We want to make it easy for you to get the information you need about the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road and surrounding area. This list of story ideas should help point you in the right direction and provide you with some interesting background material.

Birding-The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road has been listed among the Top 40 Birding Hotspots by Wildbird magazine. Besides the thousands of geese and ducks that stop over, the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road is a major resting and eating stop for rare songbirds and millions of butterflies.

Hunting & Fishing-Southwest Louisiana is perfectly positioned to provide some of the the finest fishing and hunting in North America. From freshwater to saltwater fishing, and hunting seasons for duck, geese, deer, wild dove and other game, the area around the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road has something for every outdoorsman.

March Ecosystem-The coastal wetlands of Louisiana support thousands of different animal species, and play an important role in the natural balance on the North American continent.

National Wildlife Refuges-The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road includes two national wildlife refuges and one state refuge that contribute important scientific research of plants and animals in the area.

Beaches-The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road is home to 26 miles of Gulf Coast beaches, where visitors can swim, shell, fish or just enjoy a lazy day in the sun.

Festivals-Southwest Louisiana is the festival capital of our state, with more than 75 exciting festivals year-round. The carnival season of Mardi Gras spans weeks of masked balls, parades and colorful merriment. At Contraband Days, modern-day pirates bring the legend of the notorious Jean Lafitte to life as they take over the city of Lake Charles for two weeks of gleeful fun.

Although the Cameron Louisiana Fur & Wildlife Festival in January is known as the "Oldest & Coldest Festival in the State," our winters are so mild that you won't want to miss the incredible fresh seafood and wild game prepared by the fun-loving folks of Cameron Parish. Other area festivals that provide great photo opportunities and terrific stories are the Alligator Harvest Festival, the Cajun Food & Music Festival and the Black Heritage Festival.

Ghosts of the Civil War-Confederate and Union forces met at the Battle of Calcasieu Pass, and a site on Monkey Island still stand where the blue and gray were buried side by side. Fort Niblett, now the site of Niblett's Bluff Park in Vinton, was a strategic outpost for the Confederacy, designed to prevent a Union land attack from the west or from the Sabine River.