Cajun Country

Pros: authentic cajun adventure, few tourists
Cons: none at all

Drive north from Lafayette on Interstate 49 and take the Ville Platte (Flat Town) exit. You are on your way to one of the most authentic and least visited cajun areas in Louisiana. Ville Platte is an excellent base for visiting all the attractions in...

Pros: Our "real" cajun guide that has a perspective that only one that lives in the swamps can share with others. Being there in an area that's such a total part of this type of wilderness...one we've never been a part of before.
Cons: Some people may not enjoy his canine friends. They are very disciplined though and we really enjoyed their presence.

The word Eerie came to mind as we waited for our tour guide at the Lake Martin Landing near Lafayette, Louisiana. There were six of us anxious to head into Cypress Island Swamp to see those alligators we kept hearing about since our...

Pros: a genuine "non" tourist experience
Cons: A little quiet after New Orleans

Eunice (named for the wife of the towns founder) is the capital of the Prairie Cajun culture. The Prairie Cajuns, unlike their more famous swamp dwelling cousins to the south, were farmers who grew rice. One of the most significant features of the...

Pros: good food, good music, lots to see
Cons: Lots of driving

Everybody who visits Louisiana hears about the Cajuns, their spicy food, their enthusiastic music, and their roots in the swamps and prairies of south central Louisiana. But who are they and where did they come from? Late in the 18th century France...

Pros: Being so close to nature
Cons: Too far from my home!

While traveling in Louisiana we decided to drive the Creole Nature Trail. This is not a quick drive, it takes all of a day, or even two days would be ideal. We did it in one. The trail starts near Sulpher, where you exit I-10 and head south. It is a...

Pros: Beautiful scenery, Great, inexpensive food, easy drive from New Orleans
Cons: Hot in late July (Cured easily by cold beer!)

I love New Orleans! Awright, I want to get that out of the way. In fact I love it so much that I just might move there one day. But just as fascinating as the "Big Easy" is the land just south and west of the city. Terrebonne and LaFourche...

Pros: You will have fun.
Cons: You will probably lose some money.

Lights flash! Bells ding! Coins clang! It's the inside of a
giant money machine, otherwise known as Grand Casino Avoyelles.
When the Tunica-Biloxi Indians opened the Grand Casino several
years ago, in the tiny Cajun town of...

Pros: Free, Fun and Educational
Cons: Bring some bug spray!

In southwest Louisiana, south of I-10, past the little town of Sulphur is the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and its one and a half mile Marsh Trail. While the entire Wildlife Refuge encompasses over 120,000 acres of marsh, it is the Marsh...

Pros: Great food, music & people
Cons: Can get crowded.

If you ever wondered, the secret ingredient to authentic cajun cooking is motor oil - just kidding! Although the name of this festival sounds a bit odd at first, The Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival celebrates the industry that...

Pros: Da crawfish, da shrimp, da oysters, da gator...
Cons: In summer, hotter than you can imagine!

Let's face it; what qualifies as real Cajun food outside of Louisiana is often not Cajun at all. I asked Ray Thibodeaux of Lafayette where I could get some real good Cajun food. He responded, "Well, we got a place down here that serves cornbread,...

Pros: Wonderful culture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cons: Slow pace

Being a ex-native of Louisiana, I can't go without urging people to visit the area of Cypremore Point. The "Point" is approximately 20 miles off of U.S. 10 going towards Lydia, Louisiana.

Upon your drive down to the...

Pros: a rare chance to see animals up close and even feed them
Cons: too far for me to go more than once a year. They make you purchase food if you want to feed the animals and it runs out quickly.

If you are traveling to the New Orleans area, especially with kids, Global Wildlife Center should definitely be on your itinerary!

Located in Folsom, LA just a short drive from New Orleans is our nation's largest free-roaming wildlife park....