If you haven't heard of Avery Island, get ready to experience one of Louisiana's best kept secrets. Just a short drive south of Lafayette, this wild and beautiful place is home to some of the most diverse flora and fauna in the state. 

Spanning about 2,200 acres and completely surrounded by water on all sides, Avery Island is a biologically rich area located atop a deposit of solid rock salt that is believed to be thousands of feet deep. Let our real estate agents be your guides to exploring these attractions on Avery Island. 

Get to Know Avery Island

It takes just 45 minutes to drive southward from Lafayette to Avery Island, making it an easy trip if you're in town checking out Lafayette open houses. It's a picturesque drive, with small towns and farmland gradually giving way to woodlands and bayous. The island itself is gated (admission is just $1 in cash at the toll booth) and privately owned, though it is also open to the public. 

The majority of it is owned by the McIlhenny Company, the makers of Tabasco brand hot sauce. Every bottle of Tabasco has been made here on Avery Island for over 150 years. A portion of the island is also set aside as a park and nature preserve, and there's a lot to see and do here for visitors. 

Things to Do on Avery Island

Ready to experience Avery Island for yourself? These are some if the island's top attractions, all less than an hour from many Lafayette homes for sale.

• Tabasco Factory Tour & Museum - 32 Wisteria Rd, Avery Island, LA 70513
  When visiting Avery Island, you might as well start off with a visit to the factory that made it famous. Open daily from 9 am to 4 pm, the Tabasco Factory & Museum contains a wealth of exhibits illuminating the history of the famous sauce. The McIlhenny family has been making sauce here since the 1860s. To this day, the hot peppers for Tabasco sauce are grown and processed on Avery Island, and self-guided tours of the factory and museum include a chance to see the pepper greenhouse and the barrel warehouse. There is also an on-site Tabasco Country Store and Restaurant. 
  
  
• Jungle Gardens - Louisiana 329 &, Main Rd, Avery Island, LA 70513
  Spanning 170 acres, Jungle Gardens is a sprawling property on Avery Island that serves as both a bird sanctuary and a botanical garden. The gardens were created by Edward Avery McIlhenny, the second son of Tabasco founder Edmund McIlhenny. The property is crisscrossed by walking paths and includes numerous themed plantings including live oaks and a bamboo grove. Jungle Gardens also supports diverse wildlife, including a snowy egret rookery known as Bird City. Admission to Jungle Gardens is included with every ticket to tour the Tabasco Factory & Museum. 
  
  
• Tabasco Restaurant 1868 - LA-329, Avery Island, LA 70513
  It would be a shame to leave Avery Island without grabbing a bite to eat at the Tabasco Restaurant 1868. Named for the year the McIlhenny Co. was officially founded and Tabasco Sauce went into full production, the eatery serves classic American comfort food alongside authentic Creole fare. Po'boys, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee and fried shrimp are menu highlights. The restaurant also has a top-notch bloody mary bar, and there's more then enough Tabasco sauce to go around. 

Contact us today to learn more about exploring Louisiana's wild landscape, and be sure to ask our real estate agents about finding your next home on the Lafayette area. We're here to help every step of the way.