Day 3 - It's Gettin' Hot in Here.....Is that a Gator??

Saturday, Bill was able to get a ride to work, so we had the car to ourselves all day....YAY!! So, what to do....I really wanted to head down to the southern coast, so we checked all of our brochures and found a place called Avery Island. It is an island made out of salt and is also home to Tabasco sauce!!! So, regardless of the threat of rain, the girls and I headed down south to Avery Island. There was a $1 toll in order to enter the island. We pulled up to the toll booth, and it was on the wrong side of the car! Luckily, there was a car in front of us that had to pay first, so I got to see how this Cajun man clipped a map and toll ticket onto a long stick with a clothespin and stick it in their window! When I got up there, all I had was a $10 bill, so he had to give me change back. He didn't have enough cash change, so when he gave me a dollar in coins, there was a nifty hole on the platform of his stick that held change. It was AWESOME!!!

We paid the $1 toll to enter the island and made our first stop at the Tabasco Factory. They actually give a free tour which takes no more than 30 minutes total. They tell you the history of Tabasco, who created it (Edward McIlhenny), how it got its name (Tabasco means land of the hot and humid), how it is manufactured (long story and many years). Then there is a video where you can watch the whole process. The third part involves walking past a glass wall where you can watch the factory workers. Unfortunately for us, they only work Mon-Thu, so we didn't get to see anyone. The last part is several stations where you can learn more about the process and the McIlhenny family.

I was really looking forward to visiting the Tabasco Country Store....you know me! ;o) It was cool to see all of the products they have with Tabasco on it....dog collars, pajama pants, computer mouse, etc.....You could also sample different Tabasco products.....ice cream, soda, salsa, sauce varities, etc. We didn't do that part, though....not that crazy!! LOL!!

The next section of Avery Island they let you visit is called Jungle Gardens. It is a beautiful drive-thru garden park where you can see actual alligators (we saw several babies), frogs, turtles, egrets and other creatures. The trees were magnificient....covered in spanish moss. During the drive, you can park in different areas and walk around. There was a beautiful Buddha Temple and a place called Bird City where you could see many, many egrets. It was a really neat place to visit. It even rained on us a bit, but we didn't care. It was nice to just be out in the nice air....well, if you don't mind smelling the swamp air a little!

We headed back to the hotel after that....we were tired and hungry. Bill got home in time for dinner that night, so back to the hotel dining room. The girls had to check out the arcade again....then back to our room for bed.