Avery Island: we're talking Tabasco!

One of THE main things this area is REALLY famous for is it's the home of Tabasco hot sauce!  The McIlhenny family started making this sauce in 1868 on Avery Island, which is actually one of several salt domes in the region.  And this was very handy, because the salt they mine is one of the three crucial ingredients to the recipe (the other two being vinegar, and the tabasco peppers, of course!).

 So we HAD to do the tour and set off on Tues., March 3rd, to do just that!  Until we saw this sign...  Oh well, that's what the GPS is for, right?  To find a go-around!  Fortunately, wasn't a big deal.

 The patio area in front of the gift shop (which held EVERY conceivable Tabasco-colored, -flavored,-named item.  All of which were way too expensive!  Except for the sauces themselves, which were probably only a little more expensive...?  Bill bought and has really enjoyed the chipotle version and also the raspberry chipotle!  I'm not a huge Tabasco fan so abstain.  Now if they had a chocolate Tabasco, maybe...?!).  We also got lunch at a little stand they had - no burgers and fries here!  You could get crawfish ettoufee or boudin or red beans and rice...

 Just a cute decorative thingee.

 One of the neat factory buildings.  This was the one the tour was in.

 Bill was liking that raspberry chipotle so much, I worried that maybe we should've gotten a bottle this size (instead of the size seen below - yeah, they're so small you can't hardly see them!  And you should see their sample bottles!  Only you can't see them - without a microscope...!)

The "tour" was a little disappointing.  Just a quick walk-by where they actually put it all together.  But that's OK.  Guess I wasn't really expecting to get to personally stomp the peppers in my bare feet...  Oh wait, that's wine-making...