Louisiana is like no other state in the United States due to its history, language, culture, and food. First of all, they have parishes instead of counties, due to early white settlers being Roman Catholic under French and Spanish rule. Boundaries generally coincided with church parishes when the U.S. bought the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. New Orleans is a highlight, famous for its distinctive music scene, Creole food, unique dialects, and many festivals and celebrations. Mississippi offers some beachfront riding into Alabama, where the route crosses a bridge to Dauphin Island. From there it's a ferry ride across Mobile Bay to Gulf Shores and some of the whitest beaches in the world. If the ferry is closed due to inclement weather, you will have to take the alternate route through Mobile. Traffic increases tremendously as the route goes through Pensacola. The route uses occasional rural roads and a state highway which parallels I-10 into Defuniak Springs. Click on enlargement for detail.