Lafayette, recently named the Happiest City in America, is a fantastic place to visit to experience authentic Cajun culture. Enjoy live Cajun and Zydeco music at any one of the many music and cultural festivals; eat your way around the city on a Cajun Food Tour; and stroll around a mini-swamp on the University campus. There’s plenty here to keep you busy.
To get you started, here’s our breakdown of things to see and do in Lafayette.
Cypress Lake – located on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, this unique man-made mini-swamp features moss-draped cypress trees and indigenous wildlife, including alligators.
Vermilionville – a 23-acre Living Museum & Folklife Park featuring original and recreated early Acadian and Creole buildings, which serve as demonstration areas for artisans and venues for live musical entertainment.
Acadian Village – the city’s oldest open air museum featuring several 19th century Acadian homes, a doctor’s office, and a replica of an early Catholic chapel. In the month of December, the Village hosts Noël Acadien au Village, a holiday light festival.
Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum – a museum on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, whose collection of American, Asian, and European art includes works by well-known local artists Elmore Morgan and George Rodrique and internationally renowned artists Salvado Dalì and Pablo Picasso, among others. The museum features two stunning buildings: one, a modern glass and steel structure, the other, a replica of a Greek Revival Antebellum plantation home.
Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist – an eye-catching 20th century Dutch Romanesque-style church features several statues and German-made stained glass windows, and on the church lawn, a centuries old sprawling live oak, known as the St. John Oak Tree.
Lafayette Science Museum – housed in a former department store in Downtown Lafayette, this museum hosts both permanent and temporary exhibits about science and technology and is home to the city’s Planetarium.
Try the Food – Lafayette and the Acadiana region are known for their cuisine, so a visit to the area wouldn’t be complete without trying the food. You can do that at numerous eateries in and around Lafayette, by attending any of the food and music events held each year, such as Festival International de Louisiane, Festivals Acadiens et Créole, and Blackpot Festival and Cook-off, or by taking a food tour.
Cajun Food Tours – a great way to enjoy the area’s fantastic foods (and cocktails), this tour takes you to six area businesses including bakeries, grocery stores, and meat markets where you can taste local delicacies and traditional items like gumbo, boudin, and King Cake.
Listen to the music – Lafayette is known for its unique music scene, and it’s easy to enjoy in multiple venues. Here are a few:
Blue Moon Saloon & Guesthouse – this live music venue ia a great place to hear a variety of performers, including Cajun and Zydeco bands.
Feed and Seed – this warehouse bar serves as a live music and events venue.
Go Dancing – in addition to the impromptu dancing that takes place at area festivals and in the many live music venues, you can also enjoy dancing to live music at places like Randol’s Seafood Restaurant and on Sundays at Vermilionville’s Bal Du Dimanche.
Visit one of the many festivals celebrating the local culture:
Festival International de Lousiane – the best FREE international music festival in North America. Taking place each year in April, this five-day Francophone event features 5 main stages, an art market, world market, and food pavilions.
Festivals Acadiens et Créole – this annual Fall event is really three festivals in one, celebrating music, food, and crafts.
Blackpot Festival – an annual two-day festival held at Vermilionville featuring live bands, jam sessions, lots of dancing, and an outdoor cook-off, where contestants must use cast iron vessels or ‘black pots’.
Mardi Gras – Lafayette’s carnival celebration, which is more family friendly than New Orleans’, features a lineup of parades that culminates on Mardi Gras day.
Downtown Alive – this weekly outdoor concert series held in the Spring and Fall is yet another great way to enjoy live Cajun and Zydeco music. And, it’s FREE.
Since several of the festival events in Lafayette take place in Downtown Lafayette, you’ll want to take some time to stroll around and enjoy the outdoor art. Several buildings feature murals by local artist Robert Dafford.
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Mike Young
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Lafayette, Louisiana
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By Things to do in Lafayette | Food | Scoop.it 25 Dec ’16 at 3:20 pm
By Things to do in Lafayette | Travel | Scoop.it 25 Dec ’16 at 3:21 pm