Poverty Point World Heritage Site in northeast Louisiana is one of the most recent U.S. additions to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other domestic sites include the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon, while international sites include Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids and the Roman Colosseum. Poverty Point, a Louisiana Office of State Parks property named for a plantation that occupied the site in the antebellum period, is an ancient American Indian earthworks site that was created about 3,400 years ago. The network of six mounds, six concentric semielliptical ridges and a central plaza were used for residential and ceremonial purposes, and the landscape was the largest and the most elaborate of its time in North America.

In addition, recovered artifacts displayed at the on-site museum, such as projectile points and other stone tools made from raw materials originating as far east as the Appalachian foothills of what is now Alabama and Georgia and as far north as the Tennessee and Ohio river valleys, indicate Poverty Point's hunter-gatherer residents were part of an extensive American Indian trading network. Already designated a Smithsonian Affiliate and a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Poverty Point is located near Epps about 50 miles east of Monroe. Visit PovertyPoint.us and LaStateParks.com for more information.

The Louisiana Craft Brewery Trail has grown to 17 breweries statewide. New trail sites are Crescent City Brewhouse and The Courtyard Brewery in New Orleans, Old Rail Brewing Company in Mandeville, Red River Brewing Company in Shreveport, Mudbug Brewery in Thibodaux, Flying Heart Brewing in Bossier City and Broken Wheel Brewery in Marksville. They join Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, 40 Arpent Brewing Company in Arabi, Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville, Chafunkta Brewing Company in Mandeville, Covington Brewhouse in Covington, Gnarly Barley in Hammond, Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport, NOLA Brewing Company in New Orleans, Parish Brewing Company in Broussard and Tin Roof Brewing Company in Baton Rouge. Visit LouisianaBreweryTrail.com for details.

LouisianaTravel.com, the state's primary consumer tourism website, features a blog offering visitors information on popular travel interests, itinerary suggestions and insider tips. Contributors to the Only in Louisiana blog include staff from the Louisiana Office of Tourism as well as representatives from the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism and convention and visitors bureaus statewide. Visit the blog at LouisianaTravel.com/blog.

The Louisiana Office of State Parks continues to see improvements at sites statewide. New and soon-to-open offerings include:

• Sixteen new two-bedroom cabins at Bayou Segnette State Park near New Orleans are set to open before the summer season. The cabins sit on pilings over the bayou and sleep up to eight people each.
• A new 14-guest lodge at Lake Bistineau State Park near Minden opens this spring.
• Black Bear Golf Club renovated three dozen bunkers on its pro-caliber golf course, the first upgrade of its type at the Audubon Golf Trail member course since the course opened in 2002.
• Palmetto Island State Park will soon offer interpretive signage on prothonotary warblers which reside in cypress sloughs on site.
• A disc golf course recently opened at Bogue Chitto State Park in March, making it the fourth park statewide offering the popular amenity.
• South Toledo Bend State Park now has a 12-mile off-highway vehicle trail in a 540-acre wooded area adjacent to the park.
• Fontainebleau State Park's cabins have reopened after extensive renovations. The 12 lakefront cabins each sleep up to six.
• Lake Fausse Pointe now offers 18 two-bedroom cabins, each sleeping up to eight and offering attached piers for users' boats.
• The state parks system recently released an updated version of the Pocket Ranger, a mobile app for visitors to state parks and historic sites that is accessible at www.stateparkapps.com on the App Store and Google Play using the keywords “Louisiana State Parks.”

Visit LaStateParks.com for details on all sites and improvements.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum opened in a state-of-the-art facility in downtown Natchitoches. More than 300 legendary Louisiana athletes, coaches and other sports figures are enshrined in the hall, and their stories are told via exhibits, artifacts, photos and interactive media. The museum also explores regional history from early American Indian civilizations to the present. Visit the museum website for details.

Louisiana Tax Free Shopping, which refunds state sales tax on traditional retail purchases,has an iPhone and Android app to aid international tourists by helping users locate participating shops and tax refund centers. Redemption centers are located at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk in New Orleans, Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie, The Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, Acadiana Mall in Lafayette and The Louisiana Boardwalk Outlets in Bossier City. The downtown Historic Landmark District in Natchitoches and approximately two dozen merchants compose LTFS's newest tax free shopping zone. In all, more than 1,400 merchants participate statewide. Visit www.LouisianaTaxFree.com for details.

The Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway now has interpretive signs to mark its 270-mile route. The Louisiana Scenic Byway—one of 17 statewide—stretches through St. Landry, Acadia and Evangeline parishes. Highways along the byway now have large blue signs featuring an artist's depiction of an accordion player. Other Louisiana Scenic Byways with themed route signage include: Myths and Legends Byway through Allen, Beauregard and Vernon parishes; theBoom or Bust Byway through Caddo, Bossier, Webster and Claiborne parishes; the Flyway Byway in Jefferson Davis Parish; the Wetlands Cultural Byway in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes; the San Bernardo Byway in St. Bernard Parish; the Southern Swamps Byway in Tangipahoa, Livingston and Ascension parishes; the Cane River National Heritage Trail in Natchitoches Parish; the Longleaf Trail Byway in the Kisatchie National Forest; the Cajun Corridor in Vermilion Parish; and the Creole Nature Trail in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. More details will be available online when LouisianaByways.com launches later this year.

Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, the state's first and largest craft brewery, has opened a new visitor center and brewhouse offering free product samples and tours including guided and self-guided itineraries. The additions are part of a $15 million expansion. For details visit www.Abita.com.

The Alexandria/Pineville Area CVB now has 36-page self-guided walking downtowns tour brochure. It covers sites in both Red River cities. The CVB also recently designated a Solomon Northrup Trail through Rapides and Avoyelles parishes. For details, visit http://alexandriapinevillela.com/.

The TABASCO factory on Avery Island has a new visitor's interpretive center and now offers tastes of Cajun cuisine and culture with its on-site restaurant. The visitor center covers the history and evolution of the sauce's invention through modern distribution worldwide. The restaurant, named 1868 after the pepper sauce's founding date, offers TABASCO-spiced Cajun dishes in a casual setting. Tours are also expanding to include a pepper plant greenhouse visit and behind-the-scenes action within the factory. Visit www.tabasco.com for more information.

Jungle Gardens on Avery Island offers free touring information by smartphone in English and French. Guests can access recorded commentary, maps, photos and videos, depending on the visitor's type of handheld device. The mobile tour can be accessed at junglegardens.toursphere.com. Visit www.junglegardens.org for details.

Joie de Vivre Café in downtown Breaux Bridge is a restaurant and hub for family-oriented culture and live music. The venue hosts Cajun jams every Saturday, a children's Cajun jam on the last Sunday of each month and monthly zydeco dance house parties, film showings, poetry readings and art exhibits. Visit www.cajuncountry.org for details.

The Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau has a St. Mary Parish travel guide app. It includes information on accommodations, dining, attractions and events; guides for birding and history enthusiasts; walking tours in Morgan City and Franklin; recommendations on stops along the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway; and social media tabs to connect to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. The Cajun Coast Travel Guide app is free and available for iOS and Android. Visit www.cajuncoast.com for details.

St. Emma Plantation near Donaldsonville is open for tours by appointment. The 1847 Greek Revival antebellum mansion on La. Hwy. 1 was home to one of the region's largest sugar plantations in the mid-19th century and remains furnished with an extensive collection of Empire-period antiques and furnishings. For details visitwww.tourascension.com.

Whitney Plantation in Edgard recently opened to the public. Visitors can tour the elaborate mansion and period outbuildings on the site, and extensive information on the slaves who lived and worked at the plantation is offered. For details visit www.whitneyplantation.com.

Prehistoric Park in Henderson is south Louisiana's first dinosaur-themed attraction. It features two dozen life-size fiberglass and steel dinosaurs in 12 acres of simulated environments accessed by a half-mile sidewalk. For details visitwww.prehistoric-park.com.

The Houma Area Geotour is the only official geocaching tour in Louisiana. It is a free outdoor exploration using GPS technology to bring you to multiple scenic and cultural locations in and near Houma. For details, visitwww.geohouma.com.

A Cajun Man's Swamp Tours and Adventures has a new Cajun man. Captain Billy Gaston has taken the helm of this classic Houma-area attraction from local legend “Black” Guidry. Gaston—an experienced alligator hunter—continues the attraction's tradition of Cajun storytelling and wildlife watching in scenic swamps. For details, visitwww.cajunmanadventures.com.

Southdown Plantation and Museum has completed extensive restoration efforts. The 19th-century mansion features original Tiffany stained glass windows; period furniture and family heirlooms; a restored plantation worker's cabin; and exhibits on the history and evolution of the region's sugar cane industry. For details, visit www.southdownmuseum.org.

Ardoyne Plantation near Houma is one of the largest and most elaborate remaining examples of rural Victorian Gothic architecture in Louisiana and is open for public tours. The sixth-generation sugar plantation mansion, where family descendants reside and share stories, is filled with original furniture and antiques. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit www.ardoyneplantation.com for details.

The Jeanerette Museum experience includes a 2.5-mile walking tour. Maps, available from the museum and the Iberia Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, guide visitors along historic Main Street to view ornate homes and local businesses. For details visit www.iberiatravel.com.

A new rookery has opened at Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island near New Iberia. Rip's Rookery includes five islands and hosts five species of wading birds amidst three acres of wetlands inhabited by alligators. The rookery is adjacent to the 25-acre botanical garden and nature retreat that was the summer home of acclaimed actor Joseph Jefferson. Admission to the rookery is free. Visit www.RipVanWinkleGardens.com or call 337.359.8525 for details.

The Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission and its media partner, Firefly Digital, launched an online magazine, Allons, to provide a variety of insights into places, sounds and attractions to those interested in visiting Lafayette. Visit www.lafayettetravel.com for details.

Allons a Lafayette now offers tours for groups of six or more in the Lafayette area. Tours run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include sites in Lafayette, New Iberia and Avery Island, with substitute sites available. For details, visitwww.allonsalafayette.com.

The Grouse Room and Warehouse 535 are among Lafayette's newest nightlife and entertainment options. The Grouse Room is a cocktail bar in Parc Lafayette, and Warehouse 535 offers the Rhum Room bar, a 600-person event venue, and an upcoming restaurant. For details, visit www.thegrouseroom.com and www.warehousefivethreefive.com.

Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel in Vinton is undergoing a $45 million expansion project, slated for completion by the end of 2016.  The first phase was recently complete by opening Rosewater Grill and Tavern.  The centerpiece of the project is a new hotel tower, featuring 167 additional guest rooms and suites.  Additionally, all 200 existing rooms as well as food and beverage outlets will be redesigned.  The property is also expanding its special events center to better accommodate meeting and banquet functions.  Visit http://www.deltadowns.com/ for more details.

The Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, located adjacent to L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles, is currently adding an additional 300-room hotel tower this year, bringing the resort's room count to 1,040 rooms. Each of the additional rooms will be over 500 square feet and will contain a five-fixture bathroom with two sinks, walk-in shower, oversized tub and a separate toilet.  The $700+ million property features 740 rooms and suites, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, an 18-hole golf course, 12 renowned restaurants and eight boutiques and gift shops. Visit www.goldennuggetlc.com for details.

The Isle of Capri Casino Hotel in Lake Charles received a $15 million renovation, which included nine parlor suites, 240 junior suites, the hotel lobby, the Lakeside Ballroom and a fitness center. The hotel lobby now has a design inspired by the Victorian era, which combines artisan-designed wood, metal and leather furniture. The Lakeside Ballroom offers more than 4,000 square feet of space and breaks down into four smaller rooms to fit specific group needs. Visit www.lake-charles.isleofcapricasinos.com for details.

L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles completed a $20 million hotel room renovation project, unveiling 754 renovated luxury rooms and suites including the addition of two new room categories—royale and marquis suites—which are larger in size than luxury class rooms and decorated with stately furnishings and elegant artwork from Louisiana artists. Visit www.llakecharles.com for details.

The Brimstone Museum and Henning Cultural Center in Sulphur unveiled a permanent exhibit detailing the history of the Sulphur Mines, the West Calcasieu Parish mining community and the Frasch mining process. The exhibit also showcases families who contributed to economic growth in the region, and a module gives visitors the opportunity to add business locations and points of interest that represent Sulphur's history. The museum also functions as a local tourist information center. Visit www.brimstonemuseum.org for details.

The Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a free events app available in the App Store or Google Play that allows users to access the area's calendar of events. Users can filter by category and subscribe for alerts based on personal interests. For details visit www.VisitLakeCharles.org/apps. 

Calcasieu and Cameron parishes' Creole Nature Trail All-American Road has a GPS Ranger handheld video tour and smart phone application. The free app is available for download from the App Store or Google Play. The Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau headquarters also lends GPS units at no cost. The tour app is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Mandarin. An English closed-captioned version is also available. Visit www.VisitLakeCharles.org/apps or call 800.456.7952 for details.

Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point in Sulphur is a new, free attraction that immerses you in nature and Louisiana's unique culture. Five-sense displays teach the best places to spot alligators and migrating songbirds, share the aromas of Cajun and Creole cooking, and provide instruments to play along with a Cajun and Zydeco band. For more information, visit www.VisitLakeCharles.org/adventurepoint. 

Lake Charles' Charpentier Historic District has an app that offers three self-guided tours in English, French, Spanish and German. The 40-block area is on the National Register of Historic Places. Choose from a 30-minute, one-hour or ghost-themed tour. For details visit www.visitlakecharles.org/historic. 

Acadian Coffee Roasters is a new micro-roaster that offers blends with organic, Rain Forest Alliance and Fair Trade arabica beans. Products are available for purchase at the roaster's warehouse in Lake Charles and at local outlets. For details, visit www.acadiancoffee.com. 

Top Rod Fishing Charters offers coastal and inland fishing originating out of Lydia in Iberia Parish. Captain Elvis Jeanminette, a professional angler for 20 years, takes participants out to catch bass, redfish and speckled trout. For details visit www.toprodfishing.com.

Iberia Parish visitors can access electronic and printed tools for assistance before and during their travels. The Iberia Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau recently launched a blog at www.iberiatravel.com and added an app with attraction listings and maps to the website. The agency's printed pocket guide is available in French, as is a section of the main website.

Fans of author James Lee Burke can now experience the hometown of literary character Dave Robicheaux via a self-guided tour in and around New Iberia. Brochures are available via www.iberiatravel.com.

Bayou Teche Museum in New Iberia has added two permanent exhibits, one a 15-works collection by noted Louisiana artist George Rodrigue and the other on the Civil War. For details, e-mail bayoutechemuseum@gmail.com.

Teche Area Farmers Market holds a new Food Truck Festival on the second Saturday of every month at Bouligny Plaza in downtown New Iberia. The market offers homegrown produce and goods created by area artists and craftsmen. For details, visit www.iberiatravel.com.

The Museum of the New Llano Colony explores the history and legacy of the Llano Del Rio Cooperative that resided in the region. Exhibits in the museum near Leesville interpret the two-decade colony where progressive ideals mirrored those valued by Americans today. For details, visit www.newllanocolony.com.

TransitHub is a free mobile app that provides New Orleans residents and visitors with a way to track public transit in real time, improving rider experiences and making streetcar and bus travel more convenient. Visit www.transithub.comfor details.

New Orleans' historic Orpheum Theater has reopened in the city's Central Business District after $13 million in renovations. The circa-1918 1,500-seat theater is the home of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and it hosts other music and theatrical performances throughout the year. For details, visit www.orpheumnola.com.

A new berthing agreement between the Port of New Orleans and Norwegian Cruise Lines means at least one ship will sail regularly out of New Orleans through 2018. The Carnival Triumph will replace the Carnival Elation sailing out of New Orleans, increasing local cruise capacity by 34 percent. American Cruise Lines will add a third riverboat,America, to its 2016 fleet. For details on excursions visit www.ncl.com/port/new-orleans/cruises.

Construction has begun on a new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, set to debut in 2018. This $826 million project will feature 30 gates, a 2,000-car parking garage, a central utility plant and a ground transportation staging area. The new terminal is projected to have a $3.2 billion annual economic impact on tourism in New Orleans.

City Sightseeing New Orleans is a fun way to explore the Big Easy—via open-top double-decker buses. The tours stop at major attractions including Jackson Square, the French Market, the Audubon Insectarium, the National World War II Museum, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Bourbon Street, Basin Street Station and Mardi Gras World. One-, two- and three-day passes are available, and tours are offered in seven foreign languages via headsets. Visitwww.CitySightseeingNewOrleans.com for details.

The National World War II Museum in New Orleans opened the U.S. Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center. This $35 million structure showcases the military weaponry and industrial requirements undertaken during World War II and was designed to accommodate six airplanes used in the war. In addition to the machinery on display, many personal war stories are highlighted through interactive exhibits within the pavilion. The museum also opened Campaigns of Courage, a 31,000-square foot interactive pavilion interpreting the experience of the average American fighting the war. Visit www.nationalww2museum.org for details.

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum, the award-winning museum of culinary culture and history, has reopened in its new location, the former Dryades Market on O.C. Haley Boulevard. The new facility includes the Museum of the American Cocktail, the Leah Chase Louisiana Gallery and the Gallery of the States, which will feature culinary exhibits about the South and the District of Columbia. For details visit www.southernfood.org.

The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk reopened its doors as the nation's first outlet center in the heart of a downtown area. The facility underwent a $70 million renovation that expanded its footprint nearly 250,000 square feet. The space is leased by a mix of national and local retailers including Last Call Studio by Neiman Marcus, Coach Factory Store and Kenneth Cole. For details visit www.riverwalkmarketplace.com.

Irvin Mayfield's New Orleans Jazz Market is now open. The new facility in the former Gators Department Store serves as a performance space and features music education experiences, a New Orleans jazz archive and tributes to current and past jazz masters. For details, visit www.thenojo.com.

The French Market in the New Orleans French Quarter hosts two weekly farmers markets year-round, on Wednesdays 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Both markets feature cooking demonstrations and live music. The French Market has also added complementary guided walking tours offered Mondays through Saturdays. For details, visit www.frenchmarket.org.

The City of Opelousas has a free walking/driving tour brochure for its historic downtown area. The guide identifies nearly 100 significant homes, businesses and historic structures and offers a fold-out map. The guide is available at the Opelousas Tourist Information Center in Le Vieux Village, the St. Landry Parish Welcome Center on Interstate 49, the Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center and the Opelousas Public Library. www.cajuntravel.com. 

San Francisco Plantation recently reopened to visitors following a more than $1 million restoration project, the circa-1849 antebellum plantation's most extensive restoration in 40 years. The mansion on the Mississippi River in Reserve received new paint, a new roof and front gallery repairs, as well as a foundation stabilization project. For details visitwww.sanfranciscoplantation.org.

St. Landry Parish has new antique shops located in historic small downtowns. REvisited Antiques and Adornments in Grand Coteau offers carpets, china and jewelry. Remember When Antiques in Sunset features home décor and vintage furniture among its inventory. The Historic Washington Art Gallery in Washington showcases the works of seven local artists. For details visit www.cajuntravel.com.

The St. Landry Tourist Commission recently updated its primary consumer website, www.CajunTravel.com, to include a trip planner and more interactive features and landing pages including En Français.

The St. Tammany Tourist and Convention Commission recently launched two new apps for local adventure seekers. The Play Northshore app focuses on outdoor activities, and the Eat Drink Enjoy app focuses on local eateries, craft breweries and wineries. For details visit www.louisiananorthshore.com.

Serendipity is Louisiana's newest winery, and it recently opened its tasting room near Covington. The room is open on Sunday afternoons, and the winery is located in Bush near the noted Pontchartrain Vineyards winery. For details, visit www.louisiananorthshore.com.

Covington Brewhouse opened a new tasting room with expanded hours. The brew room is open, and tours of the downtown Covington site are available Fridays – Sundays. For details, visit www.louisiananorthshore.com.

Shreveport's Municipal Auditorium is open after a year of extensive renovations. Additions include new seating and expanded air conditioning. The venue was the home of Louisiana Hayride, a 1950s and '60s radio-broadcast concert series that is considered the launch point for the careers of artists such as Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash. Visitors can tour the Auditorium, which also is used for special events. Visitwww.shreveportmunicipalauditorium.com for details.

Country Lane by Star C Ranch is a new RV and bed-and-breakfast facility in Tangipahoa Parish that caters to horse enthusiasts. The site in Roseland offers camping, a pool and more than 20 miles of horse riding trails spread throughout 485 acres. Visitors can use guides and the facility's horses for trail rides, or they can board their own horses via on-site stalls and paddocks. Visit www.StarCRanch.net for details.

Donner-Peltier Distillers in Thibodaux recently expanded production. They offers six rum, whiskey, vodka and gin products. Facility tours are offered on Saturdays or by appointment for groups, while a tasting room and gift shop are open Mondays through Saturdays. Visit www.dpdspirits.com for details.

The Bayou Country Children's Museum in Thibodaux offers children ages 2 to 12 hands-on exhibits about sugar cane, alligators, Mardi Gras and the pirate Jean Laffite, among other subjects. Visit www.bccm.info for details.

More than two dozen sites featured in movies compose the Northwest Louisiana Film Trail in Webster Parish. Movies represented include Premonition, Blond Ambition, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Longshots and Olympus Has Fallen. A free brochure and site map is available at the visitors center in Minden. For details, visit www.visitwebster.net.

The Germantown Colony Museum near Minden has a new welcome center and gift shop. The site commemorates one of three Harmony Society colonies founded in the U.S. in the early 19th century and admission is free. For details, call 318.377.6061.

The Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a brochure and website with a self-guided tour of 26 sites featured in the first three seasons of Duck Dynasty. Visit www.duckcommandertour.com for details.

Two Southern Brothers Restaurant is the newest eatery in DeRidder. The menu is a mix of Louisiana classics and Southern fare. For details, call 337.226.7995.

Grand Coteau Bistro is open in its namesake town in St. Landry Parish. The menu by chef Christopher Thames, a Food Network Chopped! champion, will offer both Cajun and Southern regional cuisine and a Saturday morning zydeco brunch. For details, visit www.grandcouteaubistro.com.

Jolie Pearl is downtown Baton Rouge's newest oyster bar, offering baked, grilled, seasoned and raw oysters accented with signature sauces. The restaurant is open daily, and oyster varieties featured are from the Gulf of Mexico and the east and west coasts. For details, visit www.jolieoysterbar.com.

The Booker-Lewis Restaurant is the newest casual fine dining stop in Leesville. The venue has three dining rooms, a porch and a private dining room upstairs. For details, visit www.bookerlewisrestaurant.com.

Bon Ami is the newest restaurant in Natchitoches' downtown Historic Landmark District. The venue, atop The Landing Restaurant on Front Street, is a casual yet chic environment and the only tapas bar in the city. For details, visitwww.natchitoches.com.

B.B. King's Blues Club has opened on Decatur Street in New Orleans' French Quarter, featuring Memphis barbecue, classic New Orleans cuisine and music by local musicians seven days a week. This is the second club to open since the music legend's death in 2015, and Tony Coleman, B.B. King's drummer for more than 30 years, serves as music director of the club. The club has partnered with New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) to showcase local music students on stage, giving them the chance to work with other talented artists to hone their skills.

Renowned Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão has opened its first Louisiana location in the J.W. Marriott Hotel, offering a variety of fire-roasted meats prepared by authentic gaucho chefs. Fogo de Chão utilizes the gaucho traditions of “churrasco,” the art of roasting meats over an open fire, and “espeto corrido,” continuous service that allows guests to control variety and pacing of their meal. The New Orleans culinary team is led by Head Gaucho Chef Carlos Girotto, who learned the gaucho style of cooking on his family farm in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Fast & Lucy's Pub is the newest eatery and bar at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino near Opelousas. It is in the middle of the gaming floor and features over 30 big screens showing sports. For details, visitwww.evangelinedowns.com/dine/fast-and-lucys-pub.

St. Tammany Parish's culinary scene continues to expand with several new restaurants. Smoke BBQ, from the chef team at Covington's popular Oxlot 9, opened in August to barbecue enthusiasts seeking to sample the restaurant's tender pulled pork, brisket and ribs, along with all house-made sides, sauces and desserts. A few miles away, in Mandeville, longtime favorite chef Pat Gallagher opened his second northshore outpost, 527 Restaurant and Bar. Showcasing steaks and seafood such as sautéed ruby red trout and fried oysters with pepper jelly and andouille sausage, 527 is serving up Louisiana flavor in a relaxed northshore setting. For details, visitwww.louisiananorthshore.com.

Les Deux Mondes (Two Worlds) is seven cottages on Bayou Teche in Arnaudville. The Acadian-style guest homes are a mix of historic preservation and modern restoration. Kayak rentals are nearby. For details, visit www.facebook.com/LesDeuxMondesProject. 

Houmas House Plantation recently opened The Inn at Houmas House, a complex of several upscale, multi-unit bed-and-breakfast cottages adjacent to the antebellum mansion and its gardens. The cottages depict historic structures that were once at nearby Uncle Sam Plantation. Rooms offer large beds, Old World furnishings, marble bathrooms and porch areas. Visit www.houmashouse.com for details.

Downtown Baton Rouge has a new Holiday Inn Express in the North Boulevard Town Square area. Rooms offer modern amenities and are within walking distance of notable dining and entertainment options. For details, visitwww.ihg.com.

Southern Hotel reopened in downtown Covington after a multimillion-dollar restoration. The hotel originally opened in 1907 but closed in the 1960s to house several other businesses. After three years of extensive renovations, it offers 42 luxury guest rooms, a 2,400 square-foot ballroom, a meeting space, a fine dining restaurant, an upscale bar, a courtyard, a pool and a fitness center. Lobby and room décor include paintings, sculptures and historic photographs of Covington. Visit www.southernhotel.com for details.

Mansion at Red Hill will soon be the newest bed and breakfast property near Poverty Point World Heritage Site and Poverty Point Reservoir State Park. It will open near Delhi in early 2016 and offer four executive suites. For details, call 318.878.5155.

No Bad Days Cabin Rentals are a new overnight offering for Myths and Legends Byway visitors. The rentals sit on Bundick Lake in DeRidder. For details, call 337.309.4097.

Oak Village RV Parks offers 22 recreational vehicle slots for visitors to New Iberia. The park has full water, electric and wastewater hookups; laundry facilities; and showers. It is pet-friendly and conveniently located near shopping and dining options in the city. Oak Village is at 6020 Lee Station Road. Visit www.OakVillageRVParks.com for details.

Delcambre North Pier Marina offers 28 recreational marina slips at the Port of Delcambre in Iberia Parish and is located at 307 Isadore St. Visit www.NorthPierMarina.com for details.

The Sanctuary Bed and Breakfast has reopened in Grand Coteau. It offers three rooms for short and extended stays, and the inn can accommodate small groups for special events. Call 337.654.5272 for details.

Lafayette has new properties operated by Doubletree by Hilton and Wyndham. The 327-room Doubletree property—formerly the Lafayette Hilton—underwent $12 million in transformations to all public areas, its restaurant and guest rooms. The Wyndham Garden Lafayette—formerly the Hotel Acadiana—is a pet-friendly hotel also seeing recent major upgrades. For details, visit www.LafayetteTravel.com.

L'Banca Albergo, “The Bank Hotel,”is the newest overnight provider indowntown Lake Arthur. Located in a former bank building, the property is a throwback to old New Orleans architecture, and the bank's former vault is now a wine cellar. The hotel has eight luxury suites, and each room is personalized by name rather than number. Visitwww.labankhotel.com for details.

The Ace Hotel New Orleans debuted in March in a historic 1928 Art Deco building with 234 rooms, and Marriott Hotels' 108-room Moxy New Orleans opened in April as one of the first U.S. locations of the hip European hotel line. The Henry Howard Hotel has debuted in New Orleans' Garden District, featuring 18 rooms housed in a historic mansion constructed in 1867, and Hotel 504 has opened in the heart of New Orleans' Medical District. Historic French Quarter hotel Chateau LeMoyne has completed an eight-month renovation, with updates to the hotel's 171 guest rooms, lobby, event spaces, courtyard and pool. The Hyatt House New Orleans/Downtown debuted in New Orleans' Central Business District in November, bringing 194 extended-stay hotel rooms to the downtown area. For information on all new and improved New Orleans overnight providers, visit www.neworleanscvb.com.

The Royal Sonesta New Orleans recently completed a major renovation, that included a new fitness center, a doubling of the hotel's R Club Level capacity and redesign in its guest rooms and suites. For details, visit Sonesta.com. 

Laura's Cottage is the newest bed-and-breakfast inn in Washington. It offers a two-bedroom private cottage with a kitchen, screened porches and modern amenities one block from the town's antiques district and local attractions. For details, call 337.351.1309.