décor, jewelry and clothing, baby and children’s gifts, books and cookbooks, collectibles, and
 antiques.

The Cabin Restaurant
5405 La. 44
Gonzales
(225) 473-3007

The restaurant is built from slave dwellings from Monroe Plantation. Diners sit beneath the old-growth cypress ceiling and view old farm implements and tools. Many menu items have been served for the past 45 years, and they are known for excellent corn bread, buttermilk  pies, and more. Meals are authentic, simple, and plentiful.

Tee Joe Gonzales Museum
217 W. Main St.
Gonzales
(225) 647-9552

Home of the city’s founding father, the museum is located on its original site on the New River. Artifacts and memorabilia focus on the area’s first settlers. Tours are available for groups of 20 to 25 people by appointment.

Crescent Park and Donaldsonville Riverwalk
Mississippi Street
Donaldsonville
(225) 473-4247

A new one–million-dollar park renovation project in Donaldsonville’s downtown connects to the Mississippi River leveewalking trail across the street. The Crescent Park includes a large pavilion, paved seating areas, walkways, and flowerbeds.

Ascension of Our Lord
Catholic Church
219 St. Vincent St.
Donaldsonville
(225) 473-3176

Father Angel de Revillagodos founded the historic church in 1772 on orders of King Charles of Spain. The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1876. Ascension Catholic Church’s original flock was made up of Acadian exiles.

Framer Dave’s Frame Shop
512 Mississippi St.
Donaldsonville
(225) 473-8536

Framer Dave’s Frame Shop has carried a tradition of serving all of southern Louisiana with the finest original art and quality picture framing. The frame shop is home to renowned fold artist Alvin Batiste. Alvin Batiste is known for his paintings of Cajun culture and has become one of Louisiana’s most premier folk artists since Clementine Hunter.

Bikur Sholim Jewish Cemetery
St. Patrick Street
Donaldsonville

Founded in 1856, the Jewish cemetery in Donaldsonville speaks of a treasured past. The cemetery’s oldest tombstone is a child’s grave, which reads: “To the memory of Rachel, daughter of Isaac and Sarah Friednethal.” Baby Rachel was only 13 months when she died in 1858.

Although the cemetery predates the Civil War, most of the graves are from after the war. Some of the anterior rows in the cemetery are the final resting places for yellow fever epidemic victims from New Orleans the late 1870s, whose bodies were sneaked out at night for a Jewish burial in order to prevent being interred in mass graves or burned.

Donaldsonville followed a similar pattern to other small towns on the bayou: Jews from in and around Germany arrived, settled on the river and established themselves as merchants and storekeepers, and eventually moved on.

The Grapevine Restaurant
211 Railroad Ave.
Donaldsonville
(225) 473-8463

Attracting destination diners from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and beyond, the restaurant is known for its unique blend of Cajun, Creole, and African dishes housed in a restored 1920s building. Rotating colorful works from local artists and local musicians frequent the ever-popular restaurant in Donaldsonville’s historic district.

Premier Lanes Entertainment and Malco Gonzales Cinema
1414 N. Airline Highway
Gonzales
(225) 621-2695

Located in the heart of Gonzales off of Airline Highway, this is a place the whole family can enjoy, boasting a bowling alley, movie theater, arcade, laser maze, restaurant, and bar.