Key Takeaways

• Lake Isabel Farm, a crystal-clear, mile-long lake in Louisiana is now open to the public.

• Only 75 tickets are sold each day.

• Private events and overnight camping options are available.

Turquoise water and powdery white sand aren’t typically what you expect to find in the middle of Louisiana’s woods, but that’s exactly what’s waiting at Lake Isabel Farm. Tucked away on a 422-acre farm in Washington Parish, the private, mile-long lake has been kept under wraps for years. Now, for the first time, it’s open to the public.

About Lake Isabel Farm

With day passes, cabana rentals, and beach access now available, Lake Isabel is offering one of the most unexpected swimming spots in the state. “We’re so excited to finally welcome the community to our little slice of paradise that’s been years in the making,” says owner Anthony Sedlak. “We want Lake Isabel Farm to be a place where people can recharge, enjoy natural beauty unlike anywhere else in the region, and connect with friends and family away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”

The area is tailor-made for laid-back summer afternoons. Guests can kayak across the spring-fed water, dive off the platform, or stretch out in one of the solar-powered cabanas that come with fans, comfortable seating, and large ice chests. Around the lake, guests can explore a mix of amenities, from beach volleyball, lawn games, propane grills, quiet fishing spots, and a three-mile walking trail. Private events and overnight camping are also available.

For now, it’s a bring-your-own-towel kind of day trip, but there’s more on the horizon. Sedlak is working with New Orleans-based architecture firm CICADA on a long-term vision that includes modern lakefront vacation rentals, farm-to-table dinners, and a full event venue. “Lake Isabel is the kind of project designers dream of where nature, design, and experience come together,” says CICADA partner James Catalano.

Plan Your Visit

Lake Isabel Farm is located at 54254 Cavenham Road in Bogalusa, Louisiana—just over an hour from New Orleans and 30 minutes from Covington. The lake is open daily from 11 a.m. to 15 minutes after sunset.

Only 75 tickets are available each day and must be purchased in advance at lakeisabelfarm.com. Guests are welcome to bring their own food, beverages, and alcohol. Cabana bookings and private event inquiries are also available online. For updates, follow @lakeisabelfarm on Instagram.

Read the original article on Southern Living

BATON ROUGE — A Morgan City filmmaker is in the process of making a documentary about the first woman executed by the state of Louisiana.

Nearly 100 years ago, a married woman named Ada Leouef was accused of having an affair with the family physician, Dr. Tom Dreher. Soon, Leouef and Dreher were sentenced to death. 

Matison Leblanc is telling Lebouef’s story in her new project “Ada and the Doc.”

“Everybody on that trial knew Ada and thought she was a home wrecker, and so they only deliberated for 15 minutes, it was all men, came back in and sentenced her and the doc to death by hanging,” Leblanc said.

When Leblanc learned about it three years ago, she was so intrigued that she decided to make a movie.

Between 2021 and 2023, Leblanc wrote a script, then she and her team shot and produced a 15-minute short version for her senior project in film school.

Now, she is using it as a demo as she works to impress and grab the interest of an investor who can provide the funding needed to make a full feature. 

Earlier this year, Leblanc and some of her crew screened her film at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France. The short got a lot of positive feedback. 

Leblanc says exposure matters.

“This is hard, I’m gonna sit here and say it’s peaches and cream all the time…it’s not,” she said.

She hopes her journey inspires up-and-coming filmmakers in Louisiana, especially women. 

“Everybody has something to say, and that is actually the first rule I learned when I went to film school. I entered film school as a painter; I didn’t even know I wanted to do film until I took Film 100. It just clicked,  I was like this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” she said.

She has written and directed five short films so far. She says the industry is starving for original content.

“The number one rule I learned was write what you know because that authentic perspective is what makes your work good,” Leblanc said.

Right now, productions filmed in Louisiana get a 40% tax incentive, which she says is a win for filmmakers here.

“It’s just gonna take the right person to believe in it, it’s the chicken or the egg situation, can’t get actors without money, and can’t get money without actors either, will take investors or a company or an actor to really believe in this thing to make it happen.”

She has already written the entire script, waiting for everything else to line up.

If Leblanc gets her way, you will indeed be able to watch the full feature of Ada and the Doc in theatres or streaming.  

“You have to want it more than anything…and I do,” she says.

You can check out a screening of the film next month on August 21st through the 24th during the Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival at the Manship Theatre.

(KMDL-FM) As of tomorrow, the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season will be a month and a half old. So far, the season has produced three named storms, Andrea, Barry, and Chantal. None of those storms has created any weather consequences at landfall. However, the remnant moisture of Barry played a major part in the historic and deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country.

That in itself is proof that you don’t have to live along or near the coast to be affected by a tropical system. Another case in point is the devastating floods of last year in the Carolinas, caused by a dissipating Hurricane Helene. It just proves the old tropical weather wisdom, “hide from the wind, run from the water,” is true no matter how close you live to the coast.

READ MORE: How You Can Help Texas Flood Victims Today

READ MORE: 15 Essential Items Every Hurricane Kit Needs to Have

Speaking of the coast, the northern Gulf Coast is under the gun for tropical development over the next seven days. However, that prognostication of tropical development is far from certain. Here is the latest graphic from the National Hurricane Center.

You can see the large area of potential development runs from the southeastern Louisiana coast through Mississippi, Alabama, and into the Florida Panhandle and central sections of the Sunshine State.

What Are The Chances a Tropical Storm Will Form in the Gulf This Week?

Forecasters are only giving this area of low pressure a 30% probability of spinning up into a tropical cyclone. A scan of the long-range tropical model runs seems to suggest that the development of this system will be unlikely. But because of the system’s proximity to the coast, it does bear watching.

The forecast models do suggest the system will bring an increased threat of showers and storms to the northern Gulf Coast over the next several days. Rain chances will be elevated, and some portions of Louisiana could experience an “Excessive Rainfall Event”.

What Should Louisiana Expect From Tropical Development in the Gulf?

As of now, the area under the gun is from Baton Rouge eastward to the Mississippi State line. But other portions of the state could see heavy downpours in afternoon and early evening thunderstorms today and over the next several days. But widespread flooding is not expected.

The next full update from the National Hurricane Center will come at 7:00 this morning, with another update scheduled for 2:00 this afternoon. We will update this story with new information as it becomes available.

What’s The Probability a Landfalling Hurricane Will Impact Your Louisiana Parish in 2025?