DISCOVER YOUR LOUISIANA!

Part II: Cajun Country

By Danny L. Young

Any visit to Cajun Country starts in the heart of Acadiana-Lafayette, where Acadian Village and Vermilionville both offer authentic Acadian cultural experiences. The Acadian Cultural Center, adjacent to Vermilionville, is only one of several such centers in Acadiana and part of the Jean Lafitte National Park system.

The true Cajun experience has everything to do with food and music, and some of the best awaits visitors with an evening at Randol’s, Prejean’s or Mulate’s in Breaux Bridge, known for their Cajun cookin’ and dancin’.

Lafayette is the perfect hub for visits to nearby Cajun villages, which are abundant in all directions.

To the North is St. Landry Parish, where the French founded an outpost at Opelousas in 1720, one of the oldest European settlements in Louisiana. Recently Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino opened near I-49 and U.S. Hwy. 190.

In Eunice the Liberty Theatre, a renovated 1924 movie house, hosts a Saturday night radio music show in French in the format of the Grand Ole Opry. Next door is another Jean Lafitte National Park facility, the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center.

Other parish attractions of note are Chretien Point Plantation in Sunset and the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau.

To the West is Acadia Parish where Rayne’s frog art decorates the town from the I-10 interchange to the buildings downtown. It’s worth the drive. In Crowley – the Rice Capital – visit the Crystal Rice Heritage Farm and Francine’s Blue Rose Museum.

To the Southwest is Vermilion Parish where communities like Abbeville, Erath, Maurice, Kaplan and Gueydan offer a distinctly Cajun French atmosphere in food, shops and museums.

To the East is St. Martin Parish, where a visit to the St. Martinville town square features St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church, the Mother Church of the Acadians and the home of the legendary Evangeline. The Evangeline Monument and Oak as well as Le Petit Paris Museum, the Acadian Memorial and the St. Martinville Cultural Heritage Center are all within walking distance of the square.

Longfellow-Evangeline State Historical Site features a new museum and interpretive center and Lake Fausse Point State Park offers overnight cabins and nature trails. McGee’s Landing, on the levee of the Atchafalaya Basin, offers swamp tours and is an excellent lunch stop.

To the Southeast is Iberia Parish where New Iberia’s downtown is home to Shadows-on-the-Teche and Konriko Rice Mill. At nearby Avery Island is McIlhenney’s Tabasco Factory and Jungle Gardens and Bird City. Recently Rip Van Winkle Gardens at Jefferson Island reopened for public tours of the gardens and the Joe Jefferson Home.

U.S. Hwy. 90, the Old Spanish Trail, makes its way from New Iberia through Franklin, Morgan City and Houma en route to New Orleans and offers a week’s worth of sightseeing, memorable eateries and unique accommodations for anyone willing to venture down the historic trace ( We will explore these in the next installment).

If you decide to go to Lafayette visit their Web site at www.Lafayette.travel. All of the Cajun Country parishes have tourist commissions, which can provide detailed information on their tourist attractions, restaurants and accommodations.

For information on all of Louisiana and a list of state parish tourist commissions, visit the state Web site at www.louisianatravel.com .