Join the Browns for a romp around this exotic state, where Caribbean meets the Old South; where the Red River joins the mighty Mississippi; where French and Spanish flags flew over a steaming land of cotton and sugar cane, forming a heady brew of music and cuisine to delight and amaze the whole world. It's cypress trees and Spanish moss and poetry.

Where would we be without Louisiana? No Cajuns, Zydeco, Mardi Gras, pirogues or fais-do-do's? No “You Are My Sunshine” or “Goodnight, Irene?” No Satchmo, Leadbelly or Marie Laveau? No Louisiana Hayride, Cane River or French Quarter? Louisiana, the starting point for Elvis and the end for Bonnie and Clyde.

Visit Natchitoches, the oldest European town in the entire Louisiana Purchase. There's the Big Easy, where Carnival thrives all year long! Let it haunt you. You won't want to leave. As Monty & Marsha's song says, “Goodbye, Bayou. See you in my dreams.”