History

Houmas House sits gracefully along a bend of the Mississippi River, on land once inhabited by the Houmas Indians. Over thousands of years, the river shaped this area with fertile soil, transforming it into one of the South’s most productive agricultural regions. By the late 1700s, European settlers recognized the land’s potential. They began transforming it into a thriving plantation, launching an era of sugarcane farming that would become central to the property’s history.

Standing beneath the live oaks at Houmas House, you feel the contradictions of Louisiana’s River Road in real time—the beauty, the wealth, and the unspoken histories that still cling to the land. Our conversation with Kevin Kelly revealed a property that isn’t just preserved, but constantly reinterpreted. And upriver, the story shifts: historian Daniel Rasmussen brings the 1811 slave revolt out of the shadows, reminding us that New Orleans’ past is shaped as much by resistance as by refinement. By the time native writer Laura Martone joins us to share the New Orleans she grew up in—the food, the quirks, the quiet corners—you begin to see the region not as a series of attractions, but as a living, layered place where memory and modern life collide.

Every inch of Australia is written in song. Songs track lines along the continent, with every jutting rock or bowing tree being represented by a line or a verse. The cadence, the rhythm, and the musical patterns that define the song are a mimicry of the feet of Australia’s ancestors, of the first feet to walk along the land. 

Welcome to South Africa, the country with too many names! The list is long, but some of the most notable options include the Republic of South Africa, my absolute favourite country, Mzansi, and the rainbow nation.

The Lone Star State contains some unique Halloween traditions. Filled with ghost towns, haunted hotels, and spooky lore, Texas has summoned attention for its intense connection to the paranormal.

During the early years of the 20th century, the small town of Kolmanskop, which originally was just a train station, became the richest town in Namibia during a diamond boom. However, after mining over 1 ton of diamonds during World War I alone, the resources soon became depleted, and the mining stopped. What is left of this significant historical landmark today is a ghost town of incredible beauty.

The Golden Triangle region of Northern Thailand sits at the intersection of three Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong and Ruak Rivers: Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. A visit to this area is an incredible way to learn about the culture, history, and traditional arts of the region, which have been created over centuries by talented artisans and craftsmen.

From the heart of Brooklyn to the depths of the Amazon, two cultures stand as guardians of tradition. Join World Footprints as we journey into Brooklyn’s Hasidic neighborhoods with guide Frieda Vizel, and deep into Ecuador’s rainforest with Latin Trails’ Marcel Perkins to meet the Huaorani people—communities preserving their heritage against the tides of modern life. 🌍✨

We’re not crossing the Atlantic—this time “Glasgow” sits on Montana’s sweeping Hi-Line, a ribbon of highway and rail towns running just south of the Canadian border. In this episode, World Footprints journeys along U.S. Highway 2 from Havre to Malta and Glasgow, tracing the stories carved into Montana’s vast prairie. This is Big Sky country at its most authentic: where dinosaur bones emerge from badlands, ancient buffalo jumps overlook the Milk River, and locals still wave at passing Amtrak trains. Along the way, we venture south to Fort Peck—home to one of the most ambitious New Deal engineering feats in America—and Fort Benton, a steamboat-era trading post often called the “Birthplace of Montana.” These stops reveal how geology, Indigenous heritage, railroads, and Roosevelt-era infrastructure together shaped a frontier that’s still evolving. Through conversations, on-the-ground exploration, and a few surprises in between, this episode peels back the layers of Montana’s cultural [...]

Did you know we once had a state named Franklin? I learned the fascinating story in Washington County, Tennessee. Beyond the lost state, the site has a fascinating history from before the Revolution to the Civil War.

I live in New York State's Adirondack Mountains half the year. Here, there are two semi-touristy places, Lake George Village and Lake Placid. I'll always have a soft spot for slightly tacky Lake George Village because my dad took the family there every July 4th for fireworks. He'd yell, over and over, "Thank you, Thomas Jefferson! Thank you, Benjamin Franklin!" However, far greener and atmospheric, Lake Placid feels genuine and provides a real sense of community. And it’s home to a really fun, unassuming place to stay, the sprawling High Peaks Resort. But more than just a fun getaway location, the land it sits upon boasts an amazing history dating back to 1850.

The small Thiokol Memorial Museum in Kingsland, Georgia, tells a big story about one of the worst industrial tragedies in US history. The tragedy struck Camden County on February 3, 1971, when a plant explosion killed 29 and injured another 50 people. Thiokol Chemical was a complex of 36 buildings between Kingsland and Woodbine, another small town about 12 miles to the north, which manufactured trip flares for the Vietnam War. The victims were primarily women of color who did not know the dangerous nature of the material they were using.