Louisiana's Pie Bar in New Iberia and historic Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans offer unique holiday traditions.
It doesn't take much for folks in Louisiana to celebrate. They live to eat well, host around 400 festivals a year — heck, they throw a parade for just about anything!
This holiday season is more of the same. But here are two reasons to visit South Louisiana this month and next.
Happy Pie Day!
Cane River Pecan Company in New Iberia has announced its inaugural Pie Day Celebration, otherwise known as Une Fete des Pecanes, now to be an annual event. The free family-friendly celebration will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at the company's Pie Bar cafe and gift shop at 254 W. Main St. in New Iberia. There will be pecan-centric competitions, live music from D.J. B. Nuts, the Great Pecan Haiku Poem Contest (first-place winner gets cash!), a coloring contest for children and Boudin Pie Bingo. (For those of you not familiar with boudin, it's a pork and rice sausage popular in Cajun Country.)
We recently spotlighted places to enjoy bourbon for National Bourbon Day (June 14, but we don't need an official day to drink it!) and included a Pecan Pie Bourbon Old Fashioned from Cane River Pecan.
Teddy Bears Benefitting Children in Need
The historic and famous Arnaud's Restaurant in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter is asking for Teddy Bears to be distributed this holiday season through the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to the local community. The 10th annual Teddy Bear Program begins Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23, 2023) with the restaurant encouraging visitors to donate new and used Teddy Bears to be passed on to NOPD to distribute to children who have been traumatized due to tragedy or victimization. Since its inception in 2014, the program has raised more than 10,000 Teddy Bears.
“We initiated this program, the first of its kind in New Orleans, with the goal of impacting our community in a positive way,” said Katy Casbarian, co-owner of Arnaud’s Restaurant. “What we received in return has been an outpouring of support from our community wanting to do the same. It epitomizes the spirit of the season and creates connection through comfort.”
Collection bins will be placed at locations below and accessible during normal hours of operation unless otherwise noted.
For Arnaud’s Customers:
• Arnaud’s Restaurant is located at 813 Bienville St. in New Orleans and donations are accepted from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
New Orleans-area Donation Sites to the General Public:
• Energy Centre, 1100 Poydras St.
• New Orleans City Hall, 1300 Perdido St.
• New Orleans & Company, 2020 St. Charles Ave.
• NOPJF Headquarters, 320 Metairie-Hammond Hwy., Suite 500
• NOPD Headquarters, 715 S Broad St.
• Verdad Real Estate, 865 Fulton St., Suite 400
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by travel writer Cheré Dastugue Coen who always brakes for a pecan pie and is happy to donate to children anywhere. She wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.