Tabasco and the Historic District

We had one more full day in Cajun country, so yesterday we decided to start out at the local hot sauce factory.  I always assumed that Tabasco sauce was a generic type of hot sauce. Not so, mes chers amis! Tabasco is only made here in Avery Island, which is an island only because it is surrounded by a swampy river. The island is also a pile of salt that is supposedly as deep as Mt Everest is high. You might also assume that nothing would grow on top of a pile of salt.  It must be quite a bit below the surface because Avery Island is a lush paradise of greenery, and part of the island is a nature preserve. We started out at the factory...

...where we saw a brief film of the history of the company.  Then we saw the hot sauce being produced and bottled.  Did you know it takes over a year to make Tabasco sauce? Or that the country that uses the most Tabasco sauce per capita is Guam? Fun facts to know and tell!

We then walked around the Tabasco store, where we sampled jalapeño and raspberry jalapeño ice cream, jalapeño soda, and some delicious chili.  The ice cream was quite good, actually, sweet but with a little heat to it.  We could also purchase any number of Tabasco products, like this camouflage holster to take hunting with. I had to hold myself back!

A quick stop back at the motorhome and we went out again with Auggie this time, to walk around New Iberia's historical district.  I love seeing historical architecture, and these houses were gorgeous.

We have had a very nice time in Louisiana, and I will want to come back and see more next time.  Today we are off to Texas!  Yee haw!