Blake Walsh

20 Best Things to Do in Covington, LA

  • Published 2022/09/07

Covington is a small city in Louisiana surrounded by three rivers.

This is a great place to visit when taking a break from the noise of city life.

It may be a small city, but you can enjoy tons of activities with your companions here.

You may dine at restaurants or experience Covington’s nightlife.

You may also try learning new knowledge from the city’s museums.

Or meet new friends and have fun with them as you traverse the nearby hiking trails.

These are just some of the popular leisure activities that will make your trip to Covington unforgettable.

Now let’s look at the 20 best things to do in Covington, Louisiana.

Experience the Covington the Local’s way at Covington Farmer’s Market

View of Covington Farmer’s Market

Smash the Iron Cage, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Traveling to a certain place doesn’t just mean enjoying the popular tourist attractions that the city offers.

It also means trying to understand and experience how the local people in the area live their life.

That is why Covington Farmer’s Market is one of the destinations of tourists that visit the city.

Tomato Vendor at Covington Farmer’s Market

Saint Tammany, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Covington Farmer’s Market will let you have a taste of the locally produced fruits and vegetables, such as the different variety of squash, assorted greens, hot peppers, and mushrooms.

Make sure to try out their honey that can be bought with or without the comb.

Prepare your wallets because you might also be tempted to buy some of their baked goods and native plants that are hard to find that you can bring back home.

Have a Taste From the Award-winning Del Porto Ristorante

If you are craving Italian foods while traveling to Covington, we got you!

Another restaurant to try in Covington is the Del Porto Ristorante.

This restaurant serves contemporary Italian cuisines and lets its guests enjoy fine dining.

The chefs of this restaurant are three-time nominees for the James Beard Award, ensuring that this restaurant will let you experience dining at a whole new level.

Savor the Different Beer Flavors at Abita Covington Brewhouse

If you happen to love craft beers, then Covington is the perfect place for you.

Abita Brewery is the largest craft brewer in Southern USA and the 24th worldwide.

For those who are very interested in understanding how these famous beers are made, they provide a 30-minute guided tour for visitors.

They will even ask for your feedback on some of their pilot brew offerings. Who knows, someday they might even add it to their selections.

Have a taste and try some of the beers in the tap house and savor the flavors of each beer made freshly from the brewhouse.

Feel the Breeze at Tammany Trace recreational Trail

Bridge at Tammany Trace recreational Trail

Judy M Darby / Shutterstock.com

Improve your health while enjoying the wonderful nature breeze at The Tammany Trace recreational Trail.

This recreational trail is a popular hiking and biking path in Covington as it leads to many scenic landscapes along the way.

A man cycling at Tammany Trace recreational Trail

Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock.com

Aside from people wanting to have better mental and physical health, it is also a place where tourists can hike and bike to enjoy Covington’s nature escapade.

It traverses from Downtown Covington through Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Lacombe and ends in Slidell.

If ever you get tired during your hike, many restaurants along the recreational trail are waiting for your visit.

Rock Your World at Rock-N-Blues Cafe

Are you looking for the best place for nightlife in Covington? Rock-N-Blues Cafe will truly rock your night in the city.

It is a popular cafe for people who want to spend their night enjoying live music, meeting many new people, and merely treasure having the night of their lives.

They offer local bands live music and even have DJs or comedians rock your weekday nights.

So, after having a serene and relaxing time roaming around Covington during the day, make sure to try and experience the lively side of it by visiting Rock-N-Blues Cafe.

Be Fascinated at St Tammany Art Association’s Home

St Tammany Art Association’s home is a place where both adults and children will enjoy their time here in Covington.

The association was established in 1958 and is still encouraging people with artistic minds to join them up to this day, making them have more than 800 members.

It is also the home of many regional and national artists, where you can see their art exhibits in different galleries.

The association’s members display their different arts and crafts in this house, which will surely leave every tourist in awe.

Not just that, they also provide workshops in their studio, giving children and adults education about arts and inspiring them to become better artists in their crafts.

Satisfy Your Cravings at Cafe Du Monde

Craving for hot beignets? You are in luck because Cafe Du Monde is already in Covington.

Visiting this coffee shop will let you appreciate every humble beginning.

In 1862, Cafe Du Monde started out as a small coffee stand in a market in New Orleans, serving fresh coffee.

Now, they also let people from Covington have a taste of their cafe au late without traveling far.

This little french cafe will let you enjoy their savory french beignets and hot cafe au lait that will complete your day in Covington.

Be Amazed at the Insta-Gator Ranch

Worker holds a baby alligator at Insta Gator Ranch

Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock.com

Have fun and observe the alligators at the Insta Gator Ranch. Whether you are with kids or adults, this ranch will let you have an amazing time in Covington.

More than 2,000 alligators are living on the ranch, and the guides will walk you through them and give you educational backgrounds about them.

If you’re in luck, you might even witness an alligator egg hatching in front of you!

Visit the Insta Gator Ranch and have an incredible time gathering knowledge about the alligators.

American alligator at Insta Gator Ranch

Teresa Otto / Shutterstock.com

Try Out the Different Beers at Columbia Street Tap Room and Grill

Street view of Columbia Street Tap Room and Grill

Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Voted as the best bar that offers live music and good food in Covington, Columbia Street Tap Room and Grill is surely one of the top bars you should visit during your trip.

Also awarded as Northshore’s best 2016 award, this bar is located in a vintage building dating back to the 1800s and provides classy-vintage vibes for its guests.

Make sure to try out their craft beers of the Columbia Street Tap Room and Grill. They even have specialty beers that you can try in here.

Snacks and meals are also offered by the bar, such as bar snacks, salads and burgers.

Aside from offering beers and delicious meals, this bar attracts tourists and locals because of the live music that you can enjoy every night with your newfound friends.

Know more about Covington at Covington Trailhead Museum

Are you tired of hiking and biking in Tammany Trace?

Stop by the Covington Trailhead Museum, which is near restaurants and shops that you can also visit along the way.

This museum is located along the Tammany Trace and serves as a resting station for everyone heading in the direction.

Here, you will learn a lot about the history of Covington, and kids can even watch short films and videos.

It has an amphitheater, campanile, and a visitor center with rotating art exhibits.

You will also enjoy the arts and crafts market, free concerts, and festivals held here.

Feel the Serenity at Cane Bayou

Cane Bayou

BSwank, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you’re adventurous heart longs for more challenging activities, visit the Cane Bayou.

Just 20 minutes away from Downtown Covington, this site will give you tons of activities to enjoy.

You can go kayaking and admire the scenic view as you traverse along the pristine lake.

Observe the different wildlife species, birds, and trees that exist in swamp areas and have an amazing time with your friends and family.

Join A Taste Of Covington

One of the most exciting festivals that you should never miss in Covington is the A Taste of Covington.

This festival is held during the spring season and lets you enjoy a variety of local foods and drinks for five days.

Not just that, Covington locals also celebrate by featuring their lively music and extraordinary arts, making every tourist never want to leave the city.

During this time, each restaurant offers all-inclusive dinners with four or more courses and wine pairings.

Festa Del Vino at the St. Tammany Art Association also hosts a tasting event while enjoying live music.

The festival usually ends with the Sunday Champagne Jazz Brunch, allowing all the tourists and locals celebrating the festival to end it with a bang.

Book a Visit to the ICONS Museum

The ICONS Museum is the sole museum in the world founded by artists and devoted to the most influential artists and cultural works of the modern period.

It was magnificently designed and built by the idea of one American artist and is governed by a prestigious and socially conscious board of directors.

Their nonprofit museum presents a top-notch creative experience to individuals of every age with unmatched exclusivity, display, and artistic depth.

Visitors can see portraits and sculptures of some of history’s most significant individuals in sports, movies, fashion industry, entertainment, and the arts at the ICONS Museum.

Matthew Montero, an artist, born in Covington, painted unique, freehand portraits of cultural figures using just his own hands and no brushes or other tools.

Only scheduled visits are permitted to The ICONS Museum.

Admire Modern Paintings at Marianne Angeli Rodriguez Gallery

Modern abstract painter Marianne Angeli Rodriguez is a Filipino-American artist residing in Covington, Louisiana.

In Covington, Louisiana, the Marianne Angeli Rodriguez Gallery is a fantastic location to find one-of-a-kind artwork for the house or a present for friends and family.

Marianne has achieved a national reputation for her vivid, large-scale contemporary artworks, which are popular and widely collected across the US.

The gallery showcases the creations of artist Marianne Angeli Rodriguez and several of her vibrant modern paintings that are ideal for anybody who is color-obsessed.

Extraordinary hand-painted pots, artistic prints, and both small and big modern paintings are among the items available for purchase at the 2,000-square-foot Marianne Angeli Rodriguez Gallery.

Discover and Learn more about Rare Plants at Lake Ramsay Preserve

Prominent ecologists in the region believe that Lake Ramsay Preserve and Lake Ramsay Savanna Wildlife Management Area maintain the greatest potential longleaf pine flatwood savanna that is still present in southeast Louisiana.

One of the best native ground-cover plant habitats representative of old pine Flatwoods still existent in southeast Louisiana may well be found here.

Three types of rare plants exclusively protected in Louisiana are among the more than 20 rare plants found there.

You may visit this preserve to witness high-quality native forest ecosystems, such as longleaf pine savanna, longleaf Flatwoods, and small stream woodland while strolling along an educational boardwalk that passes through areas of the preserve.

A broad range of interesting plants, notably carnivorous pitcher plants, are also seen.

Shop Items at H.J.Smith & Sons General Store & Museum

Since 1876, the H.J. Smith & Sons General Store & Museum has been a family-run company in the city of Covington.

The General Store is now a museum with several hundred different artifacts dating from 1870 to the start of the 1900s.

Along with other items, it also has a cast iron coffin, vintage agricultural implements, a gas pump from the 1920s, a hand-operated wood washer, and a 20-foot-long cypress trench canoe.

It’s a functional hardware store with several difficult-to-find products and free admission.

Business hours for H.J. Smith & Sons are Monday through Saturday.

Grab Your Afternoon Coffee at Abita Roasting Co. Covington

A fantastic coffee shop, the Abita Roasting Company, and a top-notch cafe, the Abita Springs Cafe, come together to form the Abita Roasting Co. Covington.

As a result, the café has quite a varied menu and the best artisan coffee in the city.

The Abita Springs Cafe’s food is included on the top-tier cafe and coffee shop’s menu.

Abita Roasting Company has been sourcing, roasting, and preparing outstanding coffee from across the globe since 2006.

The hours of operation for the counter, café, and drive-through at Abita Roasting Co. Covington are slightly different during the week.

Other Things to Do Nearby

Discover the Otis House Museum

Exterior view of Otis House Museum

Daderot, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This historic house is situated inside Fairview-Riverside State Park, allowing its guests to have a serene atmosphere, away from the city’s noise, while visiting the place.

The house was built during the 19th century by an entrepreneur interested in real estate.

After many years, the house’s first buyers sold the house to a man named Frank Otis, and Otis donated the house to the State of Louisianna.

Thus, the current name of the house museum.

Inside the house, you’ll see a lot of interesting artifacts from the 1880s to 1930s that will let you take a peek at how the past people lived in this house.

The guided tours will also help you understand the importance of this house to the State and why, up to this day, it is still protected and preserved for the next generations.

Prepare Your Instincts at Abita Mystery House/UCM Museum

House of shards at Abita Mystery House UCM Museum

Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock.com

If you are up for some mystery adventure, visit the Abita Mystery Museum.

This museum will blow your mind with over a thousand of its collections of found objects and homemade inventions.

You will discover some mysterious objects from the past and memorabilia of Southern life.

Colorful sign boards at UCM Museum

Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock.com

Be amazed at how the old arcade games looked like during the old times before they transformed during the digital era.

You will also get to see the artistic crafts of John Preble, where he recycled over 50,000 objects and made them into creative art that features some humor.

Make sure to take your camera with you because you will also meet the “dogigator,” a taxidermied half dog and half alligator.

Display at Abita Mystery House

Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock.com

Camp at Fairview-Riverside State Park

Tall trees at Fairview-Riverside State Park

Roberto Michel / Shutterstock.com

Another relaxing site to visit in Covington is the Fairview-Riverside State Park.

Many tourists visit the place because a lot of activities can be done here such as fishing, crabbing, hiking and even visiting museums.

Capture the memories by taking a picture of the beautiful scenery of the lakes.

You will even see some of the wildlife animals here, like alligators and migratory birds that you can observe.

An old man enjoying the view of Fairview-Riverside State Park

Roberto Michel / Shutterstock.com

If you are into fishing and crabbing, go get your gears because you can capture a lot of crabs and different species of fish such as redfish, bluegill, and speckled trout from the shoreline.

Spend your night camping here as it is also a common activity in the park.

They offer 101 RV campsites for campers who want to enjoy their night in the middle of the park.

Boardwalk at Fairview-Riverside State Park

Roberto Michel / Shutterstock.com

Have Fun Under the Sun at Abita Springs

Flower at Abita Springs

Abbeedee30 / Shutterstock.com

Known for its Abita Brewery, Abita Springs is a famous place where tourists visit to enjoy the sunny weather and good food that the place has to offer.

Aside from tasting the delicious craft beers from Abita Brewhouse, you can also enjoy the weekly live music and homemade treats at the Abita Springs art and Farmers Market.

Abita Springs Pavilion

Eachaglimpse, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It is also a great starting point for those who want to go biking or hiking towards Tammany Trace Bike Trail.

If you have your kids with you, they will enjoy their time at the Abita Playground, where they will get to meet a lot of new playmates.

Night view of Abita Springs

Eachaglimpse, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Final Thoughts

Going to different places and discovering what a certain place has to offer is one of the best things that each person can experience.

Heading towards Covington could be the greatest travel you will ever have because of its educational museums, galleries, restaurants, and shops that you can only experience here.

Meet new friends, explore and go on an adventure by doing the top 16 things to do in Covington, Louisiana.

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