The Abita brewery most visitors mean is Abita Brewing Company’s Covington taproom at 21084 Highway 36, open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Abita’s guided brewery tours cost $10, take about 30 minutes, and guests under 21 tour free. Fireside RV Resort’s Ponchatoula guide puts nearby Abita Springs about 20 miles (roughly 30 minutes) away via I-12, so Abita Brewing makes an easy day trip from your campsite or cabin.
Honestly, a brewery afternoon is one of the easiest outings you can plan from Ponchatoula. Below, you’ll find tour details, the kid and dog rules, winter beers, and the stops worth adding nearby.
Quick rundown before you go:
- Book a guided tour or wander the free self-guided route, then grab a pint in the Tap Room.
- Wear closed-toe shoes and bring a card, because Abita doesn’t take cash.
- Kids are welcome with an adult, and Abita keeps root beer on hand for anyone under 21.
- Leave the RV parked at your Fireside full-hookup site and drive the tow vehicle over.
How far is the Abita brewery from Fireside?
Getting from Fireside RV Resort to Abita Brewing’s Covington taproom takes about half an hour each way via I-12. If you’ve seen Abita Brewing listed as being in Covington, that’s the same taproom, since the brewery’s mailing address is 21084 Highway 36 in Covington.
Abita’s directions are short and sweet: take Highway 36 and turn onto Barbee Road. Abita says that after you turn onto Barbee Road, the visitor center is on the left, with parking in a lot to the right next to the beer garden.
We’d leave the RV hooked up at Fireside and drive the truck over. A pickup squeezes into a busy Saturday lot at Abita Brewing far more easily than a 40-foot fifth wheel does.
What’s the Abita brewery tour like?
The Abita brewery tour comes two ways: a guided walk-through with beer for the grown-ups, or a free self-guided route along a mezzanine that overlooks the brew house tanks. Abita’s tour page says the guided tours are handicap accessible. Here’s how Abita’s guided tour and self-guided tour compare:
Two house rules matter: closed-toe shoes are required to tour the brew house, and Abita asks you to arrive 15 minutes before your tour time. You can reserve online, but Abita also holds walk-in spots on every tour, which is handy when you decide over breakfast.
What’s the story behind the Abita Springs brewery?
The Abita Springs brewery story starts in 1986, and the Abita brewery still bills itself as “Louisiana’s original craft brewery since 1986.” Abita’s about page says the brewery produced 1,500 barrels of beer in its first year.
By 1994, Abita had outgrown its original Abita Springs building and moved up the road to a larger facility, which has since been expanded and now hosts the tours. Abita’s original Abita Springs building is now the Abita Brew Pub, a full-service restaurant in the spot where Abita brewed and bottled its beer until April 1994.
Abita also credits its artesian water, saying “Abita Springs is THE source of our water and our origin” and that the water is drawn from its deep wells.
Louisiana sits near the bottom nationally for craft breweries per capita. The Brewers Association’s 2025 state data counts 50 craft breweries in Louisiana, ranking the state 49th for breweries per capita at 1.5 per 100,000 adults age 21 and up.
Abita turned 40 in 2026, and its limited 40th Anniversary Honey Blonde Ale marks the occasion with a simple toast: “Cheers to 40 years of Abita!”
What’s pouring at the Abita taproom this winter?
Abita’s website lists Mardi Gras Bock, Blueberry Wheat, Pecan Ale and Christmas Ale as its seasonal beers. Abita’s Christmas Ale page describes “a brown ale that is brewed with six types of malted barley and fermented with American Ale yeast.” Abita calls Mardi Gras Bock “the first of our seasonal brews.” The taproom lineup changes, so check Abita’s current tap list the morning you visit.
Not drinking? Abita says its root beer is sweetened with 100% Louisiana cane sugar and is caffeine-free and gluten-free. Abita’s King Cake Soda promises to “Bring Mardi Gras to your glass.”
Want some for later? Abita’s growler filler offers 15 to 20 of its brews, and the Covington taproom can send you home with a 32-ounce crowler or a 64-ounce growler.
Can kids and dogs come to the Abita brewery?
Kids and dogs can both come along to Abita’s Covington taproom, with a few rules. Abita’s Covington Tap Room and tour are open to all ages, but minors need an adult with them and only guests 21 and older can drink the beer. Root beer is the under-21 pour.
Dogs can’t go on the brewery tour, but Abita says they’re welcome to hang out on the patio and beer garden.
Food’s easy, too. Abita’s Covington taproom sells light snacks like chips and pretzels. Abita says it tries to have food trucks visit the brewery often, and its events calendar lists who’s coming. Visitors to Abita’s Covington taproom are welcome to bring their own food and enjoy it at Abita’s bar, courtyard or beer garden. Abita takes credit and debit cards only, so leave the cash back in the camper.
What’s happening at the Abita taproom this season?
Abita’s Covington taproom stays busy through the holidays, with bingo, trivia, comedy, a vintage market and a food truck night on the books. Here’s what Abita’s events calendar lists for the rest of 2026, so you can line up your brewery day with something fun:
- Abita Bingo Night: most Wednesday nights from 7 to 9 p.m., with one free card per person each round.
- Abita Trivia Night: most Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m.
- Abita Comedy Night: a free monthly comedy show on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
- Two for the Show Vintage Market: Saturday, November 28, 2026, noon to 5 p.m. in the Abita Beer Garden, for Small Business Saturday.
- December Food Truck Round Up: Friday, December 4, 2026, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Is there an Abita brewery in New Orleans?
Yes! Abita New Orleans sits at 2375 Tchoupitoulas Street, on the corner of 1st and Tchoupitoulas. Biz New Orleans reported on March 21, 2025 that the Abita New Orleans grand opening and ribbon cutting was set for March 26. Abita New Orleans serves fresh brews crafted on-site. Abita New Orleans is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and it’s dog friendly.
Among Abita brewery locations, that makes two taprooms, one in Covington and one in New Orleans, plus the Abita Brew Pub restaurant in Abita Springs. Abita places its Covington brewery “in the piney woods 30 miles north of New Orleans.” From Fireside RV Resort, Abita’s Covington taproom is a much shorter drive than Abita New Orleans.
What else is near the Abita brewery?
Abita Brewing sits close to several easy add-ons, so a tour can turn into a full day out. These stops in and around Abita Springs pair nicely with a taproom visit, from a brew pub lunch to a quirky museum and a paved hike-and-bike trail:
If you’re biking the Trace, note that Tammany Trace Bridge #24 in Abita Springs is closed from September 9, 2026, through early 2027, according to the Tammany Trace page, so check the closure notice before a long ride. Got more days to fill? Our guide to things to do near Mandeville covers the rest of the area.
Where should you stay near the Abita brewery?
For a calm home base within an easy drive of the Abita brewery, Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula has full-hookup RV sites, cabins, and a pond where guests can fish with their own gear. Your Fireside RV Resort bill won’t carry a resort fee, and picking the exact site you want doesn’t cost a dime extra.
From November through March, Fireside prices a standard RV site at $55 per night and a premium site at $65, and both rates cover up to four guests. Fireside also runs a weeknight deal in September, November and December: Sunday through Wednesday, standard sites go for $35 and premium sites for $45 (holidays don’t count). The Fireside rates page has the full breakdown.
Rather sleep in a real bed? Fireside’s cabins cost $165 per night in every season, with an $18 cleaning fee added once to each cabin reservation.
Snowbirds can lock in a standard site for $650 a month between November 1 and March 31 through Fireside’s snowbird special, and Fireside folds electricity and Wi-Fi into that price. Monthly stays aren’t part of Fireside’s online booking. Instead, the Fireside rates page has a contact form for monthly requests, and the front desk number, (985) 277-1059, works too.
At Fireside RV Resort, the 2026 event calendar has holiday weekends planned for Thanksgiving (November 28) and Christmas (December 26). Fireside sends off 2026 at its NYE Bash on December 31, with live music, bingo and a firework show.
If you’re bringing a growler home, Louisiana’s open-container law, Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:300, applies in a vehicle’s passenger area on a public highway to any container that’s open, has a broken seal, or has had some of its contents removed. The statute doesn’t count a locked glove compartment or the area behind the last upright seat as the passenger area, so keep the growler sealed and stowed, and pick a designated driver before the first pour.
Frequently asked questions
Abita’s guided brewery tour costs $10, and guests under 21 tour free. The self-guided route over the brew house is free, though it doesn’t include beer samples.
You can usually walk in, because Abita holds spots for walk-ins on every guided tour. If you already know your date, Abita lets you book the tour online, and Abita asks guests to arrive 15 minutes early.
Abita Brewing’s Covington taproom is open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Covington taproom closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Abita’s taproom and tours are at 21084 Highway 36, which carries a Covington address. Abita’s original building, now the Abita Brew Pub, sits in the town of Abita Springs at 72011 Holly Street.
Dogs can’t join the brewery tour in Covington, but Abita welcomes them on the patio and beer garden. The Abita New Orleans taproom on Tchoupitoulas Street is dog friendly as well.
Abita describes its Covington brewery as about 30 miles north of New Orleans. If you’d rather stay in the city, the Abita New Orleans taproom pours beer on Tchoupitoulas Street.
An Abita tour, lunch and the drive back to your Fireside site all fit comfortably in one day. Abita’s Covington taproom is roughly half an hour from Fireside RV Resort, so lock in your dates on the Fireside booking page. Questions about cabins or longer winter stays? Fireside picks up at (985) 277-1059. Cheers!
