And someone took the “Start Tour Here” a little too literally 🤣

The tour actually started in the museum where we all received a tiny bottle of Tabasco Sauce. The folks behind us were military, and they received special bottles each designated for their branch of the armed forces. 🇺🇸

Eventually we learned that Tabasco was committed to supporting our troops, shipping flavoring to soldiers overseas to make MREs more tasty. “They waged war against blandness!” The McIlhenny Family, who still privately own the Tabasco Company, have had members in the military dating back to Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.

Tabasco started in 1868 by Edmund McIlhenny using 3 ingredients: tabasco peppers, vinegar and Avery Island salt. He started bottling his sauce in empty cologne bottles (all that was available at the time) and gave to friends and family. As the sauce became more popular, he continued using the same style bottles because they made it perfect for sprinkling on food.

We explored the museum and greenhouse… and made it through without any bear sightings, which apparently does occur. We did however almost witness a caning🤣

The peppers are harvested and mashed on the same day, and then the mash is placed in these oak barrels (covered in salt to preserve and prevent bugs) for 2-3 years depending on the level of heat. Despite the mash being in barrels, the smell of the peppers was almost overwhelming.

We couldn’t go into the salt mines, but the exhibit was crazy… imagine a cave made of salt? And its got to be true, because there’s a plaque!

The bottling area, although not running over the weekends, made us feel like we were on Laverne and Shirley.

Back in the museum, we sampled Tabasco Jalapeno vanilla ice cream (Yuck!) and raspberry chipotle ice cream (ice cream with a smokey aftertaste).

There were literally every imaginable kind of Tabasco souvenirs

The Jalapeno ice cream required an icee to remove the aftertaste 😝

Then we were on our way through the Jungle Gardens. The Jungle Gardens were a conservation area created by the McIlhenny family for endangered egrets and other birds, and housed some pretty weird gifts given to the family, like trees, animals and a giant buddha… because who doesn’t have giant concrete Buddha on their wishlist?

And look! The Jungle Gardens had a Mom’s Cafe location 😀

Lunches made and delivered, and we were on our way to Baton Rouge. First stop, the Louisiana State Museum: great exhibits on the history of Louisiana from the Louisiana Purchase (best land deal EVER at $0.04 per acre) to modern day Mardi Gras (I’m definitely decorating my lawn mower next year).

Then it was on to the Louisiana State Capital. We were quickly told that the Capitol was closing in 10 minutes. We replied “No worries, we’ll be done in five.”

Pictures of gorgeous ceiling ✔️

Senate chamber ✔️

House chamber ✔️

Family Picture ✔️

Once minute to spare… picture of a plaque ✔️

And found North Carolina in the steps listing each in the order then became a state ✔️

Now, if only government was as efficient as us 🤪

In all seriousness, the Capital was really beautiful. I hate to bad mouth my home state but everytime we visit different state capitals, I am reminded of how dreary and institutional the North Carolina state house is…

Next stop: Louisiana State University – Geaux Tigers! The boys were not really considering LSU and an 80° day in March solidified that. 🤣 But the campus is really nice and Tiger Stadium is the size of an NFL stadium! We especially love the placards along the tree line outside the stadium “They love nature. They love LSU.” 🤣 Besides, where else would you find a live tiger enclosure on a college campus!

After some downtime in the hotel, we headed out to dinner at Elsie’s Plate and Pie. Great food and desserts, and laughing! Mealtime is quickly becoming one of my favorite times as the boys get older and our conversations begin to shift from solely parent-child.