Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ararat, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ararat and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ararat
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Ararat:
- 30.300630, -93.199941
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Ararat
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a parish-by-parish basis. We have selected Calcasieu Parish as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Calcasieu Parish
- Since Ararat is near Jefferson Davis Parish and also Beauregard Parish, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Jefferson Davis Parish
- eBird sighting report for Beauregard Parish
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Ararat ...
We found six communities that share the name Ararat.
Within Louisiana, the name Ararat is unique.
Beyond Louisiana, we know of another six communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ararat ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Bridge Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridge Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridge Junction
- Bridge Junction is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Chloe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Harbor
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast) - Hecker
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast) - Lake Charles
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Charles
- Lake Charles is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 78,433 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Charles <3>
- Lockmoor
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Mallard Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mallard Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallard Junction
- Mallard Junction is located in Calcasieu Parish
- Maplewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Mossville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Rose Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rose Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Bluff
- Rose Bluff is located in Calcasieu Parish
- University Place
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Place have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Place
- University Place is located in Calcasieu Parish
How Far From Ararat to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Ararat to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ararat and extending to:
- Lake Charles, which is the Seat of Calcasieu Parish, lies just to the South.
- Baton Rouge, which is the State Capital of Louisiana, lies 122 miles [196.3 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Ararat to Baton Rouge, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 7 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,091 miles [1,755.8 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 43 days and walking would take 62 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,973 miles [11,222 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,689 miles [12,374.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,564 miles [8,954.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ararat. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Calcasieu Parish: www.cppj.net/
The official website for State of Louisiana: louisiana.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ararat) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ararat. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.3006, Longitude: -93.1999 |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Ararat to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 317.288 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 313.055 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 313.409 degrees. |