Jungle Gardens — Attraction in New Iberia

There is so much to love about this place and so much history. Which you will learn upon your visit so in the interest of saving time I'll hit some high points that will hopefully help you on your travels here.

This place is located adjacent to the Tabasco factory on Avery Island Louisiana.

There is an admission fee which can be purchased either at the Tabasco factory or directly at the gift shop before entering Jungle Gardens. The gift shop has lots of quirky cool stuff and has a restroom area. You can also rent a bike to drive through the Gardens and you can park and walk through if you want but it is a rather large area to walk if you choose to do so.

This is primarily meant to be a drive-through tour which is perfectly safe for a car up to a SUV truck or minivan. They advise RVs or buses to take the tour at your own risk. And here is why. The roads here are not paved they're are gravel and mud and when it rains here they become extremely muddy and you have a chance of possibly getting stuck. My family drove a minivan through there today after a heavy rain and there were some questionable places for us. The driving roads are tight and traffic back ups do happen.

Having said that flip flops here would not be recommended you would want to wear a good tennis shoe or hiking boot. Also, if you're not a fan of the South's famous humid sweltering heat you may want to visit in a cooler season. If you do visit in a the summer months pack lots of water, sunscreen, and bug spray (the mosquitoes can be apocalyptic).

This tour takes a while as it winds you through majestic trees, bayou marsh scenes, wildlife sightings, historical signs and stops (including a beautiful large Buddha with a backstory and presence), flowing river views, bamboo, a bird sanctuary and lots of other beautifully placed natural areas. It is truly breathtaking and unexpected.

I hope you love it as much as my family did. We preferred it over the Tabasco factory. You really get a sense of the beautiful Louisiana...

The Jungle Garden tour is included as part of your self guided Tabasco Sauce Factory Tour. The Jungle Garden tour is 3 miles with 14 designated points of interest to investigate and you have the option to do this on foot or as a driving tour (I suggest the driving tour as you still have plenty of walking involved). The focal point of the tour is a large Buddha statue which is believed to be over 900 years old and it arrived to Avery Island in 1936 as a surprise gift. When I did the tour you were given a stamp card and if you checked in at all the attractions to complete your stamps you got a free jar of pickled green beans.

Overall this was a nice addition to the Tabasco Factory Tour!

Tip: Take a Saturday to do the Avery Island Tabasco Sauce and Jungle Garden tour in the morning with a breakfast at the Tabasco Restaurant 1896 then do lunch at Rip Van Winkle Gardens Jefferson Cafe and do that tour in the afternoon for a full day adventure. Then head into Lafayette and stay at the Blue Moon Saloon & Guesthouse get some ice cream at the Borden's Dairy Dip across the street then go back to the guesthouse to...

Did a couple’s 3hr photography shoot in May 2023. Tons of oak trees! Lots of nice shaded spots. Good location for portraits with a variety of backdrops: cypress tree swamp, oak trees, old barns, stone bridge & water features. Not a lot of flowers in bloom in May when I went. Great place for an outdoor Louisiana photo shoot. Make sure to bring water and go early or late… mid day is a hot.

If you’re into bird/wildlife photography saw hundreds of Great white egrets around at Bird City. Also saw an alligator, water snake, bunny rabbit and a variety of other birds.

The gift shop has cold A/C and nice place to pick up cold drinks and snacks before or after your adventure and they have restrooms as well. Other entire property is trash free and that is nice and refreshing.

Overall great place to go. Only downside, I have Verizon and cell service wasn’t great. Also, it’s Louisiana… expect some ants, horseflies & mosquitos. Bug spray is available at...