Discoveries…America: Alabama; Discoveries…America: Louisiana

"Welcome to Louisiana...Set Your Clocks Back a Hundred Years": in parts of this beautiful state, it's still easy to imagine the year is 1905 instead of 2005. One of two new entries in Jim and Kelly Watt's acclaimed, high-definition filmed Discoveries…America series, Louisiana highlights places and events primarily in the southern part of the state, where in the midst of the hustle of modern New Orleans, for example, horse-drawn carriages are still a favored mode of transportation, and citizens of places like Natchitoches and Eunice seem to embrace a slower, quieter way of life. Viewers will learn the differences between Acadian, Creole, and Cajun heritages, tour a tabasco bottling plant, stroll through a nature preserve where alligators lounge along the path, and see how crawfish are harvested. Other highlights include a visit to New Orleans' famous (and during Mardi Gras infamous) French Quarter, a stop at the Kaffie Frederick General Mercantile Store in Natchitoches, and a stroll along the Creole Nature Trail. Discoveries America…Alabama takes viewers on a visually eye-popping trip deep into "The Heart of Dixie" to visit a state rich in cultural, natural, and social histories. In fact, nowhere is this multifaceted smorgasbord more evident than in Mobile, where the cultural history of Mardi Gras (first site), natural history of marine biological preservation, and social history of pre-Civil War homes combine to make this a perfect all-in-one city to tour. Further inland, viewers will discover the eclectic Flea Market of Atalla and the incredible miniature religious structures of the Ave Maria Grotto located on the grounds of a Benedictine monastery. In addition, contemporary civil rights history is preserved in the once explosive city of Selma, where blood was spilled and lives were lost in the ultimately successful effort to enforce the 1964 Voting Rights Act. Sure to be popular, both titles are definitely recommended for travel collections. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)