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Louisiana Life

July/August 2026

Bayou St . John

Top Or thopedists

Best Hospitals

New Orleans has always told its oldest story on the banks of Bayou St. John

The Water That Made a City

JULY/AUGUST 2026

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Features 28

THE WATER THAT MADE A CITY

New Orleans has always told its oldest story on the banks of Bayou St. John.

PRECISION TARGET

Dr. Alexander Mulamula uses the Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy for early lung cancer detection

TOP DOCTORS: ORTHOPEDISTS

Plus Louisiana’s Best Hospitals as verified by Medicare

Louisiana Life (ISSN 1042-9980) is published bimonthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rate: One year $24; no foreign subscriptions. An associate subscription to Louisiana Life is available by a contribution to Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Louisiana Life, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright © 2026 Louisiana Life, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark Louisiana Life is registered. Louisiana Life is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos, and artwork, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in Louisiana Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or owner. Official digital reprint and framed content is only available from Renaissance Publishing, LLC by calling (504) 828-1380.

VO LU M E 4 6 N U M B E R 4

July/August 06

EDITOR'S NOTE

A New Orleans Secret Spot 12

PELICAN BRIEFS

News and updates around the state 14

LITERARY LOUISIANA

Stories of family, belonging and nature 16

IN TUNE

The Brooding Sound of Vampire Rocker, Jackson Culp 22

ART

The world is Carlos Lopez’s oyster 54

NATURAL STATE

Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge

KITCHEN GOURMET

A bounty of summertime food options

LA RAMBLER

After years of rebuilding, Lake Charles is having a moment

FARTHER FLUNG

Describe a river-shaped city whose humidity burrows deep in the skin, that fervently throws festivals for almost everything, that cares for its culinary character with the reverence of spiritual devotion, and cranks it up for a wild and multi-ethnic music tradition, and you easily could be talking about New Orleans—or New Delhi.

The National Park City offers new hotels, attractions and entertainment

3 2

PHOTO CONTEST

Stretching along Bayou St. John, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 stands on land tied to New Orleans’ earliest French roots.

Featured Locations 1. Monroe p. 16 2. New Orleans p. 18 3. Baton Rouge p. 40 4. Ouachita Parish p. 54 5. Lake Charles p. 58

E D I TO R ’ S N OT E

A New Orleans Secret Spot

EDITORIAL Editor Reine Dugas Art Director Sarah E.G. Majeste

WHEREVER YOU LIVE, there’s probably a spot you like to go for fun, to relax or even to hide. Maybe it’s not so secret, but it hasn’t yet made the top ten things to do in your city or town. And even if it does make those lists, somehow, inexplicably, it remains a place mostly for people who live nearby, keeping it from being too overrun or posted to social media so much that it turns into something else. A place like that for me is Bayou St. John. It sits in the middle of Mid-City, nestled near the New Orleans Museum of Art, City Park and Esplanade Avenue. At first glance, it may not seem all that remarkable except for the fact that it’s a bayou in the middle of the city. There are a couple of bridges crossing it, a few trees here and there. But, to me, it is a magical place. A calm refuge for people to leave the bustle of work and errands and traffic, Bayou St. John offers a place to stop and sit a spell. To go for a little stroll. Maybe bring a picnic and sit on the banks of the water. On any given morning, you might find a small yoga class or a kayaker gliding by or someone on her morning run. In the evenings, especially around dusk, people walk their dogs, meet for a drink, gather to play music. During COVID, there were two places that became refuges for me. They were spots where I could see my friends but still keep my distance. One was the New Orleans Jazz Museum — they started holding their Tuesday evening balcony concerts again pretty quickly and all of us, who were starved for music, set up our folding chairs and sat six feet apart, enjoying the vibe. The other place was Bayou St. John. Friends brought their own packed food and drink, sat sufficiently apart, watched the sunset and felt glad for the chance to be together. Though New Orleans is surrounded by the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, during my day-to-day running around, it still doesn’t feel like there’s much water around me. So any chance I get, I try to find some — be near Reine Dugas it, jump in it. While you don’t want to swim in Bayou St. John, you can do just EDITOR REINE@LOUISIANALIFE.COM about everything else. Walk, sit, ride, run, kayak. Be.

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Up Next Coming in Sept/Oct

Sportsman’s Paradise

Cozy Towns

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

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C O N T R I B U TO R S

What Are You Watching?

Edmund D. Fountain “Widow’s Bay” I love the performances from Stephen Root, Matthew Rhys and Dale Dickey. My favorite show of all time is the first season of True Detective.

Edmund D. Fountain

Fritz Esker “Rooster” Steve Carell plays an author who accepts a college lecturer position as a way to support his professor daughter, who’s reeling after her husband’s infidelity.

Photographer Edmund D. Fountain is an award-winning independent photojournalist and editorial photographer based in New Orleans. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for a series of stories examining a century of abuse at a Florida reformatory. When not working with a camera he’s often found exploring the Gulf Coast in his sea kayak.

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JULY/AUGUST 2026

Fritz Esker is a longtime freelancer in writing, editing, and ed tech. He also does stats for Tulane football and basketball. When not working, he’s compulsively watching movies, writing scripts, rooting for the Saints and Arsenal, planning (and taking) trips, and attempting to learn foreign languages online. .

Misty Milioto “Euphoria” I’ve been catching up on Season 2 in anticipation of Season 3, which I’ve heard is wild. No spoilers, please!

Misty Milioto is a freelance writer and editor with over 25 years of experience working with publications across the country, including Sunset; U.S. News & World Report; and Modern Luxury’s suite of 80+ regional publications such as Aspen Magazine, San Francisco Magazine and Scottsdale Magazine. In her free time, she loves to travel and spend time with her Schipperke, Jax.

NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY

CATCH UP AT LOUISIANALIFE.COM/LOUISIANAINSIDER

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PELICAN BRIEFS

All Hail the Cocktail

GRAND ISLE

Celebrating Hurricane Resilience

Imbibing and vibing in New Orleans BY LISA LEBLANC-BERRY

LAFAYETTE

Having a Laugh The 2nd annual Lafayette Comedy Festival, “Best of the Fest” (August 6-9) is expanding into a full weekend of new, immersive brunch and comedy events throughout the self-proclaimed “happiest city on Earth.”

The Island Strong Music Festival (July 16-18) returns to the Tarpon Rodeo Pavilion with a three-day musical lineup, Louisiana food and arts and crafts. Created in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, it celebrates Grand Isle’s resilience and community spirit, with proceeds benefitting recovery and revitalization projects across the island. LIVINGSTON

For the Love of Clydesdales Clydesdale fans can enjoy meeting adorable baby Relic, the first Cajun Clydesdale foal born at the new Wilder Blue Ranch on March 31, when attending the first annual Red, White, and Wilder Blue Market (July 12). The rare breed of friendly Clydesdales, aka “gentle giants,” roam green pastures, trailed by Huckleberry, the mini horse who thinks he’s a Clydesdale horse like the others. You’ll also find chickens, rabbits, turkeys and a baby piglet that wandered in and joined the clan. Private tours available by appointment. SOUTH LOUISIANA

On the Crumbling Edge The 24th annual Tales of the Cocktail returns to the Ritz-Carlton (July 19-24), with the theme “Spark,” highlighting the idea that every great movement begins with a single spark. The global event features over 60 seminars, workshops, labs, networking opportunities, rare spirit tastings, guided walking tours, competitions, fitness classes and Ben’s Friends, a sobriety support group hailed by sober-curious and recovering hospitality professionals switching from cocktails to mocktails.

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JULY/AUGUST 2026

An “outlaw romance for the end of America,” “Hold on to Your Angels” from Oscar-nominated director Benjamin Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) is unfolding along the “crumbling edge of South Louisiana.” Starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, the Louisianabased film begins production in early 2027.

Additional news online at LouisianaLife.com

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L I T E R A R Y LO U I S I A N A

Introspective Journeys Stories of family, belonging and nature BY CHRISTOPHER LOUIS ROMAGUERA

No One Is Daddy In “No One Is Daddy,” Dylan Krieger takes the reader on an emotional, spiritual and postmodern ride. The reader sees various power structures submit, and strength through the acknowledgement of powerlessness. The reader really gets a taste of Krieger’s voice and her book in the poem titled “millennial reign,” which early on reads, “Y2K killed my cat. i am the dispossessed millennial / trash all the bar graphs in time magazine warned you about.” “No One Is Daddy” is a wild and beautiful ride. Krieger is based in South Louisiana and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Louisiana State University. 104 pages, $18

Café Lafitte in Exile: Queer New Orleans and the Story of America’s Oldest Gay Bar In “Café Lafitte in Exile: Queer New Orleans and the Story of America’s Oldest Gay Bar,” Frank Perez and Jeffrey Palmquist tell the story of New Orleans’ gay community through the perspective of its most famous gay bar. Like all great histories, the book starts this story long before the bar was constructed, with indigenous culture and their perspective on multiple genders and sexual roles versus the colonial perspective of queerness, before getting to the construction of the bar in 1953. From there, Perez and Palmquist use oral histories and newspaper records to tell the story of Café Lafitte in Exile. 208 pages, $32.95

The High Heaven In Joshua Wheeler’s debut novel, “The High Heaven,” we follow the protagonist, Izzy, after her parents are killed on the night of the first Apollo mission. This novel explores Izzy’s life, along with the eccentricities of New Mexico to Texas to New Orleans. Despite the surrealist turns that the novel takes, Wheeler deeply embeds his novel in the history of the Sun Belt and the country, as he flexes his muscles as a nonfiction writer and journalist, to the point where he shares a bibliography of texts he uses in order to keep the story true to life. “The High Heaven” is a deeply entertaining, exciting and introspective novel. Wheeler teaches at Louisiana State University. 304 pages, $28

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

Into the Lost World: A Journey into Louisiana’s Bayou Country

“Into the Lost World: A Journey into Louisiana’s Bayou Country” is a photo book from acclaimed photographer Andy Crawford, containing over 150 color photographs of plant and wild life Crawford witnessed in his years as a photographer and kayak tour guide. There’s also a map and explanations of the swamps’ importance. This book is a love letter to Louisiana and a must have for anyone who interested in the beauty of rural Louisiana. 160 pages, $29.99

Additional books online at LouisianaLife.com

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IN TUNE

Riding the Wave The Brooding Sound of Vampire Rocker, Jackson Culp BY JEREMY MARSHALL

F O R E V E R Y A R T I S T who creates music effortlessly, there are many millions more who just need the right push and passion to find their song. Monroe native Jackson Culp, whose self-styled brand of “vampire rock” can be heard in his debut album “What Happened to the Skull Boy,” certainly grew up in a musical household — his mother and grandmother each raising him with the simple elegance of the piano. Yet, it was the melodic seduction of an electric guitar which spurred Jackson’s first dalliances with writing music amid a teenage fascination with bands like The Lumineers and the Arctic Monkeys. Not just wanting but needing to understand how those artists ripped magic from their guitar strings, Jackson set about teaching himself how to play the electric guitar, come hell or high water. “My senior year of high school, I decided I would figure out how to write a song,” says Jackson. “There was this track by The Arcs that I wanted to learn so badly. The only thing I could do to understand was dive into the

guitar. Then I started learning and figuring out how to do my own thing.” So Jackson wrote his first song, which made the second that much easier. Soon after, the sounds coming from the guitar found purchase and definition. They began to take the shape of something wholly its own, what Jackson has come to call “vampire rock.” As a mix of sultry soul, stabbing guitar riffs and a beat built for swaying in the back corners of dark alleyways, the sound he found takes the idea of skulking Nosferatu less literally and more philosophically, transmuting its essence into a feeling that lingers like the sting of a bite to the neck. “When you think of a vampire, you can see a dangerous person, but you can also see an emotional person,” says Jackson. “They can be good or bad, but each is filled with an inner turmoil. So when I started to think about ‘vampire rock’ it was through that lens, making something that people would want to bob their heads to, something they could feel.” It’s no surprise that Jackson’s style of performance leans into the theatrical, a byproduct of his own acting background. While many performers of the vampiric persuasion have taken personas of the more malevolent variety, Jackson’s path lends more to truth than artifice; the sound less a mask than it is a microscope pinpointing within himself that only music can excavate. “The best way to describe it is that I ran to music because it felt so real,” says Jackson. “When I’m up on stage, I’m trying to be as in the moment as possible. A few years ago, I realized I was trying too hard to make my performances come off a certain way. Now I’m loosening the grip and just riding the wave.” Though Jackson has surely found his niche with “What Happened to the Skull Boy,” there is still ample space for exploration, reinterpretation and certainly artistic experimentation in his near future. Ever pushing himself toward new and more novel expressions of himself, it’s safe to say that this is just the beginning of Jackson Culp’s unveiling as not just an artist but a persona with a soundtrack tailor-made for anyone who enjoys a dalliance with the creatures of the night.

Discover this artist and the full lineup of musicians featured in Louisiana Life throughout 2026 on our curated Spotify playlist.

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

Additional music news online at LouisianaLife.com

LO U I S I A N A M A D E

Transcendent Piece Designer Rishita Monga brings India-inspired jewelry to New Orleans BY JEFFREY ROEDEL PHOTOS BY JOSEPH VIDRINE

D E S C R I B E A R I V E R - S H A P E D C I T Y whose humidity burrows deep in the skin, that fervently throws festivals for almost everything, that cares for its culinary character with the reverence of spiritual devotion and cranks it up for a wild and multiethnic music tradition, and you easily could be talking about New Orleans — or New Delhi. So striking are the parallels, and a nearly shared latitude, between Rishita Monga’s birthplace and her adopted home, one would think that, through mounds of meticulous research, the creative entrepreneur intentionally selected the Big Easy for a relocation that was culturally complementary, as far as international moves go. Think again. “This city chose me, I didn’t choose it,” says the jewelry designer as she nears the one-year anniversary of the opening of her French Quarter boutique. “It’s because of the community of New Orleans that I can even do

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

this. There’s so much acceptance here, so much support for a woman of color. There’s so much love in this place.” Monga’s “long journey,” as she calls it, didn’t begin with a business plan. Growing up in a family and culture where the arts were discouraged as a viable career path, she left India six years ago not to chase a dream, but simply to navigate her own uncertainty. A stint in Tampa Bay gave way to the upheaval of the pandemic and a reset. The creative, who had worked in the music and modeling industries, took an opportunity in New Orleans in fine dining, and there she found herself learning both a new job and the lagniappe nuances of an American city that speaks with a unique rhythm.

Additional images online at LouisianaLife.com

RISHITA M0NGA OCCUPATION

Owner/Designer, Ajoonii SOCIAL MEDIA

@ajoonii_shop on Instagram STORE

830 Chartres St. New Orleans

“I thought I knew English,” Monga says, laughing, “until I worked in a New Orleans restaurant.” But what could have remained a job of survival became something more instructive, thanks to her creative eye. Working in an Indian restaurant, Monga noticed how dishes so familiar to her were elevated and romanticized in this foreign context. “It was spoken about almost poetically,” she recalls. And she had an idea: Jewelry rooted in her culture could be elevated too, but presented in an accessible and contemporary way in Louisiana. She started small — designing and hand-making about 20 pairs of earrings.

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LO U I S I A N A M A D E

Monga didn’t throw a formal launch party or make a big social media push. She wore them to work, shared them with coworkers and curiosity did the rest. Customers began asking about the pieces, then asking to buy them. “Even one sale felt like a lot in the beginning,” Monga says. Growth came incrementally with arts market booths and word-of-mouth. She balanced restaurant shifts with building her brand. “If I could make one day’s worth of money, I would take one day off from the restaurant,” she says. Step-by-step, she transitioned full time to her jewelry. She sketches every design, and now sells multiple lines of India-inspired earrings, necklaces, hairpieces

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JULY/AUGUST 2026

and chokers. Inspiration arrives in fragments, and sometimes even in dreams. Each element is sourced or manufactured in New Orleans and India. As a brand name, Ajoonii is drawn from the spiritual concept of being beyond the cycle of birth and death, something limitless. For Monga, Ajoonii is not just a company, it’s more like a mantra, her daily practice of being grounded with intention. Her designs transcend a fixed plan or even rationality, just like her own journey to Louisiana. “With flower pieces I start with one type in mind, but while creating, I lose track, and the flower itself becomes something else, something new,” she says. “It ends up being something that doesn’t actually exist, except in this one piece of jewelry, and I think that’s very exciting, too.” Welcoming tourists and locals alike to the Ajoonii shop, one block from Jackson Square, Monga may be very far from where she grew up, but launching her own brand and expressing such vivid creativity has her feeling like she is finally home. “This is a long homecoming for me,” Monga says. “After all those years I’m coming home to myself, and you know, this is the sweetest thing ever, because I did take some detours along the way.”

Q&A If you could design a custom piece for anyone, who would it be? It would have to be Lana Del Rey. I play her music exclusively at the store, and it feels like she belongs to the aesthetic of Ajoonii. Or maybe my jewelry’s aesthetic just happens to suit her. I know the customers really appreciate the vibes her music add to the store. What do you love to do in New Orleans for fun? I do work most of the time, but for fun I like to venture out for food. Finding new places with great vegetarian options around New Orleans always excites me. I definitely look for quiet places near water or in a park. But for going out for live music, Frenchmen Street is a staple. What’s the best piece of business advice that you have ever gotten or read? A business owner should think like an employee, and an employee should think like an employer. This gears the business owner toward building a strong team from the ground up, and it helps employees expand their view of what they could pursue when they start their own ventures. The advantage is great leadership and mutual respect.

ART

Pearly Luminescence The world is Carlos Lopez’s oyster BY JOHN R. KEMP

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

“ W H Y, T H E N T H E W O R L D ’ S M I N E OY S T E R .” Shake-

speare said this first in “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” New Orleans artist Carlos Lopez has made the oyster his world, too, not in prose but in his large and lustrous oil paintings of the not-so-simple oyster shell. Lopez’s paintings of the shucked shells of the locally popular bivalves appear as though he dipped his brush in a pool of luminescent mother of pearl and brushed in bright and polychromatic fluid strokes across the canvas. The mundane shell, once used to pave roads along the Gulf Coast, takes on a stunning place in his oversized canvases. With his added touches and accompanying imagery, they become storytelling centerpieces in his uplifting still life paintings.

Exhibits CAJUN

The Rookery: Christie Blalock. Sculpted landscape paintings by Christy Blalock, through Aug. 15. Historic City Hall, Lake Charles. cityoflakecharles. com CENTRAL

39th September Competition. Juried international contemporary art competition, July 10 through Oct. 10. Alexandria Museum of Art. themuseum.org NOLA

Herman Leonard: Images of Jazz. Work by famed post-WWII jazz photographer, through July 12. Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans. ogdenmuseum.org NORTH

Trismegistus: In the Garden. Solo exhibit by Monroe artist Drék Davis, through Aug. 26. Masur Museum of Art, masurmuseum. org RIVER PARISHES

South Arts Southern Prize & State Fellowships for Visual Arts. Touring exhibition featuring artwork by fellowship recipients, through Sept. 6. LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge. lsumoa.org

(Left) “The Nesters” (Right) “Love Swing”

(Left) “The Master Weaver” (Middle) “Madame Garlique” (Right) “The Bride”

LOUISIANA LIFE

“These days,” he says, “I think it is the challenge to use a simple object, like an oyster, and completely redesign the mundane into something people will want to appreciate. The story, the character, the image, I think the drive is the challenge. My favorite image is quiet and solitude. Less chaos, shadows, soothing textures. I want people to sit in a quiet space and feel the quietness that comes across in my paintings. Usually, with a surrealistic twist.”

JULY/AUGUST 2026

Lopez, born in Honduras and now living in the “eclectic” Gentilly Terrace neighborhood of New Orleans among “retirees, artists of all forms, and newlyweds young and old,” has created art all his life, beginning with doodles as a child before he could read or write. As to formal training, he studied art in Honduras and later at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and the University of New Orleans. But, he says, his “real training” took place with the late renowned artist and

Additional images online at LouisianaLife.com

mentor Auseklis Ozols at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. A close look at Lopez’s oyster shell paintings truly reflects that training at the academy. But why oyster shells? Lopez says he singled out the oyster shell as the focus for his still life paintings shortly after the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill off the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast. “It was a shock to the Gulf of Mexico and messed with wildlife,” he says. “People started losing their business and it struck a chord with me. I used oil from the actual spill in the first painting of a shell I did. It has since morphed into the challenge it is today. To take a simple object, paint it in a way that gives it expression, sometimes emotion, and hard to replicate in style. I like to put my spin them, sometimes adding other objects like nests, flowers, birds, insects, clouds and shadows, all to hopefully convey a visual story that doesn’t need to be explained.” Over the years, Lopez’s “oyster paintings” have changed from ecological statements, as he says, “to my happy place and just a love for the culture and city here in New Orleans … I live in a city that celebrates diversity, appreciates culture and respects traditions.” In a way, these painting are, he says, a “reflection of myself, they are my models.” They are, he continues, “the glue to the story I am trying to convey … They are an expression of my thoughts and my state of mind.” In addition, he wants viewers to see themselves, their lives or just something that offers meaning to them. “Each painting,” he says, “reflects a different thought, a different meaning, a different personality.” Lopez is represented by Gallery Orange on Royal Street in the New Orleans French Quarter. For additional information, visit carloslopezart.com.

LOUISIANALIFE.COM

K I TC H E N G O U R M E T

TO MAKE THE CHIMICHURRI Combine ½ cup mint leaves, 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, zest of 1 orange, zest of 1 lemon, leaves and stems from ½ bunch of fresh cilantro (roughly chopped) and ¼ cup toasted sesame oil in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients come together into a rough pesto.

Pulled Wild Boar Sandwiches 3 pounds wild boar chunks 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon ground pepper ¼ cup olive oil 3 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 sprigs fresh thyme ½ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ cup fresh orange juice 3 smashed garlic cloves BRAISING LIQUID 1 tablespoon olive oil ¼ cup cane syrup 1 sprig fresh rosemary 3 sprigs fresh thyme 3 tablespoons Creole mustard 1 bottle dry red wine ¼ cup fresh orange juice 3 smashed garlic cloves 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon hot sauce 1 . R I N S E and pat dry the boar

chunks, then season with salt and pepper. Place in a large bowl with the rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon juice and orange juice. Toss to coat. 2 . COV E R and refrigerate

overnight, stirring once or twice during the marinating process. 3. L I G H T LY O I L the slow cooker

with olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the boar and marinade ingredients to the slow cooker. Spread the meat evenly so it is submerged in the liquid. 4 . COO K for 1 hour on high, then

2 hours on low. Test a piece with two forks. If it shreds easily, transfer the meat to a bowl and shred. If not, continue cooking on high for 1 additional hour.

Summertime Food A bounty of options BY LIZ WILLIAMS PHOTOS AND STYLING BY EUGENIA UHL

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JULY/AUGUST 2026

5. T R A N S F E R the liquid to a

L AT E S U M M E R I S A G R E AT T I M E in Louisiana.

Fishing and other water activities are the ideal relaxation. Whether you are on a lake or a bayou, there are many culinary treasures in the water. And for those who favor wild boar, your hunting license allows hunting wild boar all year. Even if you aren’t a hunter or fisher, you can still obtain and cook lots of the natural bounty of Louisiana. We shouldn’t forget that plants are also part of our natural bounty. I have included a Japanese plum recipe for this issue. These little gems are not native to Louisiana, much like the wild boars, but they are delicious and often overlooked. Every once in a while

saucepan and simmer until slightly reduced. Remove the garlic cloves. Pour over the shredded boar and toss until evenly coated. 6. TO S E RV E Spread mayonnaise

on hamburger buns or small ciabatta rolls. Toast on a skillet until golden. Pile the shredded boar onto the bottom bun, top with coleslaw, then spread Creole mustard and chimichurri. If desired, offer any remaining cooking juices on the side for spooning over the meat.

Additional recipes online at LouisianaLife.com

I see them in a farmers market, but more often, I spot them on the right of way between the street and the sidewalk in the city. The dark green leaves and the light orange fruit look like small apricots. I remember climbing those trees, when I was a child, eating the fruit and spitting the seeds into the grass. And please think broadly about how to cook our bounty. It is always comforting to eat and cook what we know, but rather than stay in a rut, challenge yourself to consider cooking game more broadly. The pulled wild boar sandwiches do give a nod to a more traditional pulled pork sandwich, but the flavor is deeper and a wonderful surprise. It is worth the extra time to marinate the meat, and the slow cooker keeps the house cool. Pickled quail eggs are great as an appetizer or a snack. Children love the little things. If you have too many, chop them into quarters and use them in your favorite potato salad. And use the brine for pickling chicken eggs, if you have an excess of those because your chickens or your neighbor’s are producing more than you can eat. I sometimes think that finding a useful and tasty way to use up leftovers is more fun that cooking that dish the first time. Challenge yourself, because cooking is a creative process. You and your family will be the happier for it. You can’t go wrong. Use the crawfish pimento cheese on pasta for a quick meal or add more cheese to the top for a mac and cheese cousin. Let your imagination go as wild and wonderful as the food of the Sportsman’s Paradise.

Pickled Quail Eggs Pickled quail eggs are cute, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious. 24 quail eggs 2 tablespoons white vinegar BRINE 11/3 cups vinegar (you can use white or apple cider vinegar) 2/3 cup dry white wine 2 cloves garlic, smashed 10 whole peppercorns 6 whole allspice berries ¼ teaspoon whole mustard seeds 2 bay leaves 1 . FO R T H E EG G S Place the eggs into the pot and fill the pot with water to cover the eggs. Add the vinegar. 2 . PL AC E the pot on the stove and allow the water to come to a simmer. Cook 6 minutes. While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with water and ice. Remove the eggs from the stove and place the eggs in the ice bath.

Crawfish Pimento Cheese 4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese 2 cups chopped crawfish tails Half of an 8-ounce jar of roasted red pepper strips in oil or ½ cup of chopped homeroasted red peppers 1½ cups mayonnaise 1 tablespoon grated onion 1/8 teaspoon liquid crab boil Biscuits for serving 1 . PL AC E all the ingredients in a bowl and mix gently. If it seems too dry, add more mayonnaise 1 tablespoon at a time. When it reaches the correct consistency, chill in the refrigerator. Store covered. 2 . TO S E RV E , heat biscuits and split open. Slather with the pimento cheese.

Brandied Japanese Plums

3. PE E L the eggs (the vinegar

1 pound Japanese plums

helps with that) and set aside.

11/2 cup water

4 . FO R T H E B R I N E Place

4 ounces of brandy

the vinegar and wine in a nonreactive pan. Bring the vinegar/wine mixture to a boil. Boil 5 minutes. 5. R E M OV E the pot from the

stove. Take 2 pint jars and divide the vinegar mixture between them. Add 1 clove of the garlic to each. Place 5 peppercorns, 3 allspice berries, half the mustard seeds, and 1 bay leaf in each jar. Then add 12 eggs to each jar. Place the lids on and put them in the refrigerator. The eggs are not properly canned, so keep them in the refrigerator. They will be gone before you know it.

1 cup sugar 1 whole clove 1 bay leaf 1 . WA S H and drain Japanese plums. Cut each in half from pole to pole and remove the seed. Place into a bowl. 2 . I N A POT, In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the plums and simmer for no more than 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and refrigerate overnight. 3. D I V I D E the plums among

jars (the number of jars may vary with the size of the plums). Pour the brandy evenly into each jar, then add 1 bay leaf and 1 clove to each. Refrigerate. The plums are delicious served over ice cream.

LOUISIANALIFE.COM

The Water

BY M ISTY M I LIOTO

PHOTOS BY EDM U N D D. FOU NTAI N

That

New Orleans has always told its oldest story on the banks of Bayou St. John.

Made a City

Stand at the edge of Bayou St. John on a quiet morning and the city seems to fall away. The water shifts through several faces in a single day — steam rising from the surface as temperatures change at dawn, the glassy stillness of midday broken only by a turtle retreating from a log, the shimmer of moonlight on the water after dark. For Kristal Huggins, a biology instructor at Xavier University of Louisiana and a longtime steward of the waterway, walking up to the bayou as a child was an experience she still reaches for to describe what this place is all about. “Growing up and visiting Bayou St. John, I mostly remember the thick vegetation, and walking up to a clearing was like having another world revealed to me,” Huggins says. “I could see what seemed to be a giant river with lots of birds — ducks, geese, egrets — and, of course, turtles, too. It was an escape from the city buildings and concrete.” That quality of escape — the sense of a natural world existing at the heart of a major American city — is not accidental. Bayou St. John is, as author and historian Cassie Pruyn puts it, “literally and symbolically a little thread of history running through the heart of the city.” Her 2017 book, “Bayou St. John: A Brief History,” remains the definitive popular history of the waterway, and its central argument is one she makes without hesitation — that the bayou is why New Orleans exists where it does. “The bayou was integral to the founding of New Orleans by the French over 300 years ago precisely because small waterways like the bayou served as transportation channels for indigenous communities who inhabited this watery region for centuries prior

P. 30

THE WILLIAM RUSSELL JAZZ COLLECTION AT THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, ACQUISITION MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CLARISSE CLAIBORNE GRIMA FUND, MSS 520.1118

This stereographic image by Theodore Lilienthal was taken in 1866. It shows the foot bridge across Bayou St. John, looking from Moss Street toward modern City Park Avenue.

to the arrival of Europeans,” Pruyn says. “Native people showed the French colonists how to bypass the treacherous mouth of the Mississippi River by traveling to its shore via a backdoor route from the Gulf, into Lake Pontchartrain, down Bayou St. John and over a portage route to the edge of the river around the present-day French Quarter.” That portage — the overland trail between the bayou's headwaters and the Mississippi — would eventually become Bayou Road, and later Esplanade Avenue, one of the city’s grandest corridors. The settlement that grew up around the bayou, Port Bayou Saint-Jean, predates the official founding of New Orleans in 1718 by a full decade.

A House That Holds History At 1440 Moss Street, where the bayou’s western bank curves south toward Esplanade Avenue, the Pitot House has stood since 1799. It’s the only Creole colonial country house in New Orleans open to the public, and its story is, in miniature, the story of the city itself. Stacey Pfingsten, executive director of Louisiana Landmarks Society, which owns and operates the Pitot House, says the building’s significance was immediately apparent to her. “I knew the Pitot House was special just by looking at it, as we have very few West Indies-style houses in the entire state of Louisiana,” she says. “Only three remain in that style, and the Pitot House is the only one open to the public.”

(Right) This photograph taken by Morgan Whitney between 1880 and 1910 shows Pitot House before its move and restoration in 1964. In order to save it from demolition, the home’s second floor and plastered brick columns were carefully moved approximately 200 feet and a new foundation and first floor were constructed at its current location, 1440 Moss Street. (Left) Across the bayou stands the Pitot House in its current location. Today, both banks of the bayou serve as popular gathering spots where people and their pets come to stroll, relax and enjoy the scenery.

P. 32

Things to Do Around Bayou St. John

HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, GIFT OF MORGAN WHITNEY, 1974.63.30

The style, as longtime docent Jamie Barker explains, was built entirely around the realities of life in this climate. “Pitot House is a lovely and practically designed home for life in the hot, humid climates of the islands of the Caribbean Sea — and the similar climate of New Orleans,” she says. “It is open-aired with no central hallways and doors. All windows, transoms, doors and shutters are designed to be opened to keep residents as cool as possible in the heat. It’s like living outside with protection from rain.” The house passed through a remarkable succession of owners. It was completed by Marie Tronquet Rillieux — the great-grandmother of French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas — before being purchased in 1810 by James Pitot, the first American

More than a scenic spot, Bayou St. John is a favorite gathering space. If you’re looking for a little exercise, rent a kayak for the day and paddle along the bayou. The grassy banks are also the ideal spot for picnics, celebrations or reunions. If you’re looking for a slower pace, wander over to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden or spread out a blanket, bring some snacks and have a picnic next to the water.

P. 34

HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, GIFT OF SAMUEL WILSON JR., 1981.328.59; THE WILLIAM RUSSELL JAZZ COLLECTION AT THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, ACQUISITION MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CLARISSE CLAIBORNE GRIMA FUND, MSS 520.1118

(Above) These two images show the Evariste Blanc House, now the rectory for Holy Rosary Catholic Church. The first dates to 1886–1895, and the second to 1956. Built in 1834 as a Greek Revival mansion on Bayou St. John, the home was donated to establish Our Lady of the Rosary Parish and became the parish rectory in 1907 — a role it continues to serve today. (Right) The Dufour-Plassan House was built in 1870 by former state senator and district attorney Cyprien Dufour on Esplanade Avenue. It was moved to its current location in 1906 when it was purchased by Adolph Plassan. Its ornate iron fence, featuring cornstalks, sunflowers and fruit motifs, was crafted by Wood, Miltenberger & Co. and would have been at the time a striking display of wealth. The landmark home remains a private residence today.

mayor of New Orleans following the Louisiana Purchase. Pitot also served as president of the Orleans Navigation Company, which managed boat traffic on the bayou visible from his own front gallery. “It makes the relationship feel very direct,” Pfingsten says. “It shows how small and connected the early city was. One person could be shaping policy and also keeping an eye on what was moving along the bayou. Everything was right there, and you could see the impact of decisions in real time.” Later, the house was acquired by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, who would become the first American citizen canonized as a Roman Catholic saint. In 1964, when the building faced demolition to make way for a school expansion, the Louisiana Landmarks Society moved it 220 feet down Moss Street on flatbed trucks to save it.

The Bayou by the Numbers LE NGTH

Less than 5 miles AVE RAGE WI DTH

Approximately 200 feet MAXIM U M DE PTH

Approximately 9 feet N E IGH BORHOODS BORDE RE D

Seven

WISN E R BI KE PATH

4.7 miles

OLDEST ARTI FACTS FOU N D N EARBY

Approximately 300-400 A.D. NATIVE NAM E

Bayou Choupic WHAT TH E NAM E M EANS

Mudfish Bayou

“The move also clarified what, exactly, people were trying to save,” Pfingsten says. “Not just a footprint on a map, but the building itself. It also reflects a time when preservation wasn’t so formalized. People were going on instinct more than policy. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. And that’s why the house is still here.” Standing on the Pitot House’s upper gallery, Barker says, visitors are often stopped by the view — and by what that view once held. “In those earlier years in the 1800s, it would have been a viable waterway — wider and with boat traffic, since it was used during the earlier years as an easier route into the city,” she says. The Carondelet Canal, hand-dug in 1794, extended the bayou’s navigable reach toward the French Quarter. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that commercial era had faded. “By the 20th century, the bayou was no longer ‘useful’ commercially,” Barker adds. “But the bayou would have been just as lovely as it is today.”

What the Water Holds The New Orleans Museum of Art rises at the eastern edge of City Park, directly across from the bayou. Its director, Susan M. Taylor, describes NOMA’s location as a unique vantage point at an intersection of cultural and natural resources. The museum’s free Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which comprises 12 acres and nearly 100 works of art, and is open seven days per week, was designed with the Louisiana landscape in mind. “Our Louisiana landscape and the sculptures’ relationship to the natural environment are what set the Besthoff Sculpture Garden apart from other destinations,” Taylor says. “The selection of native species in the landscape reflects a deliberate choice to connect the Louisiana landscape to works of art that sit in that landscape. The result is an experience that unfolds as you make your way through the garden. It is truly where art and nature meet.” The 2019 expansion of the garden was designed specifically with water stewardship in mind. “There is a unique system of weirs and landscape components to prevent flooding, as well as an emphasis on native plants, which reflect and support the larger ecology of the area,” Taylor says. It’s an ecology that connects directly to Bayou St. John’s own watershed. Among NOMA’s permanent collection holdings is “Portrait of Estelle Musson Degas,” painted by Edgar Degas during his 1872-73 visit to New Orleans. The painting’s acquisition in 1965 came through a community fundraising campaign wherein individuals and schoolchildren donated small amounts toward the purchase. “It was a crowdfunding campaign before their recent popularity, showing the sense of pride people have in museums,” Taylor says.

A City Defined by Water For Jared Zeller, founder and interim executive director of Friends of Bayou St. John, the waterway’s significance is both historical and urgently present. He founded the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo festival in 2006 — the first event held in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — after watching the storm’s devastation unfold from a distance. It was, he said, watching a helicopter crash on the bayou’s banks during rescue efforts that galvanized him to act. “My intention was to do something positive for a community in peril — and that included my own personal experience, as my home was flooded also,” Zeller says. “After the first event, the response was so positive and so well received by the community, I knew we had something special.” The festival grew from a scrappy post-Katrina gathering into a beloved annual celebration. But for Zeller, the Boogaloo has always been a means, not an end. “Ultimately, the Bayou Boogaloo is a vehicle to promote and create mindshare for Bayou St. John in our community, highlighting its historical significance, its place as a unique urban waterway and its transformation as an important trading route during exploration days to industrial use during WWII, and now mostly recreational,” he says.

P. 36

(Left) Tucked just off Esplanade Avenue in Bayou St. John, 1000 Figs serves a falafel platter featuring hummus, kale and cabbage salad, toum, tahini, zhoug and house-made bread. (Right) Located just a block from Bayou St. John on Hagan Avenue, Parkway Bakery & Tavern has been a New Orleans institution since 1911.

Where to Eat Around Bayou St. John

Several restaurants are scattered around the bayou, offering a range of options. Spanish flavors abound at Lola’s, where they have tapas, paella and sangria on the menu. For a lighter option, 1000 Figs serves delicious Mediterranean dishes and has become a neighborhood staple. A long-time local favorite, Parkway Bakery and Tavern brings crowds in for their famous po’boys. If you’re craving a fine dining experience, Ralph’s on the Park, just across from City Park, has beautiful views and contemporary Creole cuisine.

Friends of Bayou St. John has commissioned a long-term visioning study for the waterway’s future, and Zeller’s questions for that study are pointed: Can the water quality be improved? Can rough concrete edges be replaced with natural shorelines? Can the bayou be used to teach young people its history and the species that live in and around it? “It's unique,” Zeller says. “It may be the only urban bayou. Many residents feel a sense of ownership. Certainly, one could argue it has been protected due to the limited development along Bayou St. John, which maintains a lot of the natural beauty.” That ownership is something Huggins has spent years nurturing through ecological stewardship and volunteer work. During a cleanup event in 2019, her team discovered something alarming in the bayou’s waters — the first known reproducing population of the Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus) in North America. “After grabbing one, I realized it had no snake characteristics except for body shape, but I had never seen anything like this before in our brackish waterway,” Huggins says. The implications were immediately clear. The bayou connects to the City Park lagoons and Lake Pontchartrain, and an invasive species established here has a pathway to spread through Louisiana’s entire interconnected waterway system. But Huggins remains steadfast. “I truly feel optimistic about the future of Bayou St. John,” she says. “Over the years, I have witnessed the bayou visibly become cleaner. I see more patches of native plants popping back up after a winter of dormancy, I hear more concern over the general health of the bayou, and I see more people taking action.” Pruyn, who has spent years with this waterway, sees it now in layers invisible to the casual visitor. “I see ghostly layers of the past laid over the modern bayou like a see-through timelapse montage, and I love it,” she says. “In my mind’s eye, ancient canoes and giant schooners slide by. I see pleasure gardens and rowing races and old bridges and Higgins boats.” Nine years after her book was published, Pruyn says the bayou’s lessons feel more urgent than ever, and more universal.

This image from ca. 1895 shows the Magnolia Bridge. The hand-cranked swivel bridge was built in the late 1800s when Bayou St. John was still in use as a commercial waterway. In 1908-1909, the bridge was moved about a quarter mile from its original location at Esplanade Avenue to Harding Street.

P. 38

Where to Have a Drink Around Bayou St. John

HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, 1974.25.39.151

“New Orleans has always been defined — in a uniquely direct way — by water,” she says. “But now, with rising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather events, New Orleans just isn’t that unique anymore when it comes to water being where we don’t want it to be. Wouldn’t it be incredible if, due to its historical relationship to water, New Orleans could inspire the wider world to rethink and reframe that relationship, much as the Dutch have done?” The bayou moves through the city slowly, as it always has. It has been a trade route, a military outpost, a commercial corridor, a ceremonial ground and a neighborhood park. It has been drained and filled and revived. It has been nearly lost and stubbornly found again. “I don’t see how we can allow, as a community, any entity to not protect and celebrate what inherently is part of who we are,” Huggins says. “Bayou St. John is part of our future.” ■

Whether you’re looking for a cool beer on a hot day or a place to gather after Jazz Fest, Bayou St. John has some of the city’s favorite spots to have a drink. Bayou Beer Garden pairs patio seating with an extensive beer selection. Within walking distance from the bayou, Pal’s Lounge is an unpretentious neighborhood bar with tasty cocktails and a welcoming vibe. Wrong Iron on the Greenway offers a spacious outdoor area, frozen drinks, and is dog-friendly too. These are just a few, but they reflect the area’s relaxed, community-centered attitude.

DR. ALEXANDER MULAMULA USES THE ION ROBOTIC BRONCHOSCOPY FOR EARLY LUNG CANCER DETECTION by FRITZ ESKER portrait by COLLIN RICHIE

PRECISION

R. ALEXANDER MULAMULA, head of the pulmonology department

to collect better samples, which allows them at Ochsner Baton Rouge, recently started using a revolutionary to learn more about the individual tumor, new technology that will enable earlier detection and treatment which allows them to use more targeted of lung cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives. therapies in treating that tumor. According to 2025 statistics from the National Cancer Institute, Before the bronchoscopy happens, the lung and bronchus cancers are the deadliest forms of cancer in the patient receives CT scans that the Ion’s United States. They accounted for 20% of American cancer deaths software uses to create 3D airway trees in 2025. It was also the third most common cancer, with 226,650 of the lung and navigation pathways. It new cases diagnosed in 2025. The American Medical Association works similar to a GPS, giving doctors estimates 20% of lung cancer deaths are preventable, but only 30% of lung turn-by-turn directions. Unique sensing cancer cases are diagnosed during the early stages of the disease. Last year, technology allows doctors to carefully Mulamula performed the first procedure at Ochsner Baton Rouge using and safely control the catheter position the Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy. By March of this year, he had performed even while the breathing lung is moving. 200 of them. He is excited about what it can offer patients. It is an outpatient procedure that takes “The Ion robot gives us state-of-the-art capability to access lung approximately one hour. nodules of both size and location that were previously difficult or impossible to access through the “THE ION ROBOT GIVES US STATE-OF-THE-ART airways,” Mulamula said. “Safety, reliability and diagnostic accuracy are always a premium, and the CAPABILITY TO ACCESS LUNG NODULES OF BOTH SIZE Ion delivers on all accounts.” Scopes are often used to explore organs and take AND LOCATION THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY DIFFICULT OR tissue samples. Colonoscopies are important screening IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCESS THROUGH THE AIRWAYS.” tools to detect colon cancer and remove precancerous polyps. Endoscopies examine the upper GI tract. Bronchoscopies target the lungs, but they pose a challenge not seen in other scope procedures: they are working on a The precision offered by Ion also reduces moving target. A colon is stationary during a colonoscopy, but patients the risk of complications during the biopsy. need to breathe to survive, so the lungs keep moving as the doctor is Traditional biopsy methods on the lung have trying to examine them and take tissue samples for a biopsy. a complication rate of 20-25% compared to “A lung is dynamic like a sponge,” Mulamula said. 1-3% with robotic procedures. It also allows In the past, needles would often be inserted through the skin guided by doctors to simultaneously make a diagnosis CT scans. Mulamula said the challenges posed by navigating the moving and stage the cancer (determining the size lungs this way made doctors wait until the tumors were large enough of the tumor and how far it has spread). to safely biopsy them. This posed another problem because it prevented This in turn shortens the time frame for doctors from diagnosing, staging and treating lung cancer sooner. a patient to proceed to surgery. In the past, The Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy enables earlier treatment of lung cancers. there could be weeks between the diagnosis Just like all cancers, the earlier the detection and treatment, the better the and the staging, leading to a longer wait for outcome. Every six weeks of delayed treatment lowers a patient’s five-year treatment. And when every six weeks of survival rate by 14%. delayed treatment significantly decreases The Ion works with an ultra thin, highly maneuverable catheter. It allows the survival rate, that’s a big difference. doctors to reach small nodules in all 18 segments of the lung with precision. The Kenyan-born Mulamula has been This is important because 70% of nodules are in the far areas of the lung. with Ochsner Baton Rouge for 15 years after It has a flexible, steerable tip allowing doctors to collect tissue samples completing a fellowship at Yale University from multiple angles. The greater precision Ion offers allows the doctors School of Medicine. When Mulamula is not working, he spends time at his rural home about 40 minutes outside of Baton Rouge. He is married and has three children and one grandchild. He calls himself a “homesteader” and keeps cats, dogs, rabbits and sheep on his property. Mulamula enjoys the sense of community he feels in the region, which reminds him of how much his work means to people. In one instance, a neighbor thanked him for performing a successful surgery on his uncle. “It gives me immense pride,” Mulamula said. ■

TARGE T

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From sports injuries to joint replacements, these exceptional Louisiana orthopedists

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are recognized for their expertise, compassionate care and commitment to helping patients move with confidence

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over 30 years’ experience researching, reviewing and review process. The Castle Connolly Doctor Directory selecting Top Doctors, Castle Connolly is a trusted and is the largest network of peer-nominated physicians in credible healthcare research and information company. the nation. Our mission is to help people find the best healthcare In addition to Top Doctors, Castle Connolly’s research by connecting patients with best-in-class healthcare team also identifies Rising Stars, early career doctors providers. who are emerging leaders in the medical community. Castle Connolly’s physician-led team of researchers Physicians selected for inclusion in this magazine’s follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors “Top Doctors” and “Rising Stars” feature may also appear on both the national and regional levels. Its online online at www.castleconnolly.com, or in conjunction nomination process is open to all licensed physicians with other Castle Connolly Top Doctors databases online in America who are able to nominate physicians in any and/or in print. medical specialty and in any part of the country, as well Castle Connolly is part of Everyday Health Group, as indicate whether the nominated physician(s) is, in a recognized leader in patient and provider education, their opinion, among the best in their region in their attracting an engaged audience of over 68 million health medical specialty or among the best in the nation in their consumers and over 890,000 U.S. practicing physicians medical specialty. Then, Castle Connolly’s research team and clinicians to its premier health and wellness digital thoroughly vets each physician’s professional qualifica- properties. Our mission is to drive better clinical and tions, education, hospital and faculty appointments, health outcomes through decision-making informed research leadership, professional reputation, disciplinary by highly relevant information, data and analytics. We history and if available, outcomes data. Additionally, a empower healthcare providers and consumers with physician’s interpersonal skills such as listening and trusted content and services delivered through Everyday communicating effectively, demonstrating empathy and Health Group’s world-class brands. instilling trust and confidence, are also considered in the For more information, please visit Castle Connolly. 2024

TO P H O S P I TA L S THERE IS ONE MAJOR SOURCE that provides credible ongoing analysis of hospitals: Medicare, which, as the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities, often provides funding for many of the big bills. As part of its informational services, medicare.gov reports on evaluations of hospitals based on queries of patients. The Louisiana Life editorial staff sifts through the data every year in order to create a one-of-a-kind list that demonstrates the state’s hospitals according to locality. To qualify for this list, at least 60% of the patients queried had to give the hospital a top overall ranking of 9 or 10 (on a scale from 0 [lowest] to 10 [highest]). These are the top general service hospitals as seen through the eyes of those who have experienced them firsthand — the patients. Note, however, that several hospitals in the state did not have any information available on Medicare’s website and therefore could not qualify to be on the list.

ABBEVILLE Abbeville General Hospital 118 N. Hospital Drive 337-893-5466 ALEXANDRIA CHRISTUS Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital 651 N. Bolton Ave. 318-4496400 CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital 3330 Masonic Drive 318-487-1122 Rapides Regional Medical Center 211 Fourth St. 318-769-3000 BASTROP Morehouse General Hospital 323 W. Walnut Ave. 318-283-3600 BATON ROUGE Baton Rouge General Medical Center 8585 Picardy Ave. 225-387-7767 Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge 17000 Medical Center Drive 225-752-2470

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center 5000 Hennessy Blvd. 225-7656565 Surgical Specialty Center of Baton Rouge 8080 Bluebonnet Blvd. 225-408-8080 The General 3600 Florida Blvd., Suite 2020 225-381-6393 The Spine Hospital of Louisiana 10105 Park Row Circle, Suite 250 225-763-9900 Woman’s Hospital 100 Woman’s Way 225-927-1300 BERNICE Reeves Memorial Medical Center 409 First St. 318-285-9066 BOGALUSA Our Lady of the Angels Hospital 433 Plaza St. 985-730-6700 BUNKIE Bunkie General Hospital 427 Evergreen St. 318-346-6681

BATON ROUGE Rasheed Ahmad Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Arthritis, Fractures Joseph Broyles Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Joint Replacement Jeremy Burnham Ochsner Medical Center Baton Rouge (225) 388-6630 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine, Complex Knee Surgery, Knee Reconstruction, Cartilage Damage, Ligament Injuries, Meniscus Repair Robert Easton Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Hip Replacement Henry Eiserloh III Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Spinal Surgery Craig Greene Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Arthritis, Joint Replacement Julie Neumann Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 761-5200 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine

BREAUX BRIDGE Ochsner St. Martin Hospital 210 Champagne Blvd. 337-332-2178 CHALMETTE St. Bernard Parish Hospital 8000 W. Judge Perez Drive 504-826-9500 COLUMBIA Caldwell Memorial Hospital 441 Main St. 318-649-6111 Citizens Medical Center 7939 U.S. Highway S. 318-649-6106 COVINGTON AVALA 67252 Industry Lane 985-8099888 St. Tammany Parish Hospital 1202 S. Tyler St. 985-898-4001 CROWLEY Acadia General Hospital 1305 Crowley Rayne Highway 337-783-3222

David Pope Ochsner Medical Center Baton Rouge (225) 761-5200 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine Catherine Riche Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Foot & Ankle Surgery Michael Robichaux Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Hand & Wrist Surgery, Arthritis, Fractures Meredith Warner (225) 754-8888 EXPERTISE: Foot & Ankle Surgery Adam Whatley Lane Regional Medical Center (225) 924-2424 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine, Hip Surgery, Shoulder Surgery COVINGTON Roderick Chandler AVALA Hospital (985) 674-1700 EXPERTISE: Joint Replacement, Sports Medicine, Robotic Surgery

Kevin Darr Lakeview Hospital (985) 892-5117 EXPERTISE: Stem Cell Therapy, Robotic Surgery, Hip & Knee Replacement, Arthroscopic Surgery, Fractures, Joint Replacement, Shoulder & Knee Surgery, Sports Medicine Jeremy James AVALA Hospital (985) 400-5778 EXPERTISE: Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Brent McCarty AVALA Hospital (985) 674-1700 EXPERTISE: Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery, Dupuytren’s Contracture, Arthritis, Fractures H. Plauche St. Tammany Parish Hospital (985) 892-5117 EXPERTISE: Reconstructive Surgery, Shoulder Surgery, Fractures, Arthroscopic Surgery, Arthritis Sean Rider AVALA Hospital (985) 400-5778 EXPERTISE: Spinal Surgery, Robotic Surgery Jason Rolling St. Tammany Parish Hospital (985) 892-5117 EXPERTISE: Sports Injuries, Arthroscopic Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)

DELHI Richland Parish Hospital - Delhi 407 Cincinnati St. 318-878-5171 DERIDDER Beauregard Memorial Hospital 600 S. Pine St. 337-462-7100 EUNICE Acadian Medical Center 3501 Highway 190 337-580-7903 FARMERVILLE Union General Hospital 901 James Ave. 318-368-9751 FORT JOHNSON SOUTH Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital 1585 Third St. 337-531-3118 FRANKLIN Bayou Bend Health System 1097 Northwest Blvd. 337-828-0760

Jason Rudd AVALA Hospital (985) 674-1700 EXPERTISE: Minimally Invasive Hip & Knee Replacement, Knee Surgery, Shoulder Surgery Charles Schumacher AVALA Hospital (985) 892-5117 EXPERTISE: Hip Replacement K. Shamieh AVALA Hospital (985) 400-5778 EXPERTISE: Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Paul van Deventer AVALA Hospital (985) 674-1700 EXPERTISE: Shoulder Surgery, Knee Surgery, Sports Injuries, Robotic Surgery HAMMOND Vince Lands North Oaks Medical Center (985) 230-2778 EXPERTISE: Trauma

Michael Hartman Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner (504) 412-1705 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine LACOMBE John Logan Jr Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital (985) 871-4114 EXPERTISE: Spinal Surgery LAFAYETTE Lon Baronne II Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital (337) 235-8007 EXPERTISE: Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, Spinal Surgery - Cervical, Spinal Surgery - Lumbar Harold Granger (337) 988-8855 EXPERTISE: Joint Replacement

Jeffrey Witty North Oaks Medical Center (985) 230-2663 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine HOUMA Christopher Cenac Terrebonne General Health System (985) 868-1540 EXPERTISE: Spinal Surgery, Spinal Disorders - Degenerative, Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery

HAMMOND Cypress Pointe Surgical Hospital 42570 S. Airport Road 985-510-6200 North Oaks Medical Center 15790 Paul Vega MD Drive 985-345-2700 HOMER Claiborne Memorial Medical Center 620 E. College St. 318-927-2024 HOUMA Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center 1978 Industrial Blvd. 985-873-2200 Physicians Medical Center 218 Corporate Drive 985-853-1390 Terrebonne General Health System 8166 Main St. 985-873-4141 INDEPENDENCE Lallie Kemp Medical Center 52579 Highway 51 S. 985-878-9421

KENNER Vinod Dasa Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner (504) 412-1705 EXPERTISE: Joint Replacement

Thomas Montgomery Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center (337) 235-8007 EXPERTISE: Arthroscopic Surgery Knee, Sports Medicine, Fractures

JENNINGS Ochsner American Legion Hospital 1634 Elton Road 337-616-7000 JONESBORO Jackson Parish Hospital 165 Beech Springs Road 318-259-4435 KAPLAN Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital 1310 W. Seventh St. 337-643-8300 KENNER Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner 180 W. Esplanade Ave. 504-468-8600 KINDER Allen Parish Hospital 108 Sixth Ave. 337738-2527 LAFAYETTE Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital 1101 Kaliste Saloom Road 337-769-4100 Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center 1214 Coolidge St. 337-289-7991

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CHECK CREDENTIALS AND EXPERIENCE Look for board-certified physicians and ask about their experience treating your specific condition or performing the procedure you need.

David Muldowny Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center (337) 234-5234 EXPERTISE: Spinal Surgery, Arthroscopic Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery

MARRERO Wesley Clark West Jefferson Medical Center (504) 349-6804 EXPERTISE: Hip & Knee Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery

Malcolm Stubbs Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center (337) 234-5234 EXPERTISE: Sports Injuries, Shoulder Reconstruction, Shoulder Replacement, Hip & Knee Replacement

METAIRIE Robert Bostick AVALA Hospital (504) 541-5800 EXPERTISE: Arthroscopic Surgery

Matthew Williams Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center (337) 235-8007 EXPERTISE: Shoulder Replacement, Elbow Surgery

LAKE CHARLES Geoffrey Collins West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital (337) 905-7100 EXPERTISE: Hip & Knee Surgery, Sports Injuries

Michael Alan Hinton Lake Charles Memorial Hospital (337) 477-5252 EXPERTISE: Joint Replacement, Hip & Knee Replacement, Arthroscopic Surgery

VERIFY INSURANCE COVERAGE Confirm that both the doctor and hospital are in your insurance network to avoid unexpected costs.

READ PATIENT REVIEWS — WITH CONTEXT Online reviews can provide insight into communication style, wait times and patient experience, but they should be considered alongside professional qualifications.

Ochsner University Hospital and Clinics 2390 W. Congress St. 337-261-6000 Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center 4801 Ambassador Caffery Parkway 337-470-2000 Park Place Surgical Hospital 4811 Ambassador Caffery Parkway 337-2378119 LAKE CHARLES CHRISTUS Ochsner Lake Area Hospital 4200 Nelson Road 337-474-6370 CHRISTUS Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital 524 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive 337-4362511 Lake Charles Memorial Hospital 1701 Oak Park Blvd. 337-494-3000 LAKE PROVIDENCE East Carroll Parish Hospital 336 N. Hood St. 318-559-4023

R. Junius East Jefferson General Hospital (504) 521-7984 EXPERTISE: Sports Injuries, Hip Replacement - Anterior Approach, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Surgery Murphy Martin Lakeside Hospital (504) 988-8476 EXPERTISE: Trauma, Fractures - Complex, Fractures - Non Union Michael O’Brien Lakeside Hospital (504) 988-8010 EXPERTISE: Elbow Surgery, Shoulder Surgery

NEW IBERIA Seth Rosenzweig Iberia Medical Center (337) 235-8007 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine NEW ORLEANS Scott Buhler East Jefferson General Hospital (504) 897-6351 EXPERTISE: Sports Injuries, Shoulder Replacement, Knee Injuries/ACL, Knee Injuries/Ligament Surgery, Arthroscopic Surgery Matthew Cable University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 702-3000 EXPERTISE: Musculoskeletal Cancer, Sarcoma, Sarcoma Soft Tissue George Chimento Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans (504) 842-3970 EXPERTISE: Hip & Knee Replacement, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Arthroscopic Surgery, Joint Replacement

Fernando Sanchez Lakeside Hospital (504) 988-8010 EXPERTISE: Reconstructive Surgery William Sherman Lakeside Hospital (504) 988-8012 EXPERTISE: Hip & Knee Replacement

LEESVILLE Byrd Regional Hospital 1020 Fertitta Blvd. 337-239-9041 LULING St. Charles Parish Hospital 1057 Paul Maillard Road 985-785-3644 LUTCHER St. James Parish Hospital 1645 Lutcher Ave. 225-869-5512 MAMOU Savoy Medical Center 801 Poinciana Ave. 337-468-5261 MANSFIELD DeSoto Regional Health System 207 Jefferson St. 318-872-4610 MANY Sabine Medical Center 240 Highland Drive 318-256-5691

MARKSVILLE Avoyelles Hospital 4231 Highway 1192 318-253-8611 MARRERO West Jefferson Medical Center 1101 Medical Center Blvd. 504-347-5511 METAIRIE East Jefferson General Hospital 4200 Houma Blvd. 504-503-4000 MINDEN Minden Medical Center One Medical Plaza 318-377-2321 MONROE Monroe Surgical Hospital 2408 Broadmoor Blvd. 318-410-0002 Ochsner LSU Health - Monroe Medical Center 4864 Jackson St. 318-330-7000 St. Francis Medical Center 309 Jackson St. 318-966-4000

W. Choate Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans (504) 736-4800 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine, Arthroscopic Surgery - Shoulder, Arthroscopy - Elbow, Elbow Reconstruction, Shoulder Reconstruction, Knee Reconstruction, Shoulder Dislocation, Shoulder Replacement, Rotator Cuff Injuries, Sports Injuries, ACL Injuries, Meniscus Repair, Cartilage Damage, PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), Stem Cell Therapy Anna CohenRosenblum University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 702-3000 EXPERTISE: Arthritis Mathew Cyriac East Jefferson General Hospital (504) 503-7500 EXPERTISE: Spinal Surgery, Spinal Disorders Degenerative, Spinal Deformity, Spinal Disc Replacement Timothy Finney Ochsner Baptist - A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center (504) 897-6351 EXPERTISE: Arthroscopic Surgery, Shoulder Injuries

MORGAN CITY Ochsner St. Mary 1125 Marguerite St. 985-384-2200 NATCHITOCHES Natchitoches Regional Medical Center 501 Keyser Ave. 318-214-4200 NEW IBERIA Iberia Medical Center 2315 E. Main St. 337-364-0441 NEW ORLEANS New Orleans East Hospital 5620 Read Blvd. 504-592-6600 Ochsner Medical Center Acute 1516 Jefferson Highway 504-842-3000 Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System 2400 Canal St. 800-9358387 Touro Infirmary 1401 Foucher St. 504897-7011

Paul Gladden University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 702-5700 EXPERTISE: Pelvic & Acetabular Fractures

James Mautner Ochsner Medical Center New Orleans (504) 842-3970 EXPERTISE: Musculoskeletal Injuries

Wendell Heard East Jefferson General Hospital (504) 988-8476 EXPERTISE: Fractures, Sports Injuries, Sports Medicine, Trauma

Michael McNulty Ochsner Baptist - A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center (504) 897-6351 EXPERTISE: Arthroscopic Surgery, Tendon Injuries, Knee Injuries/ACL/Meniscus Tears, Cartilage Damage & Transplant, Fractures

Gregor Hoffman Ochsner Baptist - A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center (504) 897-6351 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine Peter Krause University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 702-3000 EXPERTISE: Trauma, Hip Replacement Anterior Approach, Hip Replacement & Revision Olivia Lee New Orleans VA Medical Center (504) 702-4400 EXPERTISE: Pelvic & Acetabular Fractures, Fractures - Non Union Christopher Marrero University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 702-3000 EXPERTISE: Sports Medicine

Mark Meyer Ochsner Medical Center New Orleans (504) 842-3970 EXPERTISE: Bone & Soft Tissue Tumors Chad Millet Ochsner Baptist - A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center EXPERTISE: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Hip & Knee Replacement R. Ogden II Ochsner Baptist - A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center (504) 897-6351 EXPERTISE: Foot & Ankle Surgery, Sports InjuriesFoot & Ankle, Foot & Ankle Deformities

University Medical Center New Orleans 2000 Canal St. 504-702-3000 OAKDALE Oakdale Community Hospital 130 N. Hospital Drive 318-335-3700 OAK GROVE West Carroll Memorial Hospital 706 Ross St. 318-428-3237 OLLA Hardtner Medical Center 1102 N. Pine Road 318-495-3131 OPELOUSAS Opelousas General Health System 539 E. Prudhomme St. 337-948-3011 PINEVILLE Alexandria VA Medical Center 2495 Shreveport Highway 318-473-0010

Felix Savoie University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 988-8476 EXPERTISE: Elbow Surgery, Arthroscopic Surgery Leslie Sisco Ochsner Medical Center New Orleans (504) 842-3970 EXPERTISE: Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery Andrew Todd Jr Ochsner Baptist - A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center (504) 897-6351 EXPERTISE: Scoliosis, Spinal Disorders Degenerative, Spinal Deformity, Sports Injuries

Robert Zura University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 702-3000 EXPERTISE: Trauma OPELOUSAS David Clause Opelousas General Health System - Main Campus (337) 678-4828 EXPERTISE: Joint Replacement, Hip & Knee Surgery SHREVEPORT Steven Atchison Specialists Hospital Shreveport (318) 635-3052 EXPERTISE: Hip & Knee Surgery John Googe Specialists Hospital Shreveport (318) 635-3052 EXPERTISE: Hip & Knee Surgery, Shoulder Surgery, Sports Injuries

K. Vemulapalli University Medical Center New Orleans (504) 702-4400 EXPERTISE: Trauma

Richard Harrell Willis Knighton South (318) 212-5044 EXPERTISE:Surgery, Sports Medicine

Charles Yu Ochsner Medical Center New Orleans (504) 842-3970 EXPERTISE: Spinal Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Laminoplasty, Arthroplasty, Spinal Disorders, Spinal Fusion, Discectomy

J. Haynie Specialists Hospital Shreveport (318) 635-3052 EXPERTISE: Foot & Ankle Surgery

Willis Knighton North 2600 Greenwood Road 318-212-4001 SLIDELL Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital 1700 Lindberg Drive 985-280-2200 Slidell Memorial Hospital 1001 Gause Blvd. 985-643-2200 Sterling Surgical Hospital 989 Robert Blvd. 985-690-8200 SPRINGHILL Springhill Medical Center 2001 Doctors Drive 318-539-1000 SULPHUR West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital 701 Cypress St. 337-527-7034 THIBODAUX Thibodaux Regional Medical Center 602 N. Acadia Road 985-447-5500

Edward Morgan Willis Knighton Pierremont (318) 212-3610 EXPERTISE: Shoulder Surgery, Knee Surgery Cambize Shahrdar Jr Willis Knighton Pierremont (318) 212-3610 EXPERTISE: Arthritis Hip & Knee SLIDELL Robert Butler Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital (985) 690-7246 EXPERTISE: Joint Replacement, Trauma, Hand Surgery

Robert Treuting Ochsner Medical Center New Orleans (504) 842-3970 EXPERTISE: Foot & Ankle Surgery

RACELAND Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital 4608 Highway 1 985-537-6841 RAYVILLE Richardson Medical Center 254 Highway 3048 318-728-4181 SHREVEPORT CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System 1453 E. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop 318-681-5000 Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport 1541 Kings Highway 318-675-5058 Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - St. Mary Medical Center One St. Mary Place 318-626-4300 Overton Brooks VA Medical Center 510 E. Stoner Ave. 318-221-8411 Specialists Hospital Shreveport 1500 Line Ave. 318-213-3800

Val Irion Specialists Hospital Shreveport (318) 635-3052 EXPERTISE: Knee Replacement, Sports Medicine

THIBODAUX Patrick Ellender Thibodaux Regional Health System (985) 625-2200 EXPERTISE: Sports Injuries

VILLE PLATTE Mercy Regional Medical Center 800 E. Main St. 337-363-5684 VIVIAN North Caddo Medical Center 815 S. Pine St. 318-375-3235 WEST MONROE Glenwood Regional Medical Center 503 McMillan Road 318-329-4200 WINNFIELD Winn Parish Medical Center 301 W. Boundary Ave. 318-648-3000 WINNSBORO Franklin Medical Center 2106 Loop Road 318-435-9411 ZACHARY Lane Regional Medical Center 6300 Main St. 225-658-4000

SPONSORED

Historic New Orleans Collection

Visit West Baton Rouge Parish to soak up our Blues, Views, and BBQs. Learn more at westbatonrouge.net.

Avoyelles Parish

Why travel far when the perfect getaway is waiting right here in the center of Louisiana? Come experience a staycation on one tank or less in beautiful Avoyelles Parish, where relaxation, recreation, and family fun come together. Spend your days exploring our scenic outdoors with fishing, paddling, nature drives, and small-town charm around every corner. Then cool off and unwind with the indoor tropical pool at Paragon Casino Resort, offering year-round fun for families and visitors of all ages.

For RV travelers looking to settle in and stay awhile, Avoyelles welcomes you with comfortable camping options at Gator Grounds RV Waterpark Resort in Bunkie or the relaxing RV accommodations at Paragon Casino Resort RV Park. Whether you are planning a weekend retreat or an extended road trip stop, Avoyelles Parish offers the perfect mix of adventure, comfort, food, gaming, and French Creole hospitality. Learn more at travelavoyelles.com.

Canton, MS

Visit Canton, Mississippi, this Summer for a day of small-town charm with a big southern heart. With a history as rich in food and culture, where timeless charm meets modernity around the glorious, beautiful Greek

Revival Courthouse, there’s always something new and exciting happening in Canton. The bi-annual Canton Flea Market and Arts & Crafts show is taking place on May 14th, featuring artisans from across the nation with handcrafted items like jewelry, pottery, and unique arts & crafts. With hundreds of superior artists and craftsmen within walking distance of the downtown area, the community comes alive with art and life. This June, the 41st Annual Balloon Festival takes to the skies of Mississippi from the 26th through the 28th. Join the Canton locals and visitors from around the region at the Canton Multipurpose Complex to witness a wonderland of beautiful balloons light up the Summer skies. To learn more, visit CantonTourism.com. T

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N AT U R A L S TAT E

Home on the Bayou Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN RABALAIS

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

LOCATION

Ouachita Parish ART

The Conservation Learning Center at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge includes aquariums, a classroom and a new snake room.

poke through the brush. The photographers, also camouflaged, follow. Four weeks earlier, an ice storm struck northern Louisiana, leaving many here without electricity for more than a week. Now, in late February, the photographers move through a world in early bloom. One of them, Jon Guice, first visited Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge during the pandemic. He had always heard about its 5,300 acres that provide habitat for waterfowl, neotropical migrant birds, endangered wildlife and other emblematic Louisiana species such as alligators and alligator snapping turtles. He didn’t expect to find a new passion that would lure him here as many as three times a week. “There’s such a variety of birds, especially in the spring,” says Guice, member of the Friends of Black Bayou, the volunteer organization that, according to its mission, “supports the protection and enhancement” of the refuge in Ouachita Parish. Opening the Merlin Bird ID app on his phone, Guice shows me the red-bellied woodpecker, yellow-rumped warbler and tufted titmouse we’ve been hearing in the Visitor Center parking lot. T WO C A M O U F L AG E D C A M E R A L E N S E S

When Friends of Black Bayou Vice President Ann Bloxom Smith joins us, talk turns from the abundance of birds at the refuge to its lack of funding. Skeleton staff are spread over multiple refuges. They discuss litter and grass that often remains uncut because the refuge is on federal property and can’t insure volunteers for such work. And yet, Guice says, “We can’t live without volunteers.” “If they give us staff, we can make do with the lack of funding,” says Smith, a retired English professor at UL Monroe who joined the Friends of Black Bayou upon the refuge’s founding in 1997. Then as now, much of the work here falls on volunteers. “The one thing we agree on is we all love the refuge,” she says, waving to two visitors who have come for a morning walk, then a father and daughter carrying fishing poles. “Everything you see here is out of Kelby Ouchley’s head. First, it was his dream. Then it became our dream.” In the late 1990s, Ouchley, the legendary Louisiana naturalist and author who managed wildlife refuges for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for 30 years, mentioned on his public radio show that a new refuge would open on a former cotton plantation north of Monroe. Anyone

The refuge hosts an annual contest for photographs taken on the premises. Visitors on the first Saturday of the month can participate in environmental education events for children. On the third Saturday of each month, visitors can attend free “Art in Nature” workshops. Once a year, the refuge hosts the Louisiana Plein Air Competition. There are also occasional full moon walks. ANIMALS

Predators such as racoons, foxes and snakes eat the eggs of alligator snapping turtles. To preserve the species, which the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service deems threatened, staff and volunteers collect alligator snapping turtle eggs at the refuge and send them to the Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery. When the alligator snapping turtles reach the size of a silver dollar, they return to the refuge.

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N AT U R A L S TAT E

LOUISIANA LIFE

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who wished to support it should attend a meeting. Smith went. So did 40 others. The next day, she and several from that group visited the site. Ouchley, the inaugural manager, wanted to show them the house that the refuge had been offered. There was one catch. To receive the donation, the refuge needed a Friends group. “It had holes in the roof big enough to drop a Volkswagen in,” Smith says, laughing. The Friends of Black Bayou quickly formed and began seeking funding to restore the house. Volunteers got to work. Four years passed before they felt confident that a visitor wouldn’t fall through the floor. Today, the house is magazine ready. In front of the house, which serves as the Visitor Center and Nature Store, Smith grabs my shoulders. After a gentle push, I realize that she needs me to turn around. “My students used to always ask why I keep coming out here, to the same place. I would tell them, ‘Every week, there’s something new.’” Her delight leads me to an oak tree and 30 feet up, where purple buds bloom against a hardening blue sky. “I love to see the changes.” A few minutes later, the Conservation Learning Center hums from tanks filled with fish, alligators, snakes, turtles and alligator snapping turtles. Inside, volunteers Tina Turek and Jim Kolinsky are feeding and cleaning. Both live on the property, their utilities paid in exchange for 24 hours of weekly work. Understaffing means they often work more. When not keeping the aquariums pristine and buying food for the animals when the refuge is short of funding, they’re busy researching. Today, Kolinsky shares his knowledge about snakes with a family from West Monroe, though much of his energy goes into convincing the youngest daughter that the corn snake won’t bite.

The refuge is open seven days a week. Hours differ, so check before you plan your visit. From the Visitor Center, it’s a short walk to the pier that extends into Black Bayou Lake. There are also a variety of trails, including some accessible by bicycles, wheelchairs, strollers and ATVs.

From there, Smith needs to inspect the 1-mile Nature Trail. Several yards in, she crouches to examine new growth. “This is why I don’t walk for exercise. I stop and look at everything.” This part of the refuge flooded in 2016. Water reached the top steps of the Visitor Center, where we find two volunteers in a room filled with handmade jewelry, art, books and refuge merchandise. “The best thing about the refuge is Ann [Bloxom Smith],” says Egyptian-born volunteer Ruby Blocker. “She has given us another home. Every time I come here, I feel at home. I will try to be like Ann and make everyone who comes here feel at home.” And in Blocker’s smile, you see what this place provides for so many, the sanctuary of nature and its persistent gifts.

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LA RAMBLER

Chuck-full of Fun After years of rebuilding, Lake Charles is having a moment STORY AND PHOTOS BY MELANIE WARNER SPENCER

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

Additional images online at LouisianaLife.com

T H E L A S T T I M E M Y H U S B A N D , Mark, and I were

in Lake Charles was before COVID-19 lockdowns, and boy, has a lot changed in six years. It has been a long road to recovery from multiple natural disasters, including Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020 and flooding and tornadoes in 2021, leaving Lake Charles’ residents reeling. The city’s comeback speaks to the community’s fortitude. My long-overdue return visit to The Chuck left me impressed by the progress and with a “fun things to do list” that outlasted my stay. For this trip, we traveled with our kitty, Mac, who doesn’t love car rides but is down for exploring a hotel room. L’Auberge Casino Resort would be his new home for a few days. (Note to those traveling with fur family: The hotel has a $150, nonrefundable pet fee.) Our room was in the tower, and the view of Contraband Bayou from a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows was supreme. Mac was endlessly entertained by bird’s eye birdwatching. With Mac settled in and occupied, we set out to explore downtown, which is a 12-minute drive from the casino.

Downtown Lake Charles offers a mix of old school and new with long-time favorites like Cotten’s and Luna Bar and Grill ensuring no one goes hungry and, pertaining to the latter, that there’s always music to dance to.

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LA RAMBLER

Augustine took over the space formerly home to the restaurant 1910 and it’s a must for your night on the town (everything is delicious but don’t skip the crab claws). The Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu’s new, larger, immersive space is fun for the entire family.

The Downtown landscape is still as charming as ever, with an abundance of early- to mid-1900s red-brick commercial buildings now interspersed with newer mixed-use retail and residential buildings. We ducked in and out of shops and galleries and meandered over to the Charpentier Historic District to ogle the quaint neighborhood’s Italian Renaissance, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes. There are quite a few food options downtown, but one of our favorite stops years ago was Luna Bar & Grill, so be sure to add it to your list of places to eat while you’re there. Also downtown is the striking Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center, designed in the Spanish Baroque style. Catch traveling exhibitions from Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on

The pet-friendly policy at L’Auberge Casino Resort ensures luxe accommodations with a veiw for your furry family members.

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

Saturdays, go early to explore the Charlestown Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to noon. Get more culture about three miles away on the lakefront at the city’s new Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Nature and Science Center Port Wonder and the Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana, which opened in the spring of 2025. Craft beer lovers (and hungry folks) will be pleased to discover Crying Eagle Brewing Company’s second location on the Lakefront (which opened in October of 2025), a few steps away from Port Wonder. Ahh, a wonder indeed. Be sure to include time to visit the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu. The museum’s former location was destroyed by Hurricane Laura in 2020. Its new, larger, immersive museum is about three miles east of Port Wonder and boasts the world’s largest display of Mardi Gras costumes. Prepare for history, pageantry and so much razzle-dazzle. In the summer of 2025, Chef Dave Evans debuted Augustine in the space that had been occupied for nearly a decade by 1910. Augustine, located on Ryan Street across from Historic City Hall, is named in honor of Evans’ late mother, restaurateur and Nonancourt,

LOCATION

Lake Charles

Lake Charles hosts more than 75 festivals annually. From the familyfriendly Mardi Gras celebration to its Louisiana Pirate Festival, that’s a lot of partying for a city its size.

$73.3M

According to a 2025 report from CDC Gaming, the Lake Charles district is the leading generator of gaming revenue in Louisiana, pulling in $73.3 million in a single month (June 2025) alone.

France-native Rose Lucienne Augustine Guincestre (known as Mrs. Pat). We had heard great things about the new restaurant by the same founders as Luna and were particularly excited to try it. I’m thrilled to report that it was the highlight of our trip. At Augustine, dark, wood-paneled walls dominate the dining room, with curved walls and arched windows overlooking City Hall on one side and the historic Calcasieu Parish Courthouse on the other. A bar is nestled against the wall on the left as you enter. Contemporary wood-top tables and midcentury-style carved-wood chairs with black-upholstered seats and curved backs belie the Jazz Era vibes (and music). That night was a busy night in Lake Charles; the dining room and bar were lively with everything from prom kids and pre-comedy show ticket holders to birthday groups and concertgoers, making up the diverse diners. We enjoyed delectable bread and garlic herb butter and crab claws to start, then I tucked into the award-winning beef bourguignon, which was so rich and flavorful I nearly wept, while Mark opted for the filet mignon and fries. We ended our meal by indulging in a fruit-topped crème

brûlée, with many satisfying cracks of the dessert’s signature blowtorched caramelized sugar. Another culinary agenda item on my list was a visit to The Bekery. Not far from Shell Beach Drive, and just shy of three miles from downtown, the French-inspired bakery is Instagrammable and food is delicious. The light, airy eatery features pastries, such as croissants and quiche, as well as omelettes and other more traditional breakfast fare. The only drawback is that it is nearly impossible to choose, because everything looks, smells and sounds so good. We had a considerable number of outdoor activities planned for our trip, but alas, several bouts of rain throughout our stay thwarted them. We opted for the Pintail Wildlife Drive to at least get a little nature. If the weather gods are on your side however, consider the nearby Creole Nature Trail, Holly Beach or Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. Two promises came from our visit: We won’t wait so long next time, and our dinner was so incredible, we vowed to return soon even if it was solely to experience Chef Dave Evans’ menu again.

79,679

Lake Charles’ population peaked in 2020 at around 84,879, but dropped by over 5,200 people between 2020 and 2023. This is a direct reflection of the displacement caused by Hurricanes Laura and Delta and the 2021 natural disasters.

LOUISIANALIFE.COM

FA R T H E R F LU N G

DAY ONE

What’s New in the ‘Nooga The National Park City offers new hotels, attractions and entertainment BY CHERÉ COEN

WE’D JUMP AT ANY CHANCE to visit Chattanooga, with

its unlimited outdoors adventures and attractions, accessibility to Lookout Mountain, great dining scene and unique history. The nation’s first National Park City now has more reasons for us to visit, from revitalized historic buildings into fashionable accommodations and restaurants to watching the one of the oldest minor league teams in the country play at their new state-ofthe-art stadium.

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

M O R N I N G Head to the Tennessee Riverwalk where a hike along the southern banks of the Tennessee River delivers natural beauty as well as attractions and places to pause for refreshment. The decision is yours how much you want to pack into your river trek — the Riverwalk stretches over 16.1 miles — so either stroll along the waterfront enjoying murals, statues and downtown landscapes or stop at the Hunter Museum of American Art with its 3,000 pieces of American artwork, and the expansive Tennessee Aquarium, both of which provide hours of enjoyment. For lunch, enjoy a traditional menu or savor tasty oysters at the Boathouse along the river or walk across the pedestrian Walnut Street Bridge into North Chattanooga, where boutique shopping and a wide variety of restaurants may be found. A F T E R N O O N Summer weather in Chattanooga ranges

from an occasional heat rise to something more balmy, the perfect climate to watch the Chattanooga Lookouts play ball at their new stadium, Erlanger Park. The farm team for the Cincinnati Reds’ new space along the Riverfront District has incorporated historic buildings into the ballpark’s design. The 1936 Coca-Cola Pattern Shop includes event venues, a food hall and team offices with a 7,500-square-foot deck that juts out over the field. The

(left to right) Lookout Mountain; Otters at the Tennessee Aquarium; The Waymark Chattanooga’s The Vault speakeasy bar; Dining at the various location at The Waymark Chattanooga

bike rental stations through the bike rental program Bike Chattanooga will get you on wheels at 43 stations in the city. A F T E R N O O N Book lovers will adore Chattanooga’s

many independent bookstores, which spurred the city’s inaugural Indie Bookstore Crawl this spring. Stores to visit include The Book & Cover, Rêve Coffee and Books, Pennington’s Books, Winder Binder and Mystique Bookshop. If a literary afternoon inspires spirits, the kind Tennessee is known for, check out The Reading Room, Chattanooga’s only used bookstore and bar that also hosts weekly literary events.

E V E N I N G Chattanooga’s Tivoli Theatre, a Beaux-Arts theater built in 1921 and known as the “Jewel of the South,” reopened this year with a new 190-seat cinema and studio, an expanded lobby and restaurant and bar. The revitalized theater hosts Broadway productions, comedy tours, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and much more.

1882 EPB Powerhouse which serves as the stadium’s entrance overlooks the Tennessee Riverwalk. The complex marrying old and new includes private boxes, lawn space and right-center field cabanas, among other ticketed offerings. E V E N I N G Check into The Waymark Chattanooga hotel with its modern décor inside a 1927 bank building in the heart of downtown Chattanooga. Enjoy a drink in the aptly named speakeasy The Vault — it’s where the bank vault used to be — or combine drinks with shareable bites on the Iris rooftop on the 11th floor, the city’s highest rooftop. The Tapestry Collection hotel by Hilton is one of many historic hotel renovations in Chattanooga, the The Read House being another, a building once used as a temporary hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

DAY TWO M O R N I N G Stop for a coffee at Rembrandt’s Coffee House in the Bluff View Art District but do not miss the delectable pastries that are baked in-house. Don’t worry about calories for a walk through the neighborhood’s trails along the Tennessee River, complete with public art, will work them off. If you prefer a faster workout,

PHOTOS COURTESY THE WAYMARK CHATTANOOGA

Don’t Forget Lookout Mountain is a short drive from downtown and the mountain that spans three states includes the popular attractions of Rock City, Ruby Falls and a ride up the Incline Railway. History buffs will want to visit Point Park, part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and the site of the Civil War battle referred to as “The Battle Above the Clouds.” Nature lovers should not miss the easy trail to Sunset Rock at dusk, where a spectacular sunset awaits daily.

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P H OTO C O N T E S T

Above Ground Stretching along Bayou St. John, St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 stands on land tied to New Orleans’ earliest French roots. BY BRANDON ROBERTS, KENNER

LOUISIANA LIFE

JULY/AUGUST 2026

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