Road signs will tout Atchafalaya Heritage Area
Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne has announced the installation of 264 highway signs throughout the 14-parish Atchafalaya Heritage Area. The sign installation started in October and will conclude in the spring, a news release said.
“The Atchafalaya Heritage Area is one of Louisiana’s most culturally diverse areas,” Dardenne said. “The new highway signs will continue to raise awareness for this rich region of the state.”
The signs define the boundaries of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area and provide landmarks as visitors travel through the region. Five 14- by 10-foot signs will be featured in Ascension, Lafayette, Avoyelles, St. Mary and West Baton Rouge parishes.
The Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, managed by the Atchafalaya Trace Commission, is designated by Congress as one of 49 national heritage areas in the U.S. The NHA is affiliated with the National Park Service and is housed under the Office of the Lt. Governor in the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
ä ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.Atchafalaya.org
N.O. hotel news
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. says it plans to add Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter to its brand in New Orleans. The hotel, in the heart of the French Quarter, and is scheduled to open in July.
The former Ramada hotel will undergo a multi-million dollar renovation prior to opening as a Four Points. The hotel will offer 186 guest rooms, state-of-the-art meeting facilities and amenities.
Located at 541 Bourbon St., guests can opt to book balcony rooms overlooking Bourbon Street — the perfect vantage point to take in the sights and sounds of Mardi Gras, or they can choose balcony rooms overlooking the quiet, elegant hotel courtyard.
The hotel will have 4,375 square feet of meeting space and Café Opéra, a full-service restaurant. Other offerings include an outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness center and business center.
The Ritz-Carlton, 921 Canal St., has been ranked No. 1 in U.S. News and World Report’s annual list of Best Hotels in New Orleans. The hotel was recognized for its hospitable staff, luxurious features and its little details, such as umbrellas in the room closets or crawfish boils in the courtyard.
Cooking at the park
Visitors are invited to Chicot State Park in Ville Platte at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, to learn about Dutch oven cooking.
Members of the Louisiana Dutch Oven Society will demonstrate the basics of how to prepare food in a Dutch oven. Ed Braud III, author of Black Iron and Cajun Spice, will also be demonstrating his stacked pots technique of cooking in Dutch ovens. Samples will be available for tasting.
“This program will help familiarize visitors with the culture of the area,” Kim Hollier, site naturalist.
Chicot State Park is the largest state park in Louisiana. Situated around a 2,000-acre, man-made lake, the park offers a wide variety of outdoor activities for visitors such as camping, fishing, hiking and picnicking. The park is located six miles north of Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish on La. 3042. Day-use admission to the park is $1 per person. All programs are free with paid admission to the park. Groups of 15 to 30 can make reservations for special programs.
For more information, call (888) 677-6100.
Boat bay closes
The boat bay at Grand Bayou allowing public access to the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge will be closed until further notice. The closure is necessary to allow fresh water from recent rains to alleviate high salinities in the Cameron Creole Watershed caused by extended drought in 2011. This action is being taken in accordance with the Cameron-Creole Water Management Plan. Lowering salinity to the target levels in the Operations Permit will facilitate recovery of marsh vegetation and help reduce land loss in the watershed.
Effective Jan. 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relinquished daily operation of the water control structures on the east side of Calcasieu Lake to the Louisiana State Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Daily operations and maintenance of the structures along the east side of Calcasieu Lake are now funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) as part of the Cameron Creole Maintenance (CS-04a) project. Gate operations are now performed by a contractor directed by the Louisiana State Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
Items for this column were provided by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Louisiana Office of State Parks and Department of the Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 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.