Day 15 - Tour of Lake Charles, Louisiana

Submitted by:  Donna and Joe Risley #16


Our day started much like many others and then things changed.

Our first stop was the visitor’s center.  

There we picked up our local guide, Ralph Huval.

The first part of our tour was in the old and historic homes of Lake Charles.  The old and new courthouses.  Old Central School has many exhibits.  Here we viewed a stage show.  It reminded me of the Palm Springs Follies.

We had a tour through the Mardi Gras costumes.  Then there was a slow paced buggy tour pulled by a beautiful mule.

The next thing was to decorate a King Cake.  “I can’t believe we ate the WHOLE thing.”

After consuming the whole cake it was time to eat lunch.  

Off to the Seafood Palace. Crawfish, gumbo, shrimp and catfish was on our menu.  Most of us ate them all.

Captain Sammie Faulk joined us as our guide on our way to the Wildlife Refuge.  We passed by lots of rice fields.  At the refuge there was gators, turtles, snakes and all kinds of birds. 

The nature drive was exciting.  We saw many gators of all sizes, jumping fish and no less than a million water fowl.

The next stop was the most intoxicating place we have visited today.  Louisiana Spirits Distillery, the largest privately owned rum distillery in the USA.