Somewhere between our home city of Baton Rouge and Louisiana's Northshore is a town filled with art, history, antiques, and strawberries.
If you guessed Ponchatoula, Louisiana, you're correct! It also happens to be home to the annual Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival each April. (Making a trip for the festival is definitely on our bucket list!)
Arriving to Begin Our Visit Of Ponchatoula, Louisiana
When you start to see the strawberries, you'll know you're in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. Sculptures, planters, window art — you name it, it exists in strawberry form.
And as a couple of people who appreciate strawberries and good strawberry art, the town's whimsy was right up our alley.
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Collinswood Museum
Our first stop of the day was the Collinswood Museum. This building was originally a one-room school just outside of Ponchatoula in the late 1800s. Inside there's even a photo of students from the original Collinswood School!
The building was opened in 1976 as the Collinswood Museum you can visit today. Visiting this museum is a GREAT way to learn a little about the town of Ponchatoula, Louisiana. It felt like the perfect first stop on our tour of the town.
Inside you'll find all sorts of memorabilia and artifacts that tell the story of historical Ponchatoula, Louisiana, including the history of strawberries. Admission is free, and if you call ahead of time, you may even be able to catch a tour!
Get directions to the Collinswood Museum.
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Paul's Cafe
For lunch while we were visiting Ponchatoula, Louisiana, we chose Paul's Cafe just across the street from the museum. Walking in, you're met with a cozy cafe feel and a good view of the main street.
For a hot June day, we went with simple salads for lunch, complete with chicken and shrimp.
And as far as drinks were concerned, we couldn't pass up the non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri on the menu — this is the home of the Strawberry Festival, after all. And it came in a souvenir cup!
There's a version with alcohol, too, as well as strawberry lemonade and tea.
*They close at 2 PM, so make sure you plan for lunch before then!*
Get directions to Paul's Cafe.
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Ponchatoula Country Market
The Ponchatoula Country Market, located inside the city's old train depot, is full of an eclectic mix of art and handmade goods.
As you go through the building, you'll find that each room houses different vendors' work or booths. There are plenty of different kinds of products to shop for, many of which reflect the town of Ponchatoula, LA, or Louisiana itself.
After that day's visit around Ponchatoula, Louisiana, we left with a collection of strawberry and cow-themed earrings and a night light featuring a stained glass snail. These are pieces you won't find just anywhere, and that's part of what makes each piece inside the Market feel so special.
Get directions to the Ponchatoula Country Market.
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Roussel's Fine Jewelry and Antiques of Ponchatoula
It's important you know that in addition to loving jewelry, we also love antiques. Roussel's has both! What more could we ask for? — Antique jewelry? They have that, too. (We might have taken a piece home...!)
Upon entering, we were greeted by Rene Roussel. (Not only is Roussel's a small, local business, but it's a family business, too.) Rene showed us the shop's collection of antique jewelry as well as the fine jewelry they make.
And while we could have perused the jewelry cases for hours, we eventually explored the rest of the two-story shop filled with antique furniture, signage, art, and more.
Get directions to Roussel's Fine Jewelry & Gifts.
Our antiquing for the day didn't stop there! Ponchatoula is filled with antique shops with all kinds of treasures. — Learn more about "America's Antique City"!
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Moss and Berry
If this shop's name sounds familiar to you, it could be because Moss and Berry carry MIMOSA! And we couldn't visit Ponchatoula, LA, without stopping in to say hello. And we're so glad we did.
The owner, Laurie, has curated such a wonderful little shop of gifts for your friends and family, home goods, clothing, jewelry, accessories, sweets — everything you'd hope to find all under one roof.
Get directions to Moss and Berry.
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Toula Berry Treats & Gifts
Visiting Ponchatoula and most places in the South during the late spring or summer months usually means the weather will be on the warmer side. That just means you've got to find the town's cold treats, and that's exactly what we did.
We popped into Toula Berry Treats & Gifts for a snack of ice cream and snowballs. In addition to those options, the place is full of candy, coffee, and more. We definitely recommend an afternoon visit to this cafe with a clever name to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Get directions to Toula Berry Treats & Gifts.
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Quilt Trail
One of the very first things we saw in Ponchatoula, LA, was this art on the side of the Ponchatoula Country Market. We didn't know it at the time, but it turns out this art is part of the Quilt Trail!
The Ponchatoula Quilt Trail is part of the Louisiana Quilt Trail and takes you around south Tangipahoa Parish. Each design tells a story or has a meaning, and most seem to have some sort of correlation to where they are located. — find the complete list here.
For example, the design below is titled, "Tres Therapy" and can be found on the Ponchatoula Therapy building. The plaque alongside the design reads:
"The Fleur de Lis represents the three services provided by Ponchatoula Therapy: physical, occupational and speech therapy. The colors represent their support of local sports especially Southeastern Louisiana University, LSU and the Saints."
While the Louisiana Quilt Trail first got its start around 2011, we weren't where the idea began. The image below tells the story of the design above titled, "A Clothesline of Quilts for Donna Sue." The plaque reads:
"This block honors the vision of Ohio resident Donna Sue Groves who, in 2001, began the first Quilt Trail. Since then, Trails have spread throughout 46 states and Canada to create what she imagined as a clothesline of quilts, blossoming into the fastest growing grass roots public arts movement in America.
"The center pattern is the Snail’s Trail which is painted on Donna Sue’s barn in honor of her mother. The 12 quilt blocks that hang on the businesses, homes and barns on the surrounding clotheslines represent patterns that are dear to Donna Sue’s heart from the Ohio Star to her mother’s favorite pattern: Clay’s Choice."
Learn more about the Louisiana Quilt Trail.
Visting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — Berry Town Produce
While it seemed we just missed the strawberry season at Berry Town Produce during this visit to Ponchatoula, Louisiana, we still had to check out the family business and produce market with the berry-themed name. :)
There were plenty of peaches and tomatoes during our visit, which truly looked equally as delicious.
Get directions to Berry Town Produce.
Visiting Ponchatoula, Louisiana — More Strawberry Sightings Around Town
We should have kept a count, but believe us when we say there's a strawberry around nearly every corner in Ponchatoula. When you visit Ponchatoula, Louisiana, keep a tally and let us know how many strawberries you spot.
We'd love to see how you enjoy your time visiting Ponchatoula, Louisiana, or know if there are any places we need to visit next time!
Already know places we need to visit but missed this time around? Comment below and let us know!
Ponchatoula Country Market
Visit the Ponchatoula Country Market
Collinswood Museum
Visit the Collinswood Museum
Ponchatoula Information Center
Just a Cute House with Strawberry Decor :)
The First (and the biggest) Strawberry We Saw!
Published 2/27/24; Last Updated 2/27/24
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