This month’s tour sponsor spotlight takes us all the way to Avery Island, Louisiana, for one of our most popular tours, Avery Island’s Jungle Gardens. Avery Island is home to the world-famous Tabasco® factory, still owned and operated by descendants of the famous hot sauce’s inventor, Edmund McIlhenny. This audio tour explores the gardens that were created on the island in the 1920s.

Jungle Gardens is the legacy of Edmund’s son, Edward Avery McIlhenny, a man able to see beyond himself and his time by embracing the understanding of nature and the role of personal responsibility in conservation. These gardens were originally McIlhenny's experiment in making the fertile land of south Louisiana produce, thrive, and support her people and wildlife. Decades later, this experiment gave rise to Avery Island's own motto, "Man and environment in balance." Although McIlhenny's gardens originally served as his private estate and nursery business, Jungle Gardens Inc., they were opened to the public in 1935 as a drive-through park. Little has changed in the gardens since McIlhenny died.

Today, Jungle Gardens is much more than a pretty park. It holds many extraordinary secrets that tell the story of how one individual can seize the initiative, take action, and make huge advances in conservation. Here’s how the tour sponsor describes the experience of building an audio tour in this unique place:

Q: Is there anything that surprises visitors about the tour?

A: They are usually surprised to find out that it is GPS-navigated and also that they can access it even if they are not on-site.

Q: Where do the majority of your visitors come from?

A: Most come from within the state of Louisiana and from Texas.

Q: Why did you want to tell the stories on your tour?

A: A huge part of what the Jungle Gardens is would be missed without the history of the land. The history, or the story behind Jungle Gardens and how it was created, is what makes it magically beautiful.

Avery Island's Jungle Gardens

Experience this nature lover’s dream with lavish gardens, birdwatching, other wildlife spotting, and a history like no other.

Explore all our tours (255 and counting!) at travelstorys.com.