Incoming Journey from San Diego #25119- April 8-14, 2025

Host Coordinators - Larry & JiJi Jonas       Ambassador Coordinator - Sharon Barker

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Day 1 - Welcome

On Tuesday, April 8, the San Diego Friendship Force arrived in Baton Rouge, including Sharon Barker, Lauren Beaudy, Gary DeMonto, Nancy Iches, Dorothy Olsen, Carolyn Tatum, Kathy Velasco and Nancy Walsh. They were joined by Diane Hooker from Billings, Montana, who is a member of our Baton Rouge Club and Sharon Van Loo and Lorali Renolds from Sea Side, Oregon. Three members of the San Diego Club had spent the previous three days in New Orleans. Chris Pomfret, our member in New Orleans, had been very helpful with information on what to see and where to stay. Our Home Hosts for the Journey were Tony and Sherry Dodson, Lin Ashton, Barbara Wittkopt and Thornton Cofield, Mike Wyble and Trudy Ivy, Art and Karen Vingiello, and Shelia Melancon. The Welcome Party was held that night at Williamsburg Senior Living Community. Members of FFBR were assigned dishes to accompany the entree of chicken fingers from Piccadilly Restaurant. Sharon Barker, the Ambassador JC, handed out sheets of short unusual facts and encouraged FFBR folks to match each fact with a San Diego visitor by talking with them tonight and during the week.  (See Farewell party below for more.)  Everyone was then treated to a wonderful and informative presentation by Jay Dardenne, former legislator, Secretary of State, Lt. Governor, and Commissioner of Administration. His topic was “Why Louisiana Ain't Mississippi-or Any Place Else. Thanks to Art Vingiello for arranging for Jay to speak.

Day 2 - Baton Rouge & Carville

Our first stop on Wednesday, April 9, was the LSU Burden Rural Life Museum which was named one of the “Top 10 outdoor museums in the World" by the British Museum. It offers an immense collection of artifacts from farms, plantations, and houses. The open-air museum has a 5-star rating from AAA and has more than 30 historic buildings. Donnie Shields and her fellow docent gave us an excellent and informative history of the grounds. We then drove to the BREC Soccer Park on Burbank Drive to eat lunch under a nice pavilion in bright and warm weather. Eating a po-boy is obligatory when visiting south Louisiana and participants had been given a menu ahead of time to pick their favorite from Rocco's Po-Boy Restaurant.

Po-boy picnic lunches at BREC Soccer Complex

More of the lunch group

After lunch we caravanned to Carville, Louisiana, for an excellent tour led by the curator of the National Hanson's Disease Museum. It began in 1894 as the Louisiana Leper Home, and the National Leprosy Act of 1917 required all patients in the U.S. diagnosed with leprosy (Hansen disease) to be housed there. In 1921, it was taken over by the US Public Health Service and became The National Leprosarium, and up until the 1980's, people diagnosed with Hansen disease (leprosy) were assigned to Carville or Hawaii. Physical appearance, public stigma, and fear of contagion resulted in victims being quarantined usually for the rest of their lives. In early years it was more like a prison but later under operation by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul became a more pleasant community of living facilities, medical attention, recreation, and personal enterprise and interests. One of our Host Coordinators, JiJi Jonas, did her internship in Therapeutic Recreation at Carville.

Day 3 - Cajun Country - Part 1

Our day started early on Thursday, April 10, with beignets and cafe' au lait at Coffee Call before departing to Henderson, Louisiana, about 45 miles away where we visited the office of Mayor Sherbin Collette for a talk on the Atchafalaya River Basin and what is being done to save it. Everyone loved his Cajun accent and discussion of local politics. Next we toured the Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island which were named in honor of Joseph Jefferson who was famous for playing the part of Rip Van Winkle on stage over 4500 times and in 1870 built a hunting lodge on the island. Because of a freeze and rare 8 inches of snow early this year, the gardens weren't as pretty as usual in the spring but people enjoyed the setting. As we drove away toward Avery Island we were able to see several Roseate Spoonbills at the nearby rookery.

Beignets & Cafe au Lait at Coffee Call

Journey Coordinators present FFBR pin to Henderson mayor

Avery Island is home of the famous Tabasco hot sauce. The company was founded by Edmund Mcllhenny in 1868 and is still family owned and operated. He adopted the label “Tabasco” which is a word of Mexican Indian origin believed to mean” place where the soil is humid" or "place of the coral or oyster shell." Upon arriving we first went to the 1868 Restaurant where our Ambassadors experienced Louisiana specialties of red beans and rice, chicken sausage gumbo, and crawfish etouffee. After lunch there was time for everyone to shop in the huge Tabasco store where they got to sample many of the Tabasco products. We then took the VIP Tour consisting of 4 buildings that took us through the Tabasco museum, pepper garden, aging process of peppers where they are stored in barrels, and finally the bottling process. Our Guide was excellent. In 1862 Avery Island also became home of the first rock salt mine.

Lunch at 1868 Restaurant

Traditional Cajun food

More of the group at lunch

Shopping in the Tabasco store

Brief rest before starting the VIP tour

The visit concluded with a self-guided audio tour of the Jungle Gardens, a 170-acre semi tropical garden that includes a private wildfowl refuge and bird sanctuary called Bird City that McIlhenny established around 1895 and is a nesting ground for thousands of snowing egrets. A few lucky people saw nutria in the pond.

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​From Avery Island, we drove to Abbeville, LA, to spend the night at a Best Western Inn. Because of a recent storm, the elevator was broken but everyone seemed not to be too concerned. At dinner, despite great reviews for Shuck's restaurant, many of us were disappointed with the quality of the food and the wait for it to arrive. We were also disappointed that our ambassadors didn't get to experience Cajun music because the band did rock and roll rather than Cajun as we had anticipated. We did celebrate the birthdays of Joy of FFBR and Carol of FFSD.

Day 4 - Cajun Country - Part 2

After breakfast on Friday, April 11, at the Best Western we departed for Kelly's Landing in Crowley, LA. The owner, Kelly Hundley, presented a program that began with an introduction to crawfish farming where he showed us crawfish nets and how they are placed in the pond and retrieved. Next he and his wife, Lynn, served us shrimp etouffee. Kelly then treated us to boiled crawfish with a lesson for the Ambassadors on how to peel and eat them. Along with lunch the Ambassadors toured Kelly's huge John Deere museum that has many John Deere themed products and even a tractor.

We then went to Acadia Crawfish Company, a crawfish processing plant. This was really interesting to all of us as it showed the process of how dead crawfish are picked off a convener belt, some crawfish are washed and bagged for live sale, and other crawfish are boiled, peeled, and bagged. After that we visited a rice production mill where we heard a talk on the procedure used to mill rice but unfortunately ran out of time and missed the tour of the mill.

Back in the cars we drove to Breaux Bridge for the Champagne Swamp Tour. The owner's name is  Champagne, so we were not served champagne, but that might be an idea for him to try. There were lots of alligators and turtles sunning on logs, and the cypress and Tupelo Gum trees were loaded with Spanish Moss, so the swamp was especially picture worthy. Our guide was not the best but several said they appreciated the quietness of the swamp. The weather has been fantastic so far.

Day 5 - Baton Rouge Downtown

Our first activity on Saturday, April 12, was not scheduled until 9:30 am, so we suggested that Ambassadors go to the Red Stick Farmers market or the new State Capitol first, and several took advantage of that opportunity. We didn't realize that an Easter Egg Hunt and a Walk to raise money for a charity were taking place right in front of the Capitol Park Museum, our destination, so parking was a bit of a problem but all worked out. The Museum's first floor shows the history of Louisiana while and the second floor has interactive cultural and music exhibits where you hear the distinctive sounds of Cajun, zydeco, swamp pop, Baton Rouge blues and New Orleans jazz. 

Tallest state Capitol in the U.S.

Louisiana House of Representatives

Downtown from the Capitol observation deck

Entry to Capitol Park Museum (Louisiana State Museum)

Map shows Louisiana Purchase and vast tributary systems that drain via the Mississippi River through Louisiana

Model of a typical Mardi Gras float

What is a Cajun?

Lunch was preordered and delivered from Matherne's Market to the 4th floor of the new River Center branch library. We then walked next door to the old State Capitol which is known as Baton Rouge's castle. The interior has lots of stained glass and art deco features. There are many exhibits featuring the history of Baton Rouge and one in particular features the life of Huey Long and his contributions to Louisiana. There was  also an extensive gift shop with an array of Louisiana items.

Day 6 - Open Day & Dinner

Sunday was a 'Free Day” where Ambassadors and Home Hosts choose various places and activities around the area. Some went to church. Several drove 30 miles north to San Francisville to various plantations or tour the area. Several ate at the Magnolia Cafe in town. That evening the Ambassadors and Home Hosts were assigned to dinner parties hosted by LaDeta Crawley, Joy Rich, Lynn Robbins, and Vicki Vance.

In the garden at Rosedown Plantation near St. Francisville

Around the dining table at LaDeta's

Dinner Party at LaDeta's

Day 7 - Plantations & Farewell

On Monday, we traveled south to Edgard, Louisiana, to Whitney Plantation which operated from 1752-1975 and produced indigo, sugar and rice. The museum preserves over a dozen historical structures, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Whitney Plantation Historic District. The legal name is the Whitney Institute and it's goal is to educate the public about the history and legacies of slavery in the U.S. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave interesting insights into slavery and life during that time period.

We then drove to Darrow, Louisiana, to the Dixie Cafe located on the grounds of Houmas House Plantation. Lunch was buffet style featuring chicken and sausage gumbo, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, salad and bread pudding which everyone enjoyed. Dining at any of 3 restaurants on the grounds includes free access to the huge and beautiful gardens which all of us did. They were beautiful and well maintained with lots of blooming flowers. and there is a walking bridge across the road that leads to great views of the Mississippi River. Several people also decided to tour the main house and/or visit the huge gift shop with many products representing Louisiana. Also there is a history museum located on the grounds

That evening was a Farewell Party at the main EBR Parish library. Members brought food to accompany the main entree of jambalaya cooked by the Gonzales Jambalaya Association. In appreciation, FFBR donated $100 to them, and we volunteer in the spring at their annual Annual Jambalaya Festival. Bob and Gail Duncan with a committee decorated Mardi Gras style with gold, green and purple table cloths and small Mardi Gras trees and beads as center pieces.   After dinner, the fact sheets that the Ambassador JC gave out at the Welcome Party were again distributed.  The audience was asked to guess which ambassador matched each fun fact, and the answers were revealed and explained.  ​Bob then gave a short history of Mardi Gras and comments about his membership in the Krewe of Endymion in New Orleans. As a surprise he brought relevant costumes and proclaimed Sharon Barker and Gary DeMonto as Queen and King for the night. The party ended with a Second Line. (This is normally used to honor the dead at a funeral or the bride and groom at a wedding, but we use it to spotlight a Louisiana tradition as we give out beads and have everyone join in a parade around the room to Louisiana music.

Ambassadors and Hosts eat and visit

Food line

Bob Duncan talks about Mardi Gras

King Gary and Queen Sharon

San Diego ambassadors reveal which fun fact each matched

Royalty celebrating with commoners