Free Things To Do in Louisiana This Summer

We are all looking for fun free things to do in the summertime, and fortunately for us, Louisiana has a ton of places to see and visit, and fun unique adventures all across the state! Our Louisiana Department of Tourism has some fantastic suggestions, and we want to share some of them with you!

North Louisiana

• Tour the Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum at Camp Beauregard - Pineville
• Visit the Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery - Over 10,000 gallons of aquaria, with an educational theater - Forest Hill
• See where Bonnie and Clyde were killed in 1934 - LA Hwy 514 - Gibsland
• Stroll the monthly downtown Gallery Crawl in Monroe / West Monroe
• Check out the famous Antique Alley on the Ouachita River - West Monroe
• Take the self-guided 'Steel Magnolia' tour in the Natchitoches Downtown Historic District

Central Louisiana

• Visit the Germantown Colony State Museum - Minden
• Enjoy the outdoor activities in 350 acres of the Kisatchie National Forest, including the beautiful Caney Lake - north of Minden

South Louisiana

• Visit 4 museums in Crowley - The Rice Interpretive Center, the J. D. Miller Music Recording Studio, Ford Automotive Museum and the History of Crowley Museum, all in one location!
• Catch a movie or lecture on Cajun culture at the Jean Lafitte Acadian Cultural Center, which is part of the National Park Service - Lafayette
• Visit the alligators at Cypress Lake, on the campus of UL - Lafayette
• Go to church at St John Cathedral, which is on the National Historic Register - Lafayette
• Learn to Cajun dance at the Cajun French Music Association building every third Thursday at 7:00 pm - Lake Charles
• Hike the trails on the 1.5-mile Wetland Walkway at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge - Hackberry
• Catch a free concert with the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra every Monday in June at the Civic Center Arcade Pavilion - Lake Charles
• Have your photo taken at the oldest continually working rice mill in America - the Conrad Rice Mill - New Iberia

Baton Rouge Area

• Attend 'Sunday in the Park' free concerts at Lafayette Park in the Shaw Center for the Arts - Baton Rouge
• Visit the old Louisiana State Capitol where Huey P. Long came to power - Baton Rouge
• Visit the smallest church in America - The Chapel of the Madonna - Bayou Goula, Iberville Parish
• Visit the Cajun Village to see live alligators and historic cottages which are now retail and antique stores - Sorrento
• Visit the antebellum homes along the River Road next to the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge

New Orleans Area

• Tour the Chalmette Battlefield, where General Andrew Jackson claimed victory over the British troops in 1812
• Travel the St Bernardo Scenic Byway - 25 miles of beautiful fishing towns, historic sites and lush outdoor scenery going back almost 200 years in St Bernard Parish
• Take a hike in the beautiful swamp area among native wildlife in the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge - Houma
• Visit the Chauvin Sculpture Garden, with religious-themed statuary
• Attend one of the free summer festivals, like Satchmo Summerfest, White Linen Night, or Vieaux-to-Geaux - New Orleans
• Stroll around the Faubourg Marigny,  which was voted one of America's 10 Great Neighborhoods - New Orleans
• Visit the above ground tombs at Lafayette Cemetery #1 in the Garden District or St Louis Cemetery #1 on Basin Street, which is supposedly the final resting place of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau - New Orleans
• Visit the former homes of some of America's greatest literary giants -Tennessee Williams (722 Toulouse), William Faulkner (624 Pirate’s Alley), Truman Capote (711 Royal), Thornton Wilder (623 Bourbon), Walker Percy (1820 Milan) and Anne Rice (1239 First) - New Orleans