Acadiana Tourist Attractions

Eunice

Mardi Gras Dance in Eunice The Official City of Eunice Louisiana Website The website includes information on local festivals, Cajun culture, recipes and local dining & lodging, among other things.

Mardi Gras Dance

Mamou

Mamou, Cajun Music Capitol of the World, is a quiet little town of about 3,500 people nested in a grove of trees, ...located 50 miles south of Alexandria and 50 miles Northwest of Lafayette on State Highway 13.

Church Point

http://churchpoint-la.com/

Courir schedule for 2012

Mardi Gras in Rural Acadiana

Mardi Gras in rural Southwestern Louisiana draws on traditions that are centuries old. Revelers go from house to house begging to obtain the ingredients for a communal meal. They wear costumes that conceal their identity and that also parody the roles of those in authority. They escape from ordinary life partly through the alcohol many consume in their festive quest, but even more through the roles they portray. As they act out their parts in a wild, gaudy pageant, they are escaping from routine existence, freed from the restraints that confine them every other day in the year.

Pictures and Schedules from Mamou, Eunice, Church Point, LeJune Cove, Basile, Elton, Soileau

Unfortunately this page is no longer being maintained; however, you can learn a lot about the Mardi Gras traditions by reading the links to the individual towns.

See Penny's story about the Mardi Gras Courir, a Creole and Cajun tradition.

The Boudin Link

"As folks in South Louisiana know, Cajun boudin sausage is a delicious blend of rice, pork, and spices injected into a natural casing and served everywhere from the fanciest restaurants to gas stations in the country. The BoudinLink is THE GUIDE to boudin.

Lafayette Tourist Attractions

Lafayette Visitors Center

For a die-hard Cajun & Zydeco fan, Lafayette, Louisiana is Mecca. This Web page includes tourist information, event calendars, including a Festival information page, with dates & contact phone numbers, news releases and lots of other helpful and interesting information about the Mecca of Acadiana.

Cajun Fun

Newsletters and listings of upcoming festivals, art shows, theater performances, and other cultural events in the Lafayette area.

Some of My Favorite Tourist Spots in Lafayette

from Dick Brainard.

The oldest & largest Live Oak Tree in the Country (supposedly), and it looks it. The branches are supported by posts to keep them from breaking. St. John’s Street in the downtown area, next to St. John’s Catholic Church. Worth a visit' Also, visit the cemetery with above ground vaults behind the church.

UL at Lafayette Art Museum (don’t know formal name). Has a few interesting Cajun paintings. Worth a 15-minute visit. Corner of Girard Park

Dr. & St. Mary’s Blvd. in a stately white house with columns & set back from the street.

Lafayette Tourist Office garden & and turtle pond id located between the northbound & southbound lanes of Evangeline Thruway, just south of Willow St. Fun spot to see turtles! Also, good place to pick up brochures.

Vermilionville Historic Village; Buildings brought from all over the state and placed in a park-like setting with interpretive guides inside the buildings. Takes a couple hours to do it all. 300 Fisher Rd. down the hill from Surrey St (which is across from the airport). This is also where the New Years Eve dance will be held in the barn.

Acadien National Park, corner of Surrey & Fisher across from the airport; History of the Acadiens removal & resettlement from Nova Scotia to Louisiana. Interesting 20-minute movie in French, and lots of visuals. Highly recommended.

Evangeline Oak along Bayou Teche; made famous by the Longfellow poem, plus a combination African/Acadien museum next door, all in St. Martinsville, about 25 miles south of Lafayette. The museum traces both African and Acadien cultures from their origins to Louisiana. A very good history lesson. Highly recommended.

Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site 1200 N. Main Street, St. Martinville, LA 70582

"A reproduction Acadian Farmstead is situated along the bank of Bayou Teche. The Farmstead is an example of how a typical single-family farm would have appeared around 1800. The site includes the family home with an outdoor kitchen and bread oven, slave quarters and a barn. In the pasture located adjacent to the barn, there are cattle typical of those raised by the Creoles and Acadians at that time. " (from Barbara and Terry)

http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ilongfell.aspx

Cascade Zydeco

Cascade Zydeco

Trips

Next Live Band Dance