Hollywood Down South: Follow the Louisiana Film Trail

Louisiana's official state nickname is Sportsman's Paradise, thanks to rich and abundant natural resources and the fish and wild game that call it home. We’re also called the Pelican State, in reference to our state bird, and the Bayou State, thanks to our slow-moving streams.

There's another nickname for Louisiana that's not about our flora and fauna — the Hollywood South. Thanks to our diverse settings for movies; generous state tax incentives for film producers; and a variety of production support businesses, from state-of-the-art soundstages and post-production facilities to large-scale catering and transportation operations, Louisiana is a global player as a movie and TV filming location. And even the biggest of movie and TV stars rave about enjoying our food, music and joie de vivre away from the sets.

If you’re a film buff, TV lover or pop culture enthusiast, add these notable Louisiana filming locations to your travel itinerary: 

Steel Magnolias (1989)

Scene: Filmed in Natchitoches, a good part of the film takes place in M'Lynn Eatenton's (Sally Field) 1830s home in the fictional Chinquapin Parish. It's the site of the annual Christmas party where Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley MacClain) turns to M'Lynn and quips, "M'Lynn, what's wrong with you these days? You got a reindeer up your butt?"

Experience: Laugh through tears — Truvy’s (Dolly Parton) favorite emotion — as you enjoy a weekend staying in the actual 1830s, six-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bath Steel Magnolia House. The bed and breakfast is where much of the movie was filmed.

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Scene: Louis (Brad Pitt), an unwilling vampire, decides he's had enough of his so-called life and takes a torch to his sprawling manor, setting the curtains ablaze, which really ticks off the aristocratic vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise), who was rather fond of the place.

Experience: Louis' homeplace was filmed at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie. Take a tour and see the restored, antebellum, Greek Revival mansion, plus spots where the graveyard scenes were filmed. Decide for yourself if it's a fitting estate for a vampire.

Easy Rider (1969)

Scene: On a break from their legendary cross-country road trip, Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) wander through the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, finding themselves in a French Quarter cemetery.

Experience: Explore the famous above-ground St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, where the scene took place. Specifically, seek out the massive, queen-like sculpture set into the Italia gravesite where, like Wyatt, you can imagine yourself talking to dead relatives. Several tour companies offer tours in the area.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Scene: Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) wakes up his father, Thomas Button (Jason Flemyng), drives him out to a lake and then carries him on his shoulders to the pier, where he sets him on a chair and they watch the sunrise. During the three-minute scene, “Sunrise on Lake Pontchartrain,” composed by Alexandre Desplat, plays in the background.

Experience: Start early and park yourself on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, where the song takes its name. Watch a real sunrise while listening to the music, and chances are you'll end up teary-eyed at the beauty of both. Afterward, take a ride by the Nolan House at 2707 Coliseum Street, a spectacular Garden District mansion where the bulk of the film took place.

Duck Dynasty (2012-2017)

Scene: The millionaire Robertson boys deck themselves out with camo gear, shotguns and their famous handmade duck calls, then cruise on an airboat through the North Louisiana marsh. They scout their game, gather 'round the duck blind and gleefully complete the hunt. "My idea of happiness is killin' things," says patriarch Phil Robertson. "Pow, pow, pow."

Experience: If that sounds like your idea of happiness, too, then personalize a duck call at the Duck Commander Museum in West Monroe to use at one of the area's prime wetlands: the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge or Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area. With gadwalls, mallards, pintails and mottled ducks to hunt, you'll feel like a Robertson in no time. 

Tremé (2010-2013)

Scene: This Emmy Award-winning HBO drama (2010-2013) is set in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Co-created by David Simon — best known for blockbuster television drama The Wire — Wendell Pierce, a native New Orleanian, and a cast of costars rebuild their lives in the wake of one of the nation's most significant natural disasters. The series' name refers to a New Orleans neighborhood that is the historical heart of the city's African American community, though Tremé was filmed throughout the Crescent City.

Experience: All over New Orleans, including numerous bars and restaurants (Vaughan's Lounge, Liuzza's by the Track), the French Quarter and historical shotgun-style homes central to New Orleans' architectural distinctiveness.

Swamp People (2010–present)

Scene: This reality show based in south Louisiana focuses on the lives of alligator hunters in the Atchafalaya Basin swamps and depicts life (and wildlife) in the bayous. At times intense — alligator hunting is not for the squeamish, after all — Swamp People is a testimony to the resilience of the men and women who call the region home.

Experience: Throughout rural central and south Louisiana. Pierre Part, a village a few miles due south of Baton Rouge, is among the primary filming locations. Others include Houma, Hammond, Bayou Sorrel, Thibodaux and Zwolle.

NCIS: New Orleans (2014-2021)

Scene: A spinoff of the enormously successful CBS network show, NCIS: New Orleans stars Scott Bakula as Special Agent Dwayne Pride, whose investigations into crimes involving military personnel have made for captivating, edge-of-your-seat viewing since it premiered in 2014. While NCIS: New Orleans highlights the talents of both Bakula and an extensive roster of recurring actors, the real star may be New Orleans itself, with each episode showcasing the city's unique architecture and unconventional characters.

Experience: Iconic locations throughout New Orleans. Bourbon Street, Louis Armstrong Park, Café Du Monde, Jackson Square, Plaza Tower and New Orleans Motorsports Park (in Avondale) make appearances.

More stops along the Louisiana Film Trail

• Louisiana's historic homes on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge remain a magnet for blockbuster films. "12 Years a Slave" was filmed at Felicity Plantation. Tours at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens explain the mansion's role in making "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" and "The Green Book."
• In Baton Rouge, visit Louisiana's State Capitol to see where "All the King's Men," a story based on Huey P. Long, was filmed. Just a few blocks away sits the USS Kidd, a WWII-era battleship where Tom Hanks' "Greyhound" was filmed.
• Get in the Christmas spirit and see the settings of Lifetime movies "A Christmas Wish" in Ponchatoula and "Christmas in Louisiana" in New Iberia.

Learn more about all the film and TV productions that chose Louisiana as the perfect filming location by visiting the Louisiana Film Trail and see other famous movies and TV shows filmed in Louisiana.