Looking for a day trip? Teche Byway makes list of top winter drives

A trek familiar to many St. Mary residents has made a list of the country’s best winter driving trips.
The Bayou Teche Scenic Byway, running from Morgan City to Arnaudville, is at No. 20 in the Ultimate Toys website’s list of winter day trips, joining attractions including the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, Lake Tahoe in Nevada and the Catskill Mountains in New York.
Ultimate Toys said it based its survey on responses from 3,006 “seasoned travelers.”
The site said the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway “winds through Cajun country, with charming small towns, historic sites, and the serene waters of Bayou Teche. Winter is perfect for exploring quiet trails, indulging in hearty gumbo, and taking in the region’s rich history.”
The byway is one of four Louisiana routes in the top 100.
The others are:
•The Cane River National Heritage Trail between Natchitoches and Cloutierville at No. 26.
•The Great River Road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans at No. 27.
•The Creole Heritage Trail from Lake Charles to Holly Beach at No. 76.
The Bayou Teche Scenic Byway website describes the route “as it
winds through South Louisiana’s lush swamps and moss-draped bayous. From its southernmost point in Morgan City to its northern end in Arnaudville, the byway crosses beautiful marshes and fields of sugar cane, connecting lovely towns that have well-preserved historic districts.”
•Morgan City to Franklin: Stroll Morgan City’s historic district, where you can browse antique shops or view the Atchafalaya River from a wharf-side pavilion.
For a closer look at the Great Atchafalaya Basin (and maybe a gator or two), take a guided swamp tour in nearby Patterson.
There you’ll also find a branch of the Louisiana State Museum, noted for its displays on aviation and the cypress industry.
•Franklin: More than 400 historic properties include the Grevemberg House Museum, a gracious antebellum townhouse filled with Civil War artifacts and antique toys.
Visit Charenton, where the Chitimacha Museum reveals the history of Bayou Teche’s early inhabitants.
•Franklin to New Iberia: In the town of Jeanerette, be sure to sample the French bread and ginger cakes made with a bakery’s original 19th-century recipes.
•New Iberia, home of Shadows-on-the-Teche. The antebellum home built by a wealthy sugar planter now is a museum, surrounded by graceful live oaks.
Drive through New Iberia’s Historical District. Near New Iberia, tour the Avery Island factory where world-famous Tabasco pepper sauce is made.
•New Iberia to Arnaudville: As you make your way toward Arnaudville, stop in St. Martinville for their Historic District and in Breaux Bridge.
The Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville recalls the chilling expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia, as told by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in “Evangeline.”
In Breaux Bridge, a closely-knit community of friendly people with a bustling downtown historic district filled with unique shopping and dining.
The top 10 winter drives on the Ultimate Toys list are:
•No. 1: Great Smoky Mountains Loop (Cherokee to Fontana Village), North Carolina
•No. 2: Hudson Valley Drive (Tarrytown to Hudson), New York
•No. 3: Scenic Byway 12 (Panguitch to Torrey), Uta
•No. 4: Lake Tahoe Loop (Incline Village to Zephyr Cove), Nevada
•No. 5: Coastal Route 1 (Portland to Camden), Maine
•No. 6: Green Mountain Byway (Waterbury to Cambridge), Vermont
•No. 7: Richardson Highway (Valdez to Fairbanks), Alaska
•No. 8: Lakes Region Scenic Drive (Alton to Wolfeboro), New Hampshire
•No. 9: Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway (Phoenicia to Andes), New York
•No. 10: Pacific Coast Scenic Byway (Astoria to Brookings), Oregon