Avery Island

Avery Island, in the coastal marshes of south-central Louisiana, is one of the most unusual geological and cultural sites in the United States — an above-ground salt dome, one of five such ‘islands’ (elevated by underground salt deposits) rising above the surrounding flat coastal marsh of Iberia Parish. It is home to the McIlhenny Company, makers of the famous Tabasco hot sauce, which has been produced here since 1868.

Visitors come for the extraordinary Jungle Gardens (65 acres of subtropical garden with camellias, bamboo, lotus ponds, and a Buddha from the 11th century) and for Bird City — a famous snowy egret rookery established by Edward Avery McIlhenny in 1895 to help save the egrets from plume hunters. The salt mine beneath the island is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. Avery Island is a treasured geological, ecological and cultural icon of Louisiana.

Avery Island is enjoyed by driving and walking through the 65-acre Jungle Gardens (subtropical garden with moss-draped oaks, camellias, irises, lotus ponds, a bamboo garden, and sculptures including an ancient Buddha), visiting Bird City (the famous egret rookery, best seen from the observation platforms at dusk when thousands of egrets return to roost), touring the Tabasco factory and museum (self-guided tours of the production facility), and photographing the unusual elevation of the island above the surrounding marsh. The Jungle Gardens, Bird City rookery and Tabasco factory are the signature draws.

Spring (February through May) is the best time for Bird City — the snowy egrets, little blue herons and other wading birds are nesting and the rookery is at maximum activity, a spectacular sight and sound. Spring also brings the camellias and early garden flowers in the Jungle Gardens. Summer is hot and humid but the garden and rookery continue. The garden is beautiful in any season; the camellia season peaks in late winter. Spring for the nesting rookery and garden bloom, and any season for the Tabasco tour, are the highlights.

Avery Island has been inhabited continuously since prehistoric times — the salt deposits beneath were used by Indigenous peoples, French and Spanish colonists, and Confederate salt miners during the Civil War. Edmund McIlhenny developed the Tabasco pepper sauce recipe here after the Civil War (first sold commercially in 1868) and his descendants run the company today. Edward Avery McIlhenny established Bird City in 1895 to rescue the snowy egret from the plume trade, a pioneering conservation act. The salt mine beneath the island dates to 1862 and is the oldest operating in the Western Hemisphere. Avery Island is a layered geological, ecological and cultural icon.

Avery Island is a salt dome — one of the Five Islands of coastal Louisiana, where buried Jurassic-age halite (rock salt) formations pushed upward by geological pressure have domed the overlying rock and sediment into a gentle topographic rise several hundred feet above the surrounding flat coastal marsh. The salt deposits — part of the Louann Salt formation, a vast sheet of ancient evaporite rock beneath the Gulf Coast — drove the upwelling that created the island. The salt dome, the Louann Salt and the surrounding coastal marsh created Avery Island’s distinctive elevation.

Avery Island’s Bird City rookery hosts thousands of snowy egrets, great and little blue herons, tricolored herons, cattle egrets and anhinga nesting together in a dramatic colonial rookery — established by Edward McIlhenny in 1895 and now one of the best-established rookeries in Louisiana. Alligators, nutria and other Louisiana wildlife live in the garden ponds and surrounding marshes. The Jungle Gardens’ lotus ponds, bamboo and subtropical vegetation attract a rich birdlife in all seasons. Bird City is one of Louisiana’s most accessible and spectacular bird-watching sites.

Avery Island is a unique geological feature rising from the coastal marsh, its elevated terrain and garden environment supporting subtropical plant communities, the colonial bird rookery and the surrounding coastal marsh ecosystem. The island’s elevation above sea level protects it from storm surge better than the surrounding marsh. The Jungle Gardens are a cultivated landscape managed for aesthetics and conservation; Bird City is managed for the nesting colony. Protecting the rookery, the garden habitats and the surrounding marsh sustains both the ecology and the cultural character of Avery Island.

Avery Island holds a treasured place among the icons of Louisiana and American food culture — a geological curiosity (above-ground salt dome) rising from the coastal marsh, birthplace of Tabasco hot sauce (produced here since 1868), home of the Jungle Gardens and Bird City rookery (a conservation landmark), and site of the oldest salt mine in the Western Hemisphere. Its combination of geology, nature and culture is one-of-a-kind. Avery Island is a cherished natural and cultural icon of Louisiana.

Avery Island is in Iberia Parish, south-central Louisiana, about 7 miles southwest of New Iberia off Louisiana Highway 329. A causeway toll ($2 per vehicle) is charged to enter the island. The Jungle Gardens and Bird City charge a separate admission fee (check McIlhenny Company/Tabasco for current rates); the Tabasco factory tour is also accessible. The McIlhenny Company operates the visitor facilities. New Iberia (7 miles north) has full services. Check the Tabasco/McIlhenny website for current garden hours, admission fees and factory tour schedules before visiting.

The McIlhenny Company owns and manages Avery Island and the Jungle Gardens and Bird City. The bird rookery at Bird City is protected and managed; visitors help by staying on the designated observation paths and platforms (do not disturb the nesting birds), following garden rules, and respecting the colonial nesting birds at a distance (nesting birds flush easily and abandon nests if disturbed). The egret and heron colony, the garden habitats and the surrounding marsh are managed and sensitive. Supporting the McIlhenny Company’s conservation efforts sustains the rookery.

Avery Island is a privately operated, well-maintained attraction; the main cautions are respecting the nesting birds (do not disturb), watching children near the garden ponds (alligators are present in the ponds — stay on the paths and do not approach them), and being aware that the garden trails can be slippery in wet weather. Louisiana is hot and humid in summer; carry water and sun protection. Respect the alligators in the garden ponds, stay on designated paths, and follow all posted rules.

A causeway toll and garden admission fee apply. Follow McIlhenny Company/Tabasco rules for the garden and factory tour. Do not disturb nesting birds at Bird City (approach only on the designated paths and platforms). Do not feed or approach alligators in the garden ponds. Stay on designated garden paths. Photography for personal use is permitted. Check the Tabasco/McIlhenny website for current fees, hours and rules before visiting.

The city of New Iberia (7 miles north, with the Shadows-on-the-Teche plantation home, charming Main Street and services), the Atchafalaya Basin to the north, the Tabasco Country Store in New Iberia, the Jefferson Island Rip Van Winkle Gardens (another Iberia Parish salt dome and garden), the Cajun cultural heartland of south-central Louisiana, and Morgan City lie near Avery Island. The Cajun Louisiana and the Five Islands salt domes define the region. Avery Island anchors the geological and cultural experience of Iberia Parish, easily combined with New Iberia’s historic sites and the Atchafalaya.

Visit Bird City in the late afternoon as thousands of snowy egrets, herons and anhingas return to the rookery to roost — the sight and sound of the colony settling in for the night is extraordinary and one of the best bird-watching spectacles in Louisiana. Walk through the Jungle Gardens slowly, check the lotus ponds for wading birds and alligators, and find the ancient 800-year-old Buddhist statue in the garden (a surreal discovery). Don’t miss the Tabasco factory tour to see the hot sauce production, and pay the $2 island toll without complaint — it goes to maintaining this remarkable place.