Lafayette Along the Vermilion River

Lafayette stretches along the Vermilion River in southwestern Louisiana.

Acadian Village is a 32-acre private park established in the 1970s. It was created to preserve Acadian history. You can see a 1800s Cajun village with eleven buildings, seven of them are authentic 19th-century homes. Tours are available and the grounds can be rented for different events.

The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum is associated with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The collections include over 4,000 art objects from the 18^th to the 21^st century. There are works of art from America, Europe, and Asia. You can also enjoy ancient Egyptian art, folk art, Japanese woodblock prints, and artwork by local artists of Louisiana.

The Children’s Museum of Acadiana offers a hand-on experience with interactive exhibits. Offering children knowledge on various subjects like health, food, money, and other topics. The museum has found its home in the old Heymann Food Center. It also offers programs like classes, workshops, school field trips, and programs for Girl and Boy Scouts. There are also special events hosted throughout the year.

Avery Island is home to the well-known MacIlhenny Tabasco Company. The island is located in the heart of the Louisiana bayou country. You can get a tour of the company.

Also on the island at the Jungle Gardens and Bird City you can enjoy great-tasting Cajun dishes at Restaurant 1868. The nature preserve lets visitors see flowers such as azaleas and camellias.

You can also delight in animals like alligators, deer, and egrets.

Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours for a real thrilling adventure take a swamp tour. Guided tours will take you through the Lake Martin Cypress Island Preserve. You’ll see cypress trees, Spanish moss, and birds like herons, owls, and woodpeckers and reptiles like alligators, frogs, and snakes.

These are two-hour tours available in English or French. They also offer special tours like bird watching, photography, and night tours.

Hop on board for the Cajun Food Tours The tours include learning about Cajun history and culture. You’ll head for locations where you can get a taste of Cajun dishes like boudin, cracklin,’ etouffee, gumbo, king cake, and fried seafood.

Tours stop at the Cajun Market Donut,

La Cuisine de Maman,

Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, and others. These tours introduce visitors to the local cuisine available in Lafayette, which was voted the Tastiest Town in the South.

Cypress Island preserve has about 9,500 acres of protected cypress swamps and hardwood forest land. You can find lovely picnic pavilions. Take the Levee Trail that will lead you through the preserve and around the lake.

From January to June you can see many kinds of birds that come here to make nests among them little blue herons, roseate spoonbills, and several types of egrets like cattle, great, and snowy egrets.

Vermilionville is a museum and a park that educates people about the culture of south-central Louisiana. It sits on the banks of the Bayou Vermilion. The park focuses on the cultures of the Acadian, Creole, and Native Americans between 1765 and 1890.

The park has 19 attractions, 13 artisans showing the crafts of the early settlers, and seven restored homes. The park also hosts workshops and different events.

Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site is the oldest state park in Louisiana. It focuses on the culture of the Bayou Teche area. The site explores various cultures of the region. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Evangeline,” tells the story of two Acadian lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel.

You can see the tree by which they met and Evangeline’s grave.

Tours are available of the Maison Olivier, a historic 1815 plantation home.

 

 

https://vacationidea.com/destinations/best-things-to-do-in-lafayette-la.html

https://champagnesswamptours.com/

https://www.lafayettetravel.com/listing/poor-boys-riverside-inn/3604/

https://www.cajunfoodtours.com/

http://www.vermilionville.org/vermilionville/en/explore/homes.html

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