This past weekend we enjoyed some heat at the Tabasco tour and the Jungle Gardens tour in Avery Island, LA. We started with touring the Jungle Gardens. This little sanctuary was created by Edward McIlhenny, the son of Edmund McIlhenny (the man who created the Tabasco brand). He was a conservationist who enjoyed protecting nature. Jungle Gardens began as his personal project at his home and expanded over time. He brought in exotic botanical plants from around the world, such as bamboo and camellias. He also built an aviary and significantly helped save the egret population from extinction.

We enjoyed our time driving through the beautiful moss-covered oak trees. We all enjoyed seeing the various types of bamboo (Kai found a piece to take home as a souvenir). While driving through the wetlands we even saw a little alligator swimming. As it noticed us, it swam closer, as if it were as curious to get a look at us as we were to get a look at it! We didn’t see many plants in bloom since we’re here in the fall, but the Asian area was still beautiful! We got to see a buddha statue that was gifted to the McIlhenny family, presiding over a peaceful lake in front of a forest of bamboo.

The Tabasco tour was also pretty fun. We got to see the greenhouses where the pepper plants are grown and the barrel aging cooperage (complete with an entire storeroom of tabasco sauce aging in salt covered barrels. Then we saw the blending room (where they blend the peppers with vinegar) and the bottling line. Included in the tour was a museum experience of the salt mines on Avery Island and a miniature display of the entire island. This was really cool to see where the buildings are located compared to the plant fields surrounding them. Then to see where the buildings are compared to the docks where the bottles ship to all over the world. There was also the museum and country store where we could learn about the different generations of the McIlhenny family and how they impacted the Tabasco company, as well as try all the current flavors of Tabasco sauce. Kai and Dustin enjoyed the samples!

Overall it was a great experience and the kids (and Dustin and I) learned a lot. It’s these experiences that make us so grateful to be able to live life on the road and see everything that the continental US has to offer!