Bayou Lafourche Louisiana
A swamp tour sets off under a canopy of Spanish moss
Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation’s humble general store
Bayou Lafourche’s meandering waters
Live music performance at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center
Kayak fishing in the coastal waters
Meeting a baby alligator on a swamp tour
Delicious Louisiana specialties at Bubba’s II PoBoys
Showing off a big fish caught on a local fishing charter
A shrimp boat on one of the bayou's many waterways
- Major Airports:
- New Orleans (MSY)
- States:
- Louisiana
Savoring the sweet Cajun Bayou life
Cajun Culture for Everyone
Though the area’s rich Cajun heritage is felt nearly everywhere you go here, several attractions dedicate themselves to exploring its roots. Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux interprets the lives of the French Acadians, or Cajuns, who settled here from Canada. Exhibits feature everything from home décor and clothing to cuisine and religion, and a weekly free Cajun music jam brings the culture to vibrant life. Nearby, the Center for Traditional Boat Building Museum displays nine wooden vessels as well as related artifacts that explore the area’s fishing and boat-crafting history. The bayou’s role in shaping the lives of the community is so crucial that even the Bayou Country Children’s Museum devotes an interactive gallery to it, complete with a child-sized shrimp boat. There’s even an offshore supply vessel outside that young captains can pretend to steer through the Gulf of Mexico.
Swamp and House Tours
With 160 kilometers running through the area, a drive along Louisiana's Cajun Bayou is definitely in order. Catch up with the Wetlands Cultural Scenic Byway at Louisiana Highway 1 or LA 308, which will take you past swamps and shrimpers. Several swamp tours – some by airboat, others by slower crafts and kayaks – pop up on the route. Take one to see bayou wildlife like alligators and bald eagles. After exploring the bayou, discover how people lived alongside it or, in the case of the E.D. White Historic Site, right on its banks. A National Historic Landmark, this stately 1825 plantation home is worth a tour for the story its architecture tells about 19th century life here. For more insight, visit Laurel Valley Village Sugar Plantation, the largest of its kind left in the USA. With over 60 structures, including a mill, schoolhouse and church, the village showcases the scope of such an operation.
Festive Food and Drink
In Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou, there’s an authenticity to the culinary experience that shows how the food and culture are deliciously intertwined. Here, the journey begins on the the Cajun Bayou Food Trail, where you'll venture off the main road and follow the bayou as it flows through wetlands alongside authentic Cajun communities. Discover generations of unique traditions, culture and flavor in the eating establishments, culinary festivals and events that celebrate cuisine and craft beverages here.
Fun Fact