Historic residences open for Bourbon Street event

Tourists strolling down Bourbon Street in New Orleans pass them by but usually don’t stop.

That changes Sunday, May 27, when five of the street’s historic Creole and Victorian houses more than a century old will be open to the public.

The “Treasures of Bourbon Street” house tour runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and allows the public to go inside these quaint structures furnished with antiques, stylish contemporary furniture, artwork and collectibles.

This year’s tour will include a five-sided Creole cottage built in 1820 and occupying three lots of hidden gardens, a 1800s center hall cottage with five bays across the front facade, a Victorian Italianate cottage with ornate brackets supporting its porch roof, a two-story L-shaped townhouse just steps off Bourbon Street, and a garden hidden by a Victorian cottage.

Tickets are $15 and will be sold only on the day of the tour at 1440 Bourbon St. and 818 Ursulines St. Ticket sales begin at 1 p.m. and stop at 3:30 p.m.

The tour is sponsored by the non-profit Historic Bourbon Street Foundation.

For more information, call (504) 524-3621.

Park roads paved

Louisiana State Parks staff performed road work at Bogue Chitto State Park May 14-18.

The project is part of an ongoing initiative to pave and repair roads at a lower cost to taxpayers. The Bogue Chitto project overlaid limestone roads within the park.

The State Parks staff completed its first road project in the fall at Chemin-A-Haut State Park. Paving projects at Palmetto Island State Park and repairs at Hodges Gardens State Park are scheduled for later this year. The Office of State Parks saves approximately $85,000 per mile using its own equipment.

Bogue Chitto State Park, located eight miles south of Franklinton, opened in August 2010 and features cabins, a lodge, a group camp, a water playground, canoeing and nature programs.

äON THE INTERNET:

http://www.LaStateParks.com

Main Street honored

The Leesville Main Street District and those who have invested in it were recognized for their contributions at the recent Louisiana National Trust Luncheon and Awards event in Baton Rouge.

The City of Leesville was recognized for its commitment to the Army Community Heritage Partnership Program. The Army Community Heritage Partnership Program, or ACHHiP as it’s called, has as its goal to equip local communities near Army installations, specifically those centered around historic preservation, with economic growth strategies to better serve Army families. Communities that commit to the project are provided an economic development plan through a joint-effort coordinated by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Privatization & Partnerships and the Main Street Center, associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Leesville and Fort Polk renewed their commitments to execute ACHHiP in downtown Leesville last fall.

Chuck Dowden, Mike Reese, Ricky Ross and Pat Williams, all local businessmen, were presented the Corporate Award for their preservation efforts in Leesville’s main street district.

The Best Adaptive Reuse Award was presented to Dr. Christina Lord for her rehabilitation of the Fertitta Building in downtown Leesville.

John Crook, the 2012 president of the Louisiana Trust, and the executive director of the Vernon Parish Tourism Commission, was also presented an appreciation award for his efforts over the last year in the organization.

The award winners were chosen by a committee for the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation and were recognized for their preservation efforts.

Landry to tell stories

Pierre Part alligator hunter Troy Landry, one of the stars of History’s Swamp People, will present “Troy Landry: Tales from the Swamp” at the Paragon Casino in Marksville Saturday, June 2.

Landry will share photos from his personal album while telling his life story.

Johnny Chauvin and the Mojo Band will provide entertainment.

Tickets are $10. and can be purchased at LA1 Market, Viola!, Ticketmaster or by calling (800) 745-3000.

äON THE INTERNET:

http://www.paragoncasinoresort.com

The Historic Bourbon Street Foundation, Louisiana State Parks and Paragon Casino Resort provided items for this column. Louisiana Travels is a biweekly column about travel destinations and events in Louisiana. Email items for Louisiana Travels to travel@theadvocate.com or jbergeron@theadvocate.com or fax to (225) 388-0351.