Children playing in Black Cypress Bayou near Bossier City (above). A swamp tour moving through the Atchafalya Basin (below). /Louisiana Office of Tourism photos

Published: May/Jun 2001

Floating lazily down a river is one of spring and summer's great joys. Throughout the South, there's a variety of river recreation. Don't wait; take the plunge.

In Louisiana and Mississippi, you can cruise up a lazy river on the greatest–or at least the mightiest–river of them all, the Mississippi. Your AAA Travel Agent can reserve a cabin for a relaxing cruise onboard the Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen or American Queen. River Barge Excursions offer a different cruise experience. Or enjoy a faster-paced exploration like the one Vicksburg’s Mississippi River Adventure Hydro-Jet Boat Cruise provides. For additional information, call the Vicksburg’s Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-221-3536.

Other prime cruising, floating and fishing spots in Louisiana include the Sabine, Red, Alcasieu, Ouachita, Atchafalya and Pearl rivers. The “Twin City Queen” in Monroe cruises the Ouachita in regal style; and the Pearl and Calcasieu rivers provide some of the state's most popular sites for canoeing enthusiasts. For more information, call the Monroe/West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-843-1872.

If Cajun rhythms are more your beat, consider a swamp or marshland tour down one of southern Louisiana's famous bayous. Several outfitters operate throughout Louisiana, including New Orleans, Slidell, Houma, Kraemer and Morgan City.

And don't miss canoeing or tubing down one of southern Mississippi's rivers–like Laurel's Big Creek or Hattiesburg’s Little Black Creek. For additional information, call the Hattiesburg Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-638-6877.

–Margaret Dornaus