RE-POST FROM:

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Bienvenue a Natchitoches! Nestled in the heart of Cane River Country, this Southern gem is Louisiana’s oldest permanent settlement—giving it ample time to learn how to do things (Christmas lights, meat pie, alligators, you name it) just right. From the Old World elegance of its nationally renowned downtown to the toe-tapping bon temps of the annual Zydeco festival, Natchitoches has a little something for everyone. Come on down, we think you’ll find it’s the perfect blend of European grace, Creole flavor, and Southern charm, making it—undoubtedly—one of the Nicest Places in the South.

Caroline Dormon and the Wilds of Louisiana
Briarwood, Louisiana

Who would have guessed? The little nature-loving girl from tiny Briarwood grew up not only to become botanist, horticulturist, ornithologist, historian, and naturalist, but Louisiana’s premier preservationist and the first woman forester in the nation.

Cane River Cotton and the Old Oakland Plantation
Natchitoches, Louisiana

Two and a quarter centuries ago, one of America’s earliest cotton plantations set up shop near Natchitoches on the Cane River, and it thrives today as the South’s most authentic example of French Creole plantation life.

Savory and Southern: The Natchitoches Meat Pie
Natchitoches, Louisiana

North Louisiana has been filling up on these flaky and flavorful crescent-shaped wonders for well over two centuries, and now the whole world comes to Natchitoches each September to join in the fun.

Alligators and Architecture: You Don’t Know Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana

Natchitoches may be the oldest permanent settlement in Louisiana Territory, but that doesn’t preclude it from the right to a few surprises.

From a Few Humble Acres: The Many Incarnations of Melrose Plantation
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana

Settled beneath the weighted shadows of centuries-old oaks in Natchitoches, Louisiana, Melrose Plantation hums with the collective pulse of 230 years of history, legend, and lore.

Clementine Hunter: Painting Memories of a Louisiana Plantation
Louisiana

The daughter of freed slaves on an isolated Louisiana plantation, Clementine Hunter rose to become one of the South’s most prolific folk artists.

See Original Story: http://porterbriggs.com/nicest-place-in-the-south-may-2016/

We love the South. We grew up here and we live here. We have been educated here and we know Southern literature. We know the heat and humidity of summer, football in autumn, and planting in spring. We know the blues, country, country and western, and rock and roll – heck, they all sprouted right here. Let’s dance.

PorterBriggs.com is paean to life in the South. True stories of joyful praise.
Southern life is rich and lived with a drawl. Yeah, we have problems like everyone else, but that is not our concern. Let’s have some iced tea and talk about the other night. Wasn’t that fun?

Come visit us and let us tell you a good story about our place. The South.

And bring the whole family.