Your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Pelican State has to offer! Whether you’re a born-and-raised Louisianan, a recent transplant, or just passing through, Louisiana Curiosities will have you laughing out loud as Louisiana native Bonnye Stuart takes you on a rollicking tour of the strangest sites in the Pelican State. Track down some serious fun, from watching lawnmower racing and petting live alligators to attending a prison rodeo and dancing at a powwow. Feast your way through festivals that celebrate the state’s cultural diversity and local crops, from fiery Cajun gumbo to sweet mayhaw jelly—and stop in at the local wineries and microbreweries to quench your thirst. Learn about the darker side of Louisiana as you tour haunted plantations, mysterious mansions, and spooky cemeteries.

True Tales from the Pelican State—from the longest Civil War battle to one of history’s worst man-made disasters Louisiana is well known for its spicy gumbo, Cajun music, and horrific hurricanes, but few may know why Tarzan once swung through the piney woods, how an entrepreneur used a land auction to build a town in a day, or how one man’s vision drew thousands of miracle-seekers to an empty field for over twenty years. It Happened in Louisiana goes behind the scenes to tell these stories and many more, in short episodes that reveal the intriguing people and events that have shaped the Pelican State. Discover how a well-drilling job gone awry turned an entire freshwater lake into a 1,300-foot-deep saltwater pit—and temporarily created the state’s tallest waterfall—in a matter of 48 hours. Relive the night that a life-changing performance finally put a world-famous rock 'n' roll legend on the path to fame. Learn the many disturbing reasons that one Louisiana prison—which today has its own radio station and annually hosts the longest-running prison rodeo in the United States—was once named the “worst prison in America.” Read about a determined, compassionate doctor from New Orleans who created a place of refuge and healing in his attempt to cure societal castaways who suffered from “the illness you do not talk about.” Bonnye Stuart is a tenth-generation New Orleanian who got her B.A. at Louisiana State University and her M.A. from the University of New Orleans. She is the author of It Happened in New Orleans, More than Petticoats: Remarkable Louisiana Women, and Louisiana Curiosities (all Globe Pequot Press) and Discovering Vintage New Orleans and Haunted New Orleans (both Rowman & Littlefield) and she lives in Tega Cay, SC.

From the accounts of 18th-century travelers to the interpretations of 21st-century historians, Jumonville lists more than 6,800 books, chapters, articles, theses, dissertations, and government documents that describe the rich history of America's 18th state. Here are references to sources on the Louisiana Purchase, the Battle of New Orleans, Carnival, and Cajuns. Less-explored topics such as the rebellion of 1768, the changing roles of women, and civic development are also covered. It is a sweeping guide to the publications that best illuminate the land, the people, and the multifaceted history of the Pelican State. Arranged according to discipline and time period, chapters cover such topics as the environment, the Civil War and Reconstruction, social and cultural history, the people of Louisiana, local, parish, and sectional histories, and New Orleans. It also lists major historical sites and repositories of primary materials. As the only comprehensive bibliography of the secondary sources about the state, ^ILouisiana History^R is an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers.

The Discovering Vintage series takes you back in time to all of the timeless classic spots each city has to offer. The books spotlight the charming stories that tell you what each place is like now and how it got that way from classic restaurants to shops to other establishments that still thrive today and evoke the unique character of the city. They're all still around—but they won't be around forever. Start reading, and start your discovering now!

The definitive collection of Texas's odd, wacky, and most offbeat people, places, and things, for Texas residents and anyone else who enjoys local humor and trivia with a twist.

This is an adventure book. But an adventure without either fright or special effects. An adventure which took 10 years, which a couple and their dog(s) enjoyed immensely. This book is the recounting of the cruise of a lifetime. It tells the adventures, life lessons and beauty of the first half of a voyage of 26,000 miles by water, all within the territorial waters of America - the United States and Canada. The journey was predominately within inland waterways, but covered most of all four North American "coasts" as well. The book is entertaining and instructional. Entertaining by providing fascinating, interesting scenic and historical highlights, and "boater tales" gleaned from 10 years of literally almost circumnavigating North America by traversing the vast majority of its navigable waterways and coasts. Instructional to those interested in travel and boating. And informational, relating how to buy and equip a boat, and to plan and execute cruises, both major and minor. Tidbits of information are inserted where intersecting with the entertaining, providing responses to "situations" encountered, enlightening, significant, and humorous. The "tales" range from amusing to hilarious, but they too provide information and instruction useful to those interested in boating and sightseeing cruising by boat. One goal of this book is to illustrate how relaxing, enjoyable, educational and magnificently scenic and satisfying boat travel is within North America. This book relates a literal voyage thru history - the history of two nations and their first and formative transportation system - coasts, rivers and lakes, and some really old canals. This saga encompasses four boats, thousands of gallons of fuel, hundreds of stops, and the water covered over 10 years at the ideal sightseeing speed of 10 miles per hour. In other words, utilizing the waterways of North America to see what's there, in historic and scenic depth - out of pure Undaunted Curiosity.