Another option for wetlands exploration is to head further west of New Orleans. Positioned at the confluence of Bayous Lafourche and Terrebonne, Thibodaux ( ti -buh-dough; population 14,400) became the parish seat at a time when water travel was preeminent. It’s history that holds the interest for visitors here. Among the cane fields, Laurel Valley Village , about 2 miles east of town on Hwy 308, is one of the best-preserved assemblages of sugar plantation slave structures in the state. Overall, some 60 structures (c 1755) survive here, including the old general store and a school house.
