Lafayette Nearcations

Just a short drive from Lafayette lies a quaint town with a fascinating French history. Abbeville rests along Bayou Vermilion with a downtown centered around a parish courthouse at one end and St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church at the other. Visitors may spot the statue of the Rev. Pére Antoine Désiré Mégret of France, sent to Louisiana to calm an unruly group of church members known as the "marguilliers." He eventually created Abbeville around the church, and in Magdalen Square, a historical marker explains the town's origins.

In addition to museums, the Abbey Players theatrical group, shops, and restaurants surrounding the square, Abbeville celebrates the Giant Omelette Celebration every fall, where chefs cook up a feast of 5000-plus eggs.

Enjoy a great meal at one of Abbeville's many restaurants, take in a play at the award-winning Abbey Players, and escape to the woods at a fully-equipped cabin at nearby Palmetto Island State Park, each cabin sleeping up to eight people. The state park along Bayou Vermilion includes a boat launch, canoe trails, picnic areas, and a splash pad for kids of all ages.

Did you know that TABASCO brand pepper sauce is one of the most recognized products in the world? We're talking about more than 160 countries and territories. Visitors can watch TABASCO being bottled and learn more about the company's history at the factory on Avery Island just outside New Iberia. There's an on-site restaurant, Cafe 1868, and the Tabasco Country Store, where visitors may take home various hot products.

Drive through the 250-acre Jungle Gardens next door and enjoy unique statues, elaborate gardens, centuries-old oak trees, and thousands of snowy egrets in the "Bird City" rookery. Keep your eyes peeled for alligators!

Use New Iberia as a base camp, enjoying one of the historic town's many beds and breakfasts. Learn about the area's history at the Bayou Teche Museum and Konriko Company Store, walk the paths of native author James Lee Burke and artist George Rodrigue, and dine at the many restaurants along historic Front Street. Iberia Performing Arts League routinely presents plays and musicals, and the city hosts numerous festivals yearly.

Firmin Breaux built a bridge over Bayou Teche, giving the town that sprung up along its banks its name. But a woman, Scholastique Picou Breaux, officially founded the town of other Acadian settlers. The charming village of Breaux Bridge lies only a 30-minute drive from Lafayette. Today, it offers antique shopping, exquisite dining options (don't miss the crawfish dishes—it's the Crawfish Capital of the World!), and opportunities to put on your dance shoes and let loose! Buck & Johnny's features a weekly zydeco brunch, and La Poussiere Cajun Dance Hall offers a massive dance floor.

Native Americans, Africans, aristocratic Creoles, and the largest immigration of Acadian settlers formed another quaint South Louisiana town. Visitors can learn their story in St. Martinville, a town further down the sleepy Bayou Teche and home to the St. Martinville Cultural Heritage Center's two museums — the African American Museum and the Museum of the Acadian Memorial. Just outside those doors lies the Evangeline Oak, named for the Acadian heroine of the poem "Evangeline" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem was the first account published of the Acadians' exile from Nova Scotia by the British in 1755. It became so popular that a film featuring Dolores del Rio was made in the 1920s. A statue of Evangeline, with Del Rio as a model, rests alongside the historic St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church. Learn more at Longfellow-Evangeline State Park, which showcases how people of the 1800s lived.

For those who love the outdoors, the 135-mile Bayou Teche Paddle Trail flows through Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, and 13 other towns in four parishes. The Tour du Teche races occur over three days in October if you're competitive. Pack & Paddle outfitters in Lafayette can get you on the water for a quick paddle or a guided trip.

A more relaxing way to get outside might be the walking trails at Lake Martin, where gators, egret and spoonbill rookeries, and colorful migratory birds may be seen. The lake contains one of Louisiana's largest nesting colonies for several water bird species.

Accommodations vary in the Bayou Teche towns, from cabins and chain hotels to unique properties such as Bonne Terre Farm Stay and a church in St. Martinville.

If you're heading east from Lafayette on Interstate 10, turn south before the Atchafalaya Basin bridge and west to the small town of Henderson. Visitors may jump on a swamp tour to discover the beauty of the Atchafalaya, America's largest river drainage swamp. Looking at all that wildlife can make you hungry, so stop at Pat's of Henderson for their famous gumbo and seafood dishes.

On the other side of I-10, visitors will find more ways to quench their hunger—Crawfish Town USA and Chicken on the Bayou and Boudin Shop, to name a few. Louisiana Marketshops at Exit 115 sells everything Louisiana, from local artwork and books to regional food products.

A great weekend getaway that offers special events in addition to cabins, three resort-style swimming pools, mini golf, a pickleball court, a "Bark-aritaville" dog park, and more is Camp Margaritaville RV Resort. The expansive property features 91 luxury cabins and 422 upgraded RV sites, each with a picnic table and fire pit.

If you love a treasure hunt, start in Sunset, where antique shops, thrift stores, and boutiques line the highway. Take advantage of the eclectic Bayou Some Stuff, The Funky Flea, and the Sunset Antiques Market on weekends. Fuel up on Louisiana dishes at Café Josephine, then head east on Martin Luther King Drive to Grand Coteau for more antique shops, stopping at The Hive Market for coffee and something sweet. Further east on what becomes the Courtableu Highway is Arnaudville, where visitors will find Louisiana artwork at Nunu's Arts & Culture Collective. Stay for dinner at Little Big Cup, right on Bayou Fuselier, or craft pizzas and beer at Bayou Teche Brewing.

Need more thrifting? Sunset and Grand Coteau participate in the Exit 11 Yard Sale every spring and fall. Further up, Interstate 49 in Washington is home to more antique shopping.

St. Landry Parish has numerous quaint accommodations, including historic bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, and the Evangeline Downs racetrack hotel. A great spot to park and relax is Lakeview Park & Beach. Not exactly Florida, but then the Sunshine State doesn't have live Cajun and zydeco music to dance to, either. Well, not like us!

Lakeview offers a variety of accommodations, such as RV sites, cottages, tent sites, and a Lakehaus Brickhaus that sleeps up to 12, among others. The resort includes a one-acre swimming area with a sandy beach, continuous music and dancing at the barn, and special events. Since our winters are mild and when Mardi Gras reigns supreme, it's an excellent spot for snowbirds as well.