A few bars and gathering spots in and around downtown serve the local crowd — sports on TV, cold beer, the kind of place where the regulars know each other and strangers are welcomed without fuss. Abita Amber, brewed in nearby Abita Springs, is the default draught of choice across southern Louisiana and a good benchmark for whether a bar is taking its beer seriously. Nothing here stays open late on a weeknight, and nothing requires a reservation. On weekend evenings, listen for live music — Zydeco accordion and Cajun fiddle are both plausible in this corridor between New Orleans and the Cajun heartland.