#9009 Premium
Enjoy friendly festivals & great music/dancing/food. Learn about Cajun and Creole history. Save some time for bicycling, kayaking and the great outdoors!
House • Lafayette LA United States
Exchange types accepted
Statistics
Listed April 2021
Views 2060
General overview
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Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
Air conditioning
TV
WiFi
High Speed Internet
Bathtub
First aid kit
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Toys
BBQ
Pool
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Travel Styles
Long term
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
City
Water
Culture
Cycling
Accessibility
House rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Dog free
Smoke free
Dates of Availability
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Neighbourhood
Lafayette is the heart of Louisiana's Cajun and Creole Country and you can travel a short distance in any direction to discover all that Acadiana has to offer: Cajun and Zydeco music, festivals, unique restaurants, cycling, swamp tours and more. And it's easy two-hour drive from the wonderful city of New Orleans.
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Here are just a few ways to “let the good times roll” in and around Lafayette:
1) Music and dancing:
https://www.visittheusa.com/experience/lafayette-louisiana-insiders-guide-local-music-festivals
Lafayette has two world-renowned music festivals: Festivals Acadiens et Creole in October and Festival International de Louisiane in April. But the party goes on year-round: in any given week, you are sure to find locals and visitors alike, gathered at one venue or another, engaging in that favorite South Louisiana pastime of music and dancing.
2) Unique cuisine: from crawfish boils to boudin to gumbo to poboys, you can savor food that you won’t find anywhere else. In addition to mouth-watering and soul-satisfying meals, don’t miss these food-related experiences:
-The famous Tabasco Hot Sauce is made in nearby Avery Island. The factory offer tours and tastings and has its own cafe and gift shop. While there, don’t miss the Jungle Gardens, right next door.
https://www.tabasco.com/visit-avery-island/
-The Cajun Boudin Trail maps out the best local stops to discover all varieties of boudin, Boudin is a type of sausage made with rice, Cajun seasonings, and either or pork or seafood. (Or maybe even alligator:-) There’s also a boudin festival in September.
http://www.cajunboudintrail.com/
- Get yourself out of bed early on a Saturday morning, drive 10 miles to the little town of Breaux Bridge and join a couple hundred other folks for Buck and Johnny’s World Famous Zydeco Breakfast. Order breakfast (and an adult beverage if you’d like), and enjoy the Zydeco music. If your breakfast companions don’t want to get out on the crowded dance floor it’s easy to find a dance partner. It’s a joyful way to start the day and it’s all over by 11:00 a.m., so if needed you can head home for a nap before setting out for the next adventure of your day. Or stick around and stroll the streets of downtown Breaux Bridge and visit the shops and galleries
https://countryroadsmagazine.com/travel/overnight-escapes/buck-johnnys-zydeco-breakfast/
3) The outdoors: Acadiana’s waterways, flat country roads, and moss-draped trees attract kayakers and cyclists from far and wide.
The bayous, rivers, lakes, swamplands, marshes and coastal waters set the scene for paddling, bird watching, alligator sighting and fishing.
https://www.lafayettetravel.com/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/
If you prefer your adventures on the road, Cycle Zydeco, a four-day biking adventure held every Spring, is described as “a festival on wheels”— bike your way to the first destination, eat, dance, drink and then hop back on your bike and pedal to the next festive location.
https://www.cyclezydeco.org/
4) Historic sites: Where to begin? Southwest Louisiana’s earliest settlers were the Attakapas Indians. Lafayette’s “Cajun” settlers arrived in late 1700s when Canada’s Catholic, French-speaking Acadians were expelled from Novia Scotia. Some of them found refuge in the bayous of South Louisiana. That Cajun influence is still a huge part of Lafayette culture, but many other cultures have intertwined. They all contribute to the the friendly, family-oriented, fun-loving atmosphere of Lafayette and Acadiana. The best place to begin learning all about it is at Vermilionville, a 23-acre historic and folklife park that depicts the Acadian, Creole and Native American cultures from the time period 1765 – 1890.
https://bayouvermiliondistrict.org/vermilionville/
5) Mardi Gras: You are probably familiar with the New Orleans Mardi Gras but Acadiana has its own take on Mardi Gras. Lafayette has a smaller (and more family-oriented) version of the New Orleans parades, but in the smaller rural Acadiana towns, you’ll find an entirely different Mardi Gras experience, known as Courir de Mardi Gras, that centers around a communal pot of gumbo served on Mardi Gras evening Rooted in French medieval history, the Courir (or Run) consists of a group of costumed and masked participants, who set out (on foot, horseback or trailer) in the morning, making their way through the farms in the countryside, begging for ingredients for the gumbo. There is music, singing, dancing and celebrating along the way. The most important gumbo ingredient, and the highlight of the whole experience, is the chicken: the farmer tosses the poor chicken up in the air, the costumed revelers chase after it, and a bit chaos and a lot of hilarity ensues. (If the chicken escapes intact, no worries; the cooking of the gumbo back in town is already well underway.)
https://www.louisianatravel.com/articles/cajun-mardi-gras
Nearest airport
The Lafayette Regional Airport is less than 5 miles from our house. The New Orleans International Airport is about a 2 hour drive.
Getting around
Its best to have a car to be able to explore all that Lafayette and Acadiana have to offer.
Map of Approximate Location
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