Avery Island, Louisiana -
Tabasco Factory and Giant Buddha

Tabasco Factory and Giant Buddha

The garden tour and bird city are a separate attraction from the Tabasco Factory, with its own admission. [Bill Weisner, 11/13/2011]

Tabasco Plantation Factory

Update on pricing: tours are given every 30 minutes, and are free. You see a video and can look at the bottling operation. There are some informational exhibits, but the more " techie" ones were out of order. Overall, because of the free-ness of it all, I would give it a 9 out of 10. [Trish, 10/10/2004]

Tabasco Factory and Jungle Gardens

The only place where tabasco sauce is made and exported worldwide. Although not an island in the "Gilligan's Island" sense, the land qualifies for the name thanks to what looks to be a drainage ditch that one could probably hop over.

But the real attraction, assuming you're not all that hot for tabasco sauce history, is the Jungle Gardens, next to the historic pepper mill. Here you drive your car through multitudinous acres of lush, tropical beauty that contains a bird sanctuary, alligator filled lakes, and the oddest thing of all, a gigantic statue of Buddha that oversees a nutria-filled lake. (Supposedly a gift to E. A. McIlhenny, the Tabasco King.) A couple of lovely gift shops are on hand to take your tourist money, but the Tabasco brand pepper sauce factory tours are free.

There are also tours of the tabasco factory during the week, but I went on the weekend and don't know how much it costs. Best time to go is fall or spring as temperatures get mighty hot during the summer in these parts. [Keath Graham, 10/28/2000]

[RA: Feb. 2011: Shane writes "Avery Island is surrounded on several sides by bayous (small, muddy rivers), the main one of which, Bayou Petite Anse, is fairly wide and could certainly not be hopped over."]