BWWC 2005: Lafayette Area Attractions

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Lafayette Area Attractions

Click here to download a list of local attractions in Adobe Acrobat Format (.pdf)

Located at the heart of French Louisiana (Acadiana), Lafayette is situated on the Bayou Vermilion. This area is home to a rich cultural heritage, lively music and, of course, delicious Cajun cuisine including local specialties such as crawfish étouffé, spicy shrimp jambalaya and many varieties of gumbo. April brings delightful weather to Acadiana, so while you're at the BWWC you might take a little time to stroll around the grounds of an antebellum plantation, listen to a live Zydeco band while eating breakfast at the Café des Amis, try the Cajun two-step at the fait do-do at Randol's Restaurant, visit the Tabasco factory or even take a swamp tour and catch a glimpse of a lazy alligator sunning itself.

Shadows on the Teche Plantation

Shadows on the Teche

Alligator in Emerald Water

Gator!

Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve, Acadian Cultural Center - Surrey Street (Across from the airport). This center is part of the United States Park Service, run by uniformed US Park Rangers. It is an interpretive center for the Cajun and Creole cultures. There is an exhibit on Acadian folklife and a 40 minute film (beginning every hour). 232-0789. No charge.

Vermilionville Historic Village - Surrey Street (Next to the Jean Lafitte Center). Vermilionville is a folklife museum located on the banks of Bayou Vermilion in Lafayette, about a 10-minute drive from the Lafayette Hilton. It is a living history re-creation of 19th century Vermilionville (founded in 1822 and later re-named Lafayette). It celebrates the culture of the Cajuns and Creoles through traditional architecture, crafts, occupations, music, and foodways. 992-2968. Entry fee is $8.00.

Girard Park - located within easy walking distance of the Hilton, right beyond the Oil Center. Encircled by a walking/jogging track. Pleasant setting with duck ponds, oaks, and nutria.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Campus - also within easy walking distance. The main section of the campus is bordered, roughly, by Girard Park Drive, Johnston Street, and University Avenue. St. Mary Boulevard runs through the middle of the campus. Cypress Swamp, located in the center of the campus (off St. Mary, on Hebrard), is the picturesque home of turtles, fish, and alligators (which you can observe safely from the deck).

Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium - 433 Jefferson St. (downtown). Open Tuesday through Friday, 9am to 5pm; Saturday 10am to 6pm; Sunday 1:00pm to 6pm. The current exhibition is "Dragon Skies: Astronomy of Imperial China." Planetarium showtimes are Saturday 11am, 1:30pm, 2:45pm, 4pm; and Sunday 1:30 pm, 2:45pm, 4pm. 291-5544. Admission $5.

Zoo of Acadiana - 116 Lakeview Drive, Broussard. Take I-49 South toward Broussard, turn left onto Rue Zoo. Visit the Fennec Fox, Spider Monkey, and, of course, the American Alligators. Open daily. 837-4325. Admission is $7.95.

Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum - 710 East St. Mary. Open Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sculptures by Lee Littlefield and Deborah Butterfield are on display, as well as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Thesis Exhibition. The permanent collection represents 18th, 19th and 20th century Louisiana, as well as the United States, Europe and Japan. 482-2ART (2278). Admission $5.

Heymann Oil Center - an area of office buildings, interesting upscale shops, restaurants, hospital and medical center; bordered by Pinhook, South College Rd., Girard Park Dr., and St. Mary Blvd. (For James Lee Burke fans, this is a place Dave Robicheaux "never liked.")

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist - 515 Cathedral St. (near City Hall). The 400-year old St. John's Oak in the front yard is the second largest oak tree in Louisiana. Above-ground tombs in the cathedral cemetery are typical of burial customs in southern French Louisiana, reflecting French heritage and tradition here more than requirements of the terrain. Lafayette (unlike New Orleans) is above sea level.