Where to Find "True Detective" Filming Locations in Louisiana
Do some investigating of your own at these "True Detective" season one filming locations worth visiting.
At a Glance
- Tour filming locations like Oak Alley Plantation and the Creole Nature Trail.
- Explore Cajun culture in Eunice through music, food and Mardi Gras traditions.
- Drive Louisiana’s bayous and backroads featured in Season 1 of "True Detective."
- Visit nearby museums, historic sites and Gulf Coast nature preserves along the way.
While each season of the critically acclaimed HBO anthology crime drama "True Detective" follows a different cast of characters in locations across the country, the first season depicts the lives of two detectives (played by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson) who trace a serial killer through South Louisiana’s bayous and backroads.
Where was "True Detective" Season 1 Filmed?
The show’s wild ride takes viewers through Louisiana’s natural landscape — a beautiful backdrop to a haunting story. The show’s creator was heavily inspired by the Bayou State’s culture and history, and Louisiana’s beloved cultural and natural landmarks often served as integral pieces of the mystery. Here are a few worth checking out.
Oak Alley Plantation
Though you won’t see Oak Alley Plantation’s famous big house and rows of live oak trees in the show’s pilot episode, you will see some of the stunning, lush landscape that surrounds them. In the show, look for the scene where detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart discover Dora Lange’s body. That was filmed in a remote section of the plantation’s property.
How to Visit: Today, you can tour the plantation home and go for a walk under the canopy of trees that lead to the levee overlooking the Mississippi River. Oak Alley is located close to more than a dozen other historic homes, many of which are open to the public for tours. While driving the stretch of LA Highway 18 known as the Great River Road, look for Laura, St. Joseph, Houmas House, Destrehan and Whitney plantations, among others.
Fort Macomb
Fans of "True Detective" learn in an early episode about a frightening, mysterious place called Carcosa. It’s one of the main settings for the show, and with its maze of nearly 200-year-old brick catacombs, it also happens to be one of the most scenic. The real history of Carcosa’s setting is no less fascinating than the fictional version. Its actual name is Fort Macomb, and it was built in the 1820s to protect New Orleans from invasion by foreign boats. Fort Macomb saw most of its action during the Civil War, when Confederate fighters occupied its underground chambers (fortified with 40-foot-thick walls) until Union soldiers routed them with the capture of New Orleans in 1862.
How to Visit: Fort Macomb is closed to the public, but the neighboring Fort Pike State Historic Site is easily reachable from New Orleans and Slidell. History buffs should stop by the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum in New Orleans, which happens to be within a stone’s throw of the National WWII Museum.
Eunice
In the second-ever episode of "True Detective," we see detectives Cohle and Hart chasing down leads that bring them to a burned-down church in the country. The church was in the town of Eunice, a hub of Cajun culture that’s well worth exploring.
How to Visit: While you're there, stop into the Cajun French Music Hall of Fame & Museum to hear the sounds that made this region famous and dine at Mo' Crawfish for Cajun eats like etouffee, gumbo and, of course, crawfish every which way. Speaking of crawfish, mark your calendar for the World Championship Crawfish Étouffée Cookoff on the last Sunday in March. If you’re lucky enough to be in town come Mardi Gras, do yourself a favor and stick around for the wild Courir de Mardi Gras celebration.
Creole Nature Trail All-American Road
In the show's lore, Carcosa is located on the Creole Nature Trail. While Carcosa may be fictional, the trail definitely is not. It's a series of interconnected roads running along the Gulf Coast and through the wetlands south of Lake Charles, showcasing over 100 miles of historic Cajun architecture, parks, fishing spots and beaches just waiting to be discovered.
Love birdwatching? The trail is a birder’s paradise. Highlights include the Peveto Woods Sanctuary, Cameron and Holly beaches, and the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. Head over to the largest city in southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles, to find more urban fare to fill your belly.
Other Must-See Filming Locations
Todd’s Cream Shack in Norco was used as the Vietnamese restaurant. Also in Norco, the back of Club 99 served as the bar's entrance.
Want to dive deeper into the Hollywood South experience? Check out the Louisiana Film Trail.
