THE JUNGLE GARDENS OF AVERY ISLAND

Home of E.A. McIlhenny

Edward Avery McIlhenny was a self-taught naturalist who returned from an arctic expedition in 1898.  Shortly after he took over the family's Tabasco pepper sauce business.  He married Mary Matthews of New Orleans and built a house called Mayward Hill in what became Jungle Gardens. Together they raised three children on the island.  He applied his skills to running the family business, caring for his mother and extended family members, and learned to harness his boundless curiosity, abilities and vigor to serve this small isolated "island."
The original house burned in 1924 but was rebuilt.

Southern Live Oak Tree

It was on Avery Island that owner Ed McIlhenny helped save the snowy egret from extinction by building an aviary and then capturing and raising eight wild egrets. After they had raised their hatches and were ready to migrate, McIlhenny freed them. The egrets returned the next spring and every spring since then. Egrets and herons have returned by the thousands to the rookery now called "Bird City".

Four Foot Alligator Sunning by Lagoon

Jungle Gardens is home to a large collection of camellias. Thousands of plants represent 600 varieties, including imports from Japan and France, as well as varieties that McIlhenny developed on Avery Island.

Cleveland Oak is Over 300 Years Old

The Cleveland Oak was named for U.S. President Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was a close friend of Joe Jefferson, the actor Rip Van Winkle fame who owned nearby Jefferson Island. In 1891, Cleveland came to south Louisiana to stay with Jefferson and at that time visited Avery Island.  Cleveland had two oaks named after him during that trip, one on Jefferson Island and this one on Avery Island.  McIlhenny family tradition states that Cleveland hugged these trees, explaining why they were named in his honor.  The Cleveland Oak on Avery Island is about 23 feet in circumference and over 300 years old.

Holly Arch Planted in the 1920s

Wildlife includes white tailed deer, rabbits, alligators, coyote, turtles, possums, squirrels, nutria, raccoons, and bobcats. Jungle Gardens is a birder's paradise, home to hundreds of species of resident and migratory birds.

Buddha Created 900 Years Ago

A Buddha was a gift to E. A. McIlhenny in 1936. It was created for the Shonfa Temple during the reign of Emperor Hui-Tsung some 900 years ago. The statue overlooks a picturesque lagoon.

Palm Garden

The Palm Garden was once an old mining sand pit that has evolved into a pleasant and shady walk. The Pindo Jelly is centered in the garden sitting on a hill surrounded by Sago Palms and stones E.A.'s collection of palms include unusual specimens from around the world.  He planted palms and cacti here because they love sandy soil.

Avery Island is a salt dome that extends eight miles beneath the earth's surface. The protruding "island" part of this formation rising above the surface is home to the world's most beautiful sanctuaries for the preservation and study of flora and fauna.