Content Produced in Partnership with Visit Lake Charles
How can you resist a lakeside holiday that combines colourful, unique Deep South heritage and a wide range of outdoor activities with stays at four-star resorts offering casino gaming and live entertainment? You can find this and so many more experiences in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the South’s Premier Casino Resort Destination.
Base yourself in one of two side-by-side, four-star, lakefront resorts –Golden Nugget Lake Charles or L’Auberge Lake Charles – and discover all the options: a wide choice of table and slot/video machine games, 16 dining opportunities, 36 holes of championship golf, two luxury pools/lazy rivers, multiple retail shops and a wealth of live entertainment. And you can even stroll along the lake, or take the free trolley, between these world-class resorts!
Reconnect with nature, all naturally, on the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road! Right from your vehicle you will see alligators, numerous bird species, 26 miles of natural Gulf beaches and so much on one of only 43 designated All-American Road scenic byways in the United States. Not a “come see us feed the alligators at 2 pm”, this is as Mother Nature made it! Fish or crab at recreation areas, surf fish from the beach, enjoy short hikes into the marshlands at 4 wildlife refuges (Download the Free Creole Nature Trail self-guided tour app available in multiple languages…just search “creole”.)
As for culinary delights, sample the delicious, French-influenced Cajun and Creole cuisine, including fresh Louisiana seafood seasoned to perfection – you can even catch your own blue crabs and redfish – and then head along the Craft Brews and Spirits Trail to sample everything from micro-brews to Louisiana grown and produced rum, vodka and organic, Fair Trade coffee. Or give a local favorite, boudin, a try. Considered a staple snack in the southern regions of Louisiana, boudin (pronounced boo-dan) is made of varying amounts of rice, pork and dry seasonings. Boudin is a favorite finger food, and each boudin master has their own secret recipe passed down from generation to generation. Follow-the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail and try several!
As for Louisiana’s unique heritage, nowhere else can you view the world’s largest collection of Mardi Gras costumes, take a free, self-guided tour past the magnificent homes in the 40-block Charpentier Historic District, and – if in the area in early May (2-5 this year) – enjoy the lake’s colourful Louisiana Pirate Festival – it’s said that infamous French pirate Jean Lafitte hid part of his treasure in the area.
An added lure for Lake Charles is its closeness to Houston and New Orleans, respectively only two and three and a half hours’ drive away. For more information visit www.VisitLakeCharles.org
