Louisiana...

Louisiana has long been a favourite travel destination for visitors from Canada because of its mild climate, unique mix of cultures, variety of outdoor activities (including the incredible new Audubon Golf Trail) and, of course, music and food. This year there are even more reasons to come to Louisiana as we celebrate one of the greatest real estate deals in history - the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1803 Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte negotiated the United States' purchase of Louisiana from France and, with two strokes of a pen, doubled the size of the United States overnight. Two hundred years later Louisiana is celebrating the 2003 Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase as only Louisiana can, with historical re-enactments and exhibits, international art exhibitions, musical productions and festivals in almost every corner of the satate.

Included in the special calendar of events for the 2003 Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial are the following events:

"Rodin: A Magnificent Obsession" will feature 72 works representing the full range of Rodin's life work at The University Art Museum at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette from Sept. 20, 2003, to Jan. 4, 2004.

"Josephine: Empress of the Americas" is an exhibit never shown before in the U.S. that features items from Empress Josephine Bonaparte, including memoirs, objets d'art and rare paintings, at The Louisiana Arts and Science Museum in Baton Rouge from Oct. 10, 2003, to Feb. 1, 2004.

"Painting in France, 1802­2003" is a unique exhibition of 200 years of French artistic genius, including works from Cezanne, Monet, Manet, Delacroix, Renoir, Degas, Matisse, Pissaro, Ernst and more. This will be the inaugural exhibition of a new University Art Museum facility at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from Dec. 20, 2003, to April 1, 2004.

A Re-enactment of the Louisiana Purchase and closing ceremonies of the 2003 Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Celebration on Dec. 20, 2003, will be held at The Cabildo in New Orleans, where the actual Louisiana Purchase Transfer occurred.