Day Trippin' › Louisiana › From New Orleans › Creole Nature Trail
The drive from New Orleans to Creole Nature Trail takes about 3 hr 11 min (west of New Orleans), by real roads from ZIP 70112. Along the way we found 48 stops within a short detour: 8 coffee shops, 2 bakeries, 4 ice cream and treats and 22 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from New Orleans) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Jim Bahn, CC BY 2.0
Scenic drive
An All-American Road through marsh, wildlife refuges and Gulf beaches south of Lake Charles. Gators and birds by the hundreds.
Heads-up: Fuel up first. Services are few. Bring food, water and bug spray.
First third Middle third Last third Creole Nature Trail
About 3 hr 11 min by road, heading west from the middle of ZIP 70112. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: Parrain's Seafood Restaurant (Baton Rouge) and Louie's Cafe (Baton Rouge). The page lists 24 in all, in driving order.
Starbucks in Laplace, Starbucks in Gonzales, Pod Pack International in Hope Villa and Ruby Slipper Cafe in Baton Rouge. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
Don's Seafood in Cornerview, Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux in Cornerview, City Pork Perkins in Saint George and General Tso's Chicken in Baton Rouge.
Conja' in Saint George, The Racers in Saint George, Baton Rouge African American Museum in Baton Rouge and City Ballroom in Rayne.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.