Louisiana nature lovers are coming out of the woodwork, especially now that public places require mask-wearing and other precautionary measures. When did grocery shopping become so hard? Time to put an end to this!
Let’s get back to nature and do what Louisiana nature lovers do best. In this article, we’re going to look at 5 fun activities you can enjoy on your own in the outdoors. All you really need is a pair of tennis shoes and an able body to get started. No more staying stuck inside! Let’s look at some fun activities for the outside!
Ideas for Louisiana Nature Lovers
Plant Identification
If you missed out on agriculture and forestry classes in school, now is the time to learn how to identify plants! Plant identification is a basic activity all Louisiana nature lovers can enjoy. In the past, you had to carry around books or press leaves and bring them home to find plant names. These days, apps such as PlantSnap make the task much easier. Once you learn a few of the plants native to your area, you’ll be able to look around and identify most of what you see. Before you know it, you’ll be a self-taught botanist!
Plants Everyone Should Know
- Crepe Myrtle
- Pine Tree
- Bald Cypress
- Hybrid Louisiana Iris
- Louisiana Phlox
Mushroom Hunting
Mushroom hunting is exciting and fun if you know what you’re doing. You’ll find all kinds of mushrooms in nature, both poisonous and edible. We don’t recommend hunting mushrooms for food, but if you decide to look for edibles, make sure to bring an experienced hunter with you. They’ll be able to help you distinguish between the good and bad. It’s tricky, because some species are hard to tell apart. However, if you learn the basics, you’ll have a survival advantage and access to free gourmet shrooms for the rest of your life!
Common Louisiana Mushrooms Species
- Oyster
- Boletes
- Chanterelles
- Morel
Hammocking
If you follow us on Instagram, you know how much we love hammocking! You should try it too! Hammocking is the perfect activity for Louisiana nature lovers who also love relaxing. There’s nothing like finding the perfect shady spot between two trees to spend time hanging out (literally) outdoors. We use ENO hammocks with their easy-setup strap kit. The strap kit lets you set up mounting points on any tree for your hammock attachments. Setup takes less than 5 minutes. Bring a good book, drink, or hat to drape over your eyes, and rest in peace!
Tip: Gregory Garland Hide-a-way Park has a hammock station for groups who want to hammock together.
Fishing / Hunting
If you’ve had the opportunity to kick back in a deer stand with a cup of coffee early on a Saturday morning, you know what we’re talking about. Hunting and fishing are both activities that put you in the heart of nature and let you experience it in full effect. It’s hard to live in the sportsman’s paradise without a hunting or fishing trip under your belt, even if you’re just tagging along. Louisiana nature lovers owe it to themselves to get out and about in search of wildlife every now and then. You’ll witness a lot of new and interesting things when the sun is rising and the animals are waking.
Ruston, LA Fishing Locations
- Hide-a-way Park
- Greenwood Park
Trail Hiking
Louisiana is an excellent place to hike, especially for beginners. You’ll find challenging hiking trails all throughout the state with unique terrains unseen in other places around the US. The weather and environment here can make for some interesting encounters with critters in the swamplands. Watch out for snakes and alligators! If you want to cross “climb a mountain” off your bucket list, you can head to Driskill Mountain and make your way to the top. With trails almost everywhere you turn, hiking is one of the best activities for Louisiana nature lovers.
Best Places to Hike in Ruston
- Lincoln Parish Park
- Huckleberry Trails Park
- R.L. Cook Park
Final Words
Louisiana nature lovers will tell you there’s a sense of unbridled freedom to be experienced when you’re immersed in nature. If you’ve been inside for too long, now is the perfect time to get out. Find an outdoor activity that interests you and see where it takes you. You’ll learn to appreciate the world around you in new ways and discover you’re never alone in this life, because nature is always waiting.