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America’s largest river swamp. Arriving dockside, we put the boat over and headed out. Everything that you have ever seen on a screen or in pictures about a swamp, you will see in real life as you tour. One should definitely take the swamp tour. I was amazed at the debris that is tossed into the swamp. Kim, I discovered, always stops and picks up the trash. I was not to be left sitting on my duff, and I readily joined in. We accumulated so much. I was flabbergasted and took a picture for proof. I will remember this wonderful swamp tour. You too will see for real what has been featured over and over in print and on the Discovery Channel as well as foreign TV channels. You must call for reservations not only for Bois des Chenes but for the swamp tour.
    Prejean’s
    3480 NE Evangeline Trwy. (I-49), North Lafayette
    337-896-3247
    www.prejeans.com
    This restaurant is definitely casual, definitely friendly, and definitely Cajun. One notation about the restaurant states that it is a Louisiana legend. The place was fairly crowded, and music from a live band filled the air. The manager took me in tow, seated me, and suggested what I should have for dinner. I reiterated what was becoming my stock dining statement: “I would rather taste a little of a lot than have regular portions.”
    Dinner was good, and the chef tiny-portioned my meal. (I use “tiny” loosely.) Cajun cooking is heavy. The samples I had at Prejean’s were no exception. I do not agree with all of the enthusiastic food critiques. The food was good. The friendliness, casualness, and happy atmosphere surpassed my culinary experience, but it could have just been me. Hours: Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 7 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m.
    Thoughts about Lafayette
    I enjoyed myself. I have a strong feeling that I would have discovered a whole different Lafayette if I had not been there on the Fourth of July, when so much was closed. What comes to mind about Lafayette is the friendliness, the music, the dancing, and all that I enjoyed at Bois de Chenes.

Arkansas
    Besides highway signs, there’s another way to tell that you are in Arkansas—the roads aren’t the best, especially from Memphis to Texarkana. Just be prepared to slow down often. (At least, that is the way I found the road the times I have been driving there.)
    The following are some amusing and factual observations as I drove I-40 from the Oklahoma border and into Little Rock. Enjoy!
    Alma , Arkansas, proclaims itself the “Spinach Capital of the World,” but then, so does Crystal City, Texas. Go figure. Alma boasts an eight-foot-tall statue of Popeye. Popeye-brand spinach comes from Alma.
    Pig Trail Scenic Byway (exit 35): I had to look this one up, since “pig” and “scenic” are not words that one normally sees together. It turns out that this scenic route (which I’ve heard can be spectacular) reminded people of trails created by pigs wandering through the woods. (If you say so!)
    Toad Suck Park at Conway: Huh? Was this sign for real? I later had to look this one up too. Apparently, theories about the origin of the name range from an early mispronunciation to the fact that the bargemen on the Arkansas River “sucked on booze/moonshine bottles until they swelled up like toads.” That’s just a little extraneous info.
    Little Rock
    Hotels
    Peabody Little Rock
    3 Statehouse Plz.
    501-906-4000
    www.peabodylittlerock.com
    Whenever you hear the name Peabody Hotel, you know that you are going to be staying in a most special place augmented with duck quacks. Two other main Peabody hotels are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and Orlando, Florida. The Peabody in Memphis is “wonderfully good” and a delight to visit (see the Tennessee chapter for details). The Peabody Little Rock is a AAA Four Diamondproperty situated in the expanding and vibrant River Market District (more on this below).
    A recent $40 million renovation of the hotel’s 418 rooms didn’t overlook a thing. The main lobby is