I’ve been a fan of Tabasco Sauce for quite some time. Until we visited Avery Island in Louisiana, I didn’t realize how much we were underutilizing Tabasco Sauce in our Culinary Exploits. You see, Avery Island is the home of McIlheny (mac-ill-henny), the makers of Tabasco Sauce. They offer factory tours, food, and a country store filled with ridiculous amounts of Tabasco made and Tabasco branded stuff.

When we visited: December 2013
Ages of kids: 8, 6, 3
Where we stayed: An RV park in New Iberia which was just a short drive over to Avery Island. We also got seafood at Bon Creole, a local dive of a restaurant. The shrimp Poe boys were amazing.

We enjoyed their raspberry chipotle ice cream, and bought a bottle of their Raspberry Chipotle marinade (which can also be used as an ice cream topping!) In the store, they have a tasting section, allowing tastes of many types of sauces on the end of a pretzel. I decided that a bottle of their garlic sauce is in my future, and that also led to our purchase of the Raspberry Chipotle marinade.

During the tour, we each received a set of samples: Regular, Green, Chipotle, and Buffalo. And when I say each, I mean all 5 of us received a set of samples. Though the sample bottles are small, we had 20 of them to work through. Unfortunately, the factory was not running during our visit, but if you time it right, you can see their bottling machines in action. Every bottle of Tabasco Sauce is bottled right there, on Avery Island.

Having samples to try was not only fun, but enlightening. I discovered that Chipotle is a better fit than Regular for eggs and potatoes, though their Green sauce works really well on quesadillas. The kids are excited to try it on everything, and we’ve regularly had to follow up a test with a glass of milk to tame the flame.

In addition to trying more types of sauces, we have expanded the foods upon which we put the sauce. Baked potatoes, pizza, and even popcorn! (The popcorn is really quite good, but that is a different post!)

Avery Island isn’t an island the way you think: It’s a salt dome that has raised it up a bit from the surrounding areas. There are no bridges involved, and driving it was easy. Be prepared with a dollar for the little toll booth at the entrance to the island. (They use the money for conservation on the island.) Also on the island are some gardens, but we didn’t have time to explore there as well.

Make Avery Island a stop on your way through Louisiana, and perhaps you’ll gain a greater appreciation for the Spice of Life!