I think it’s been about 17 years or so since my wife and I visited Shadows-on-the-Teche and I have to say, it is still beautiful.

In my opinion, New Iberia is lucky to have such a historic site right on Main Street just steps from locally owned shops and restaurants etc.

I’m sure it’s good for tourism, however, it also stands as a constant reminder to the past history of plantation life and sad history of enslaved people who endured it.

Speaking of tourism, I have to say that my wife and I made a list of all the places we want to visit here in New Iberia and the surrounding area. These are places we last visited more than 17 years ago when we lived here.

Well, I am happy to report that they are all still here and doing well with the exception of the Little River Inn that is closed. Yes, I am aware that we can still go up to Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn in Broussard. So we did, and it is just as wonderful as I remember the Little River Inn was. What caught me off guard were the raccoons that were hanging around by the front door of the restaurant waiting for bread (or anything else) to be tossed their way. In Minnesota if you see a raccoon that is up close and not afraid of you then it probably has rabies. So of course that was my first thought. However, as I watched people feed them and not fear them I quickly realized that these raccoons were somewhat domesticated, almost like having outside pets.

Now back to New Iberia. New Iberia and Louisiana have what I call real history compared to my home state of Minnesota which is what I would expect due to the fact that New Iberia was founded by the Spanish in 1779 and French explorer de la Salle named the region Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV of France.

Minnesota has no antebellum homes, Civil War battlefields or excellent Cajun cuisine. What is does have are 10,000 lakes, lutefisk and hot dish. It’s a beautiful state, however, it needs some seasoning.

I’ve been enjoying my time here in New Iberia, however, I’m quite sure that I will enjoy it much more during the winter season.

KEN HARTY is the Publisher of The Daily Iberian and Acadiana Lifestyle. You can reach him at kenh@daily-iberian.com