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Named after a Native American tribe, Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish ) is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase Territory. Since 1927, we are home to one of the oldest community-based holiday celebrations in the country. Starting as a one-day festival, the Natchitoches Christmas Festival has evolved into a six-week long Christmas Season. The Christmas Season begins on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and concludes on January the 6th, the Epiphany. Over 300,000 lights and 100 plus set pieces are on display every night at dusk.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is an aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is run by the Audubon Nature Institute, which also supervises Audubon Zoo, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Coastal Wildlife Network, Audubon Wilderness Park, and Audubon Park. It is located along the banks of the Mississippi River by the edge of the historic French Quarter off Canal Street, at the upper end of Woldenberg Park. It opened on September 1, 1990.

USS Kidd (DD-661), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died on the bridge of his flagship USS Arizona during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Kidd was the first US flag officer to die during World War II, and the first American admiral ever to be killed in action. A National Historic Landmark, she is now a museum ship, berthed on the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is the only surviving US destroyer still in her World War II configuration

Sci-Port Discover Center is a 92,000 square-foot science and entertainment center made up of Louisiana’s Space and Science Center, Power of Play Children’s Museum (POP) and Louisiana’s only IMAX® Dome Theater. Louisiana’s Space and Science Center includes over 200 hands-on exhibits, interactive programs and demonstrations and the Sawyer Space Dome Planetarium. POP is a kid-sized Shreveport-Bossier where kids ages 8 and under can learn through the power of play. The IMAX® Dome Theater immerses guests in award-winning films through state-of-the-art technology. Center accolades include Best Science Attraction for Kids in Louisiana, Attraction of the Year in Louisiana, and one of Parents magazine top ten science centers in the nation. Sci-Port is a member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers, the Association of Children’s Museums and the LA Space Consortium. The Center is located at 820 Clyde Fant Parkway on the downtown Shreveport Riverfront.

Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, located in St. Martinville, Louisiana, showcases the cultural significance of the Bayou Teche region. It is the oldest state park site in Louisiana, founded in 1934 as the Longfellow-Evangeline State Commemorative Area. Evangeline was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's enormously popular epic poem about Acadian lovers, who are now figures in local history. In the town center, the Evangeline Oak is the legendary meeting place of the two lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel. A statue of Evangeline marks her supposed grave next to St. Martin of Tours Church. The state historic site commemorates the broader historical setting of the poem in the Acadian and Creole culture of this region of Louisiana. Several historic buildings are showcased at Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, which cover 157 acres: Maison Olivier, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974, is a plantation home built c. 1815 by Pierre Olivier Duclozel de Vezin, a wealthy Creole at the time. The structure is an excellent example of a Raised Creole Cottage, a simple and distinctive architectural form which shows a mixture of Creole, Caribbean, and French influences

The National WWII Museum, formerly known as The National D-Day Museum, is a military history museum located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, on Andrew Higgins Drive between Camp Street and Magazine Street. The museum focuses on the contribution made by the United States to Allied victory in World War II. Founded in 2000, it was later designated by the U.S. Congress as America's official National WWII Museum in 2003. The museum is a Smithsonian Institution affiliated museum, as part of the Smithsonian Institution's outreach program. The mission statement of the museum emphasizes the American experience in World War II. 

Come explore the mysterious, exciting world of the American Alligator, at the Alligator Park, just outside Natchitoches, Louisiana. This seven-acre park is the largest of its kind in Louisiana, complete with Cajun Music, lots of hungry alligators and tortoises.

From covered, protected walkways and platforms you'll see hundreds of alligators in their natural environment. The whole family will enjoy watching and feeding these big gators. But there's much more to the Alligator Park than just gators. Children also love the Petting Zoo, Reptile House, Jungle, Tortoise Exhibit, Rocky Racoon Resort and much more. You can have your picture taken with many reptiles and shop for the unusual in our Gift Shop. Come enjoy an unforgettable adventure! Parking is Free!

Audubon Nature Institute is a 501(c)3 not for profit that operates a family of ten museums and parks dedicated to nature. We serve our visitors, our community and our world as an educational resource, an environmental guardian, a leader in economic development and a venue for family entertainment. The success of the Audubon family lies within the individual strengths of its facilities. Working together, they are helping to create a bright future for generations to come.