Louisiana Car Rental

Guide to Louisiana

The 25^th most populous of the US states, Louisiana has Arkansas to the north, Texas to the west, Mississippi to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. New Orleans is the biggest city although the capital is Baton Rouge and it’s an extremely biodiverse state thanks to large areas of coastal marsh and swamp. This is a proudly multicultural, multilingual state, with a strong Indigenous American and African American cultural influence, a buzzing nighttime economy and welcoming ambience.

History

Inhabited by various Native American tribes until Europeans arrived in the 16^th Century, there’s archaeological evidence of human settlement here stretching back to 3700 BC. The first foreign explorers were Spanish, but by the 17^th Century, French settlers were in the ascendance and the region was named Louisiana in 1682 after King Louis XIV. At the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the territory was huge – it bisected modern-day America and ran from modern Louisiana all the way up to Montana. From that point, Louisiana was American, but it has retained influences from all over the world.

Eating out

Louisiana is a haven for foodies. Hop in your 9-seater and take your brood to Yellow Bowl in Jeanerette for authentic fried crawfish or stuffed flounder, Cajun classics at Lafitte’s Landing in Donaldsonville or gorgeous gumbo at Prejean’s in Lafayette.

Transport

You can fly into Louisiana via Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) and public transit systems are reliable in most major cities and towns. Car travel offers independence however, and one-way car rental can be useful for hopping from city to city.