Abita Springs Itinerary 

Breakfast at the Abita Springs Café.

The Abita Springs Café serves Abita Roasting Company coffee, hand-roasted in St. Tammany Parish. You’ll want to take some home after you try the Princess Abita or Long Branch. Home of Egg-cellent Omelets, breakfast platters and benedicts, and the mascot Omelet the chicken, the Abita Springs Café is a cheerful way to start your morning.  

Tour at Insta-Gator Ranch.

A working alligator ranch, Insta-gator gives visitors a chance to learn all about Louisiana’s alligators, the industry, and the animal. Gigantic gators live in covered pools and the outdoor amphitheater area is a great spot for their informative tour. Hold a baby gator from the crystal-clear touch pool, and seasonally in August, participate in the hatching of baby gators right from their egg.   

Lunch at Abita Brew Pub.

At the heart of town, the pub is the original home of Abita Beer before it grew too big and moved about a mile down Highway 36. Enjoy the scenic location on the Tammany Trace and outdoor patio seating as well as the nearby plaza and pavilion. Gyros, huge salads, and popular burgers. 

Stop into the Abita Mystery House.

This one-time gas station turned funhouse is the brainchild of impresario John Preble. The AMH gets visitors from all over the world, who come to see Preble’s dioramas of Southern life, wacky creatures, and so-dumb-it’s-smart humor. (Note: Preble owns the Abita Springs Hotel and is the mastermind behind many of Abita’s fun events including the Push-Mow Mardi Gras Parade, the Louisiana Bicycle Festival, and the Whole Town Garage Sale.)

Tour Abita Brewery.

What began as a microbrewery in little Abita Springs is now one of the largest craft breweries in the Southeast. The brewery offers guided and self-guided tours, a great taproom, and gift shop full of Abita merchandise. Abita Amber, Turbo Dog, Andy Gator, and other popular Abita beers got their start here. 

Overnight at the Abita Springs Hotel.

Abita Springs has a history of being a town of respite and rejuvenation, beginning in 1887 when a physician declared its artesian springs medicinal and visitors flocked to enjoy the fresh air from the piney trees. The Abita Springs Hotel recently had a grand re-opening and announced a strict CDC cleaning protocol. The tiny boutique hotel has five rooms with contactless entry. All rooms have separate entrances and a wraparound porch overlooks ancient oak trees, a lush garden and a fountain with Abita Spring’s famous artesian water. Bicycles are available with your overnight, and you’re located right on the Tammany Trace 31-mile rail-trail conversion.