Bayou Lafourche — The Longest Street in the World

Cajuns call Bayou Lafourche the longest street in the world, and they mean it literally — houses line both banks continuously for 106 miles, an unbroken residential corridor that follows the water from Donaldsonville to where the road runs out of ground. In 1904, the bayou was cut off from the Mississippi to prevent flooding, and now it runs on pumped water, a working artery that keeps Thibodaux, Lockport, Galliano, Cut Off, Golden Meadow, and Leeville alive. The towns are strung like beads on both banks. Drive Highway 1 south and watch what happens: the land narrows, the marsh encroaches, the Gulf takes over. You'll know you've reached the end when there's no more road.