As a young school child, I learned many great things about Louisiana. As an older adult, I still like to dig around and learn new things about our state. We all know that Louisiana is a complicated and interesting place. It seems the more I try to learn, the more I discover there is a lot I don't know. Did you know that America's first cocktail was made in...New Orleans?

In my unwavering endeavors, I stumbled across a wealth of different and quirky facts about Louisiana listed on homesnacks.com. Below is just a handful of things I never knew, and you should definitely click over to homesnacks.com to see the massive list they've compiled.

1) New Orleans is home to America’s first cocktail, the Sazerac, invented by Antoine  Amadie Peychaud.

2) More shrimp are caught in Louisiana waters than in any other place in America.

3) Stealing an alligator could land you in jail for up to ten years.

4) In City Park in New Orleans, there’s an oak tree that sings to you. Hidden wind chimes were placed in the tree by a local artist. The chimes actually produce a carefully tuned melody.

5) The entrance to Guinee, the Voodoo underworld, can be found in New Orleans. According to tradition, the seven gates to Guinee are scattered throughout the French Quarter.

6) Winnsboro, La calls itself the “Stars and Stripes Capital of Louisiana” and has been named one of the most patriotic cities in all of America. On special occasions, the city  flies 350 flags along Highway 15.

7) Louisiana had the first charity hospital in America in 1736, made possible by a grant from Jean Louis, a French sailor and shipbuilder.

8) The first opera in the United States was performed in New Orleans in 1796.

9) We all know that Baton Rouge means "Red Stick", but why "Red Stick"? It was named after a bloody pole in the town that held the heads of several dead animals, marking the boundary between two tribal hunting grounds.

10) In Sulphur, La it's illegal to be an alcoholic. I'm really not sure how that works.

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