Cajun Runs Deep: Lousiana Bayou, Coastal Areas, + Mardi Gras
Whether your Louisiana trip is a three-day weekend, week-long vacation, or a Mardi Gras party, let's take a trip down to the bayou to visit the coastal region of Louisiana, also known as Acadiana, where Cajun culture runs deep. From swamps to costume shops, immerse yourself in local history, explore the unique landscapes, taste the local food and let loose in ways that can only be found in “Cajun Country”, Louisiana.
Experience Cajun History and Culture
Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette
The Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette tells stories of the origins, migration, settlement, and contemporary culture of the Acadians (Cajuns) and other area groups. Ranger programs, films, exhibits, and events share a variety of local traditions including music, story-telling, dance, and food, and explore the mysteries of the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana's wildest place. Portable media players with guided tours of the museum in French, Spanish, and English can be borrowed at the visitor center information desk. Kids can explore the center and earn a badge with the Junior Ranger program. The center's park store sells local crafts, music, and books, including cookbooks and children's stories.
nps.gov/jela/
Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux
The Acadian exiles who settled along Louisiana's bayous created a distinctive Cajun culture based on life in a watery realm. The Wetlands center shares its unique way of life through a film, special and permanent exhibits, boat tours of Bayou Lafourche, and a chance to join in on open jam sessions with local musicians.
nps.gov/jela/
Mardi Gras World
For a history lesson on one of the world's biggest festivities head to Mardi Gras World. The tour allows you to see firsthand what it takes to bring Mardi Gras to life year after year. Walk through the hard work and extensive planning that goes into this grand event when you tour Blaine Kern Studios, an operating workshop that has created breathtaking floats for Mardi Gras and other parades around the world since 1947. This all-access opportunity winds you through the massive studio, where artists and architects build Mardi Gras floats from the ground up. You’ll learn about the history of this unique and festive tradition, going beyond its reputation to get a deeper understanding of the REAL Mardi Gras. The whole family will love touring the space where our artisans create show-stopping floats for more than 40 parades each year.
mardigrasworld.com
Travel the Back Roads and Bayous
The Creole Nature Trail All American Road
Dubbed one of America’s "Last Great Wildernesses”, the Creole Nature Trail is 180 miles of remote highway and nature trails spanning southwest Louisiana. Begin at the Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point and begin your journey through a wild and rugged terrain known as Louisiana’s Outback. Once the domain of nomadic Indians, the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte, and Civil War soldiers, this untamed wilderness filled with alligators and songbirds will create lifelong memories.
visitlakecharles.org/adventurepoint
Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours
Bayous are integral to Cajun Culture and there is no true Louisiana experience without exploring the swamps. Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours provide personal authentic Cajun guided eco-tours of Lake Martin, part of the Atchafalaya Basin swamp & Louisiana's largest nesting area of wading birds. Rent a kayak and traverse through very dense aquatic vegetation native to Southern Louisiana. There are many bird watching opportunities while cruising under groves of 500-year-old moss-covered cypress and tupelo trees and your guide will reveal the Cajun secret of how cypress trees were harvested when no boats were available. If you want more thrill, book a swamp boat tour and head out into the Bayou where you may see alligators 3 to 14 ft long. The experienced guides will explain how Cajuns harvested alligator eggs & alligators for years.
champagnesswamptours.com
Lafayette, Louisiana
Louisiana's fourth-largest city is also the capital of Acadiana. Set smack in the middle of Cajun Country, Lafayette, Louisiana mixes all the amenities of urban life, including universities and medical centers, with the unmistakable influence of the region's venerable Cajun and Creole cultures. Lafayette is said to have more restaurants per capita than any other American city, and many of them specialize in the distinctive, seafood-laden regional cuisine. Numerous music clubs feature homegrown talent, including both traditional and contemporary Cajun and Zydeco performers. For a perfect day in Lafayette start at Scratch Farm Kitchen for a charming downtown breakfast and then head out to see exotic animals from around the world at Zoosiana (Zoo of Acadiana) or buckle up the family for some fast-paced go-kart action at the Kart Ranch. For the evening head to Randol's to enjoy some fresh Louisiana cuisine with a side of some live Zydeco music. To keep the party going stay at the Blue Moon Guesthouse heralded as one of the best lodging experiences in the South. The European-style hostel features a back porch saloon with live music that attracts visitors from near and far. It's no wonder Lafayette has been called both the "tastiest and happiest city in America".
zoosiana.com
kartranch.com
randols.com
bluemoonpresents.com
Taste Cajun Cuisine
Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans
Mother's Restaurant opened its doors in 1938. Traditional New Orleans dishes like jambalaya and Shrimp Creole line-up next to the po'boys that Mother's made famous, such as the Ferdi Special and the debris po'boy. You will still see longshoremen in boots and you'll find plenty of locals rubbing elbows in line with visitors, veterans, politicians, and movie stars.
mothersrestaurant.net
Cajun Critters Seafood In Houma
You can’t visit Louisiana without enjoying a Cajun crawfish boil. Voted Best Cajun Cooking in Terrebonne Parish in 2020 Cajun Critters Seafood has an array of local boiled and fried seafood. Outdoor seating and nights with live music.
Cajun Food Tour in Lafayette
Cajun cooking is known around the world for its unmistakable spice and uncommon flavors. Gumbo, jambalaya, boudin — there are more dishes to try in Acadiana than you can fit into one trip, so let the professionals help you! Hop aboard the cozy Cajun Food Tour bus for a fun, informative, and delicious "bites and sites" tour in Cajun Country. Five food-tasting stops during a 3 1/2 hour tour are included in the tour price. Enjoy local favorites like boudin, crawfish, king cake, gumbo, gator, fried shrimp, cracklin', and more.
cajunfoodtours.com
Let Lose with some Cajun Fun
Kick up your Heels at a Fais Do-DO
You know it when you hear it: Cajun music is the lively, irresistibly danceable counterpart to the region’s spicy cuisine. The upbeat sounds of fiddles, accordions, and acoustic guitars ring throughout the dancehalls and restaurants of south Louisiana, and if you spend even just a little time down there, you’re sure to find a party known as the fais do-do (pronounced fay doe).
Sip the Local Spirits at Louisiana Spirits
There’s a small-batch liquor renaissance going on in Louisiana, and much of it is taking place in Cajun Country. Louisiana Spirits in Lacassine began producing Bayou Rum in 2011. Three childhood friends vowed to utilize one of Louisiana's oldest crops, sugar cane, to create the best Louisiana rum (Louisiana's oldest liquor) for the world to enjoy. Stop by for a visit and taste for yourself. Distillery tours are offered seven days a week from 10 am to 4 pm.
bayourum.com
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is one of the biggest celebrations in America and attracts thousands of people each year. Spectacular parades, unbelievable costumes, music, dancing, food, drink – take your pick of places to indulge and enjoy. The biggest celebration occurs in New Orleans, but nearly every community in the state has its own version of the annual party. Wherever you go, you can find the style that best suits you, including tons of family-style celebrations. In New Orleans stop by Southern Costume Company for costumes and masks, attend a party at Antoine's Restaurant, catch prizes at a parade, or head to The Bourbon Vieux on Bourbon Street to reserve your spot on the largest New Orleans balcony. If you are looking for a more family-friendly Mardi Gras head to Jefferson Parish, Louisiana for Family Gras. It’s big family fun just outside the Big Easy with parades, authentic New Orleans cuisine, local art at the Art Market, a Kids' Court with face painting and interactive games, and free outdoor concerts by both national artists and Louisiana's own.
sccnola.com
antoines.com
bourbonvieux.com
