Our travels today took us through southern Louisiana...that in itself was a sight to see with huge sugar cane fields, ship yards, and interesting looking cemeteries ... to New Iberia. In our search for the Tabasco plant we stopped at the New Iberia Tourist Center. You know tourism is a major industry when the county has a tourist center.
I spoke with a very nice gentleman about the area. He was a wealth of information with a charming Louisiana accent. To my surprise when I opened the visitors guide, there he was. Turns out he is a direct descendant of one of the earliest settlers of New Iberia. What a treat to learn about the area from someone whose roots are so deeply embedded.
The Tabasco plant is on Avery Island. Avery Island is a really interesting place. On the surface it looks serene and peaceful. There is even a 200 acre wildlife preserve dedicated to helping the egrets survive. Beneath the surface, they mine salt from a deposit that is deeper than Mount Everest is high...that's a lot of salt. Oil is also found beneath this island. What a place.
The Tabasco plant tour does not take you through the entire plant; however, you can smell the process going on as soon as you enter the building. The smell of the pepper sauce tingles your nose..it was wonderful. The Tabasco store that follows the tour has items you would never imagine to have peppers printed on them or to be shaped like Tabasco sauce bottles. It's a fun place to look and pick up the unusual.
No photos today..I forgot the card from the camera. Makes photography a little difficult!!
