Louisiana Is Number One At All These Things

1. Louisiana was the number one state for film production in 2002, 2013, 2017, and 2022.
Over the past 20 years, Louisiana's land mass, bayous, and historic buildings have the perfect scenery set up. Not to mention, the state has an abundance of experienced film crews that can meet the needs of any production of any size.

Louisiana is built for filming movies and, over the decades, has had more than 500 motion pictures, TV series, and documentary productions. Among them are Academy Award winners for Best Motion Picture, "Ray", “Green Book” and “12 Years a Slave.” Other notable Louisiana-shot productions include "Venom," “American Horror Story,” “CSI: New Orleans,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Logan” and “Jurassic World.”

2. The best state in the nation for fishing.
The best because of the water source, license and charter cost, fishing sales, and more. Throw in the best food, jazz, blues, Zydeco, Cajun music, Mardi Gras, beignets, crawfish, and random second lines. What's not to love?

3. The most bars, breweries, and wineries per capita
The Bayou State proudly wears the badge of being one of America's most drunken states. Next time you visit New Orleans, check out these fine establishments: The House of Blues, Bar Tonique, The Funky 555, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, and Jefferson Street Pup.

4. The most festivals per capita
Nobody parties, cooks, or eats more than Louisiana. We're pretty much festival-obsessed, if that's even a term! There is a festival for everything about everything in the Pelican State, including Mardi Gras, French Quarter Festival,
Natchitoches Christmas Festival and hundreds more.

5. Louisiana has the tallest State Capital Building in the U.S.
The tallest capital building in the U.S. is in Baton Rouge. Built in 1932 on 27 acres, the Louisiana Capital was completed in 14 months and is 450 feet high with 34 floors.

6. May not be the best, but Louisiana is the first state to have an opera performance.
New Orleans may be known as America’s “Frenchest” city today. It's important to remember it was under Spanish rule for four decades, between 1762 and 1803. During this time, the city was called Nueva Orleans. According to the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Spanish were responsible for making significant cultural contributions, from the first opera performed in New Orleans, "Sylvain" by André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry

7. The country’s first Spanish-language newspaper.
El Misisipi was the first Spanish-language newspaper to be published in America. It began printing in New Orleans in 1808.

8. Louisiana has the only wrong-way cemetery in the U.S. 
Cemeteries graves usually face east-west to symbolize the beginning of life with the rise and the end of life with the sun's setting. Maybe the gravediggers at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Rayne, Louisiana, had too many frozen Hurricane daiquiris to notice that they dug the graves facing north-south. By the time they did realize the graves were set in the wrong direction, they had buried too many people to fix the problem. That is why St. Joseph's Cemetery is, by far, a one-of-a-kind cemetery.

9.  Louisiana has the world's largest helicopter port.
Petroleum Helicopter, Inc. owns the most extensive commercial fleets in the world. Known as the Gold Standard in helicopter solutions. PHI operates and maintains a state-of-the-art fleet of light to heavy-class helicopters in Lafayette, LA. They have 46 landing pads and provide a wide range of transportation services to the petroleum industry, mainly in the Gulf Coast region.

10. The #1 TABASCO Hot Sauce in America
When a product has its own island, it has to be the best!  Avery Island, LA, has produced the same original Red Pepper Sauce recipe since 1868. Edmund McIlhenny was a Louisiana businessman and manufacturer who founded the iconic McIlhenny Company, the first to mass-produce Tabasco sauce.

Avery Island is a famous tourist attraction and museum. Thousands visit annually to tour and learn about the McIIhenny family and Louisiana's Tabasco history. Visitors enjoy interactive exhibits, can step into production buildings, see how it's made, sample the famous red sauce, and shop all the flavors they make today in the Avery Island farmers market.