Every old oak
has a story to tell.

“In South Louisiana, live oaks are history, heritage, and heirlooms rolled into one. They were shade and shelter for early settlers’ homes. They marked where the old property lines met and where back roads crossed. They lined the entry roads to the most lavish plantation homes and shaded the first highways. Each one has a story to tell of the people and events they have witnessed in their long lives.”

The Lafourche Historic Live Oak Tour is about these stories—of the people, places, and events that the old oaks have witnessed. Our parish is fortunate to have many of its historic oak trees still alive and growing. More than 400 oaks in Lafourche Parish have been registered with the Live Oak Society as notable oaks.

More than 100 of those 400 oaks are over a century old. Some of the oaks featured in this tour are more than 500 years of age. That means they were growing along Bayou Lafourche before Columbus set foot on the continent we now call “America.”

The Live Oak Tour also recognizes the role that these trees play in creating the unique sense of place that people associate with bayou life. Living here just wouldn’t be the same without these elder trees of the Louisiana landscape.

You can begin the Tour from anywhere in the parish. It’s not necessary to follow the sign numbers in a particular sequence. They are numbered from north to south along the bayou, beginning at the E.D. White Memorial Home, 6.2 miles north of downtown Thibodaux. Just remember that many of the oaks are on private property, so please don’t trespass just to get a closer look at the trees. Enjoy!

The Lafourche Live Oak Tour was created by William Guion through the generous support of the Bayou Lafourche Convention & Visitors Bureau. For more information on Lafourche Parish events and activities, visit their website at LACajunBayou.com.
All photographs and content ©William Guion, 2017.