Lafayette Louisiana was originally founded as Vermilionville in 1821 by a French-speaking Acadian named Jean Mouton. It was renamed in 1884 after the Marquis de Lafayette for his assistance to the U.S. during the Revolutionary War. The economy of Lafayette Louisiana depended upon agriculture up to the 1940s. After that time, Lafayette LA became a center for the petroleum and natural gas industry.
Today, Lafayette Louisiana has a strong tourism industry,
attracted by the Cajun and Creole cultures of the surrounding
region. Lafayette calls itself the heart of Acadiana
because the French Canadian Acadians settled here after
escaping the oppression of the British in the early 1700’s.
It’s also referred to as the unofficial capital
of Cajun Country. One of the best things to do in
Lafayette is eat. Featuring some of the best dining
in the country, the food is a mixture of spicy southern
with French influence and will leave you dreaming for
years to come. Fifteen miles west of a massive nature
attraction, the Atchafalaya Basin, Lafayette LA is also
35 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. The local
area is surrounded by forests, swamps and marshes, making
for some excellent outdoor adventures like golf,
fishing and hunting.
Lafayette Louisiana events are a big attraction as well.
Lafayette is also host to some of Lousiana's big events
and festivals. The Louisiana State Championship
Homemade Ice Cream Freeze-Off is a statewide competition
for the best ice cream in mid-June. The Creole Culture
Day is a festival of the history of the French Creoles
in Louisiana and their contribution. You can have
a Creole cooking class and learn how to dance to Zydeco
music. The Zydeco Music Festival is a great way
to learn all about this music that is specific to the
Louisiana culture. Te best way to describe this
music is spicy country rendition mixed with a bit of jazz.
One of the premiere Lafayette Louisiana events is the
Crawfish Festival. One of the favorite pastimes
of this culture is the catching of crawfish from the nearby
swamps and ocean. Hundreds of pounds of crawfish
are cooked in every delicious way fathomable and there
are dances, crawfish races and many more delights at this
granddaddy of all Lafayette Louisiana events.
There are several tourist attractions
in and around Lafayette, LA. A great place to witness
history is at the Acadian village. This Louisiana
attraction is a small village recreated to show how
Louisiana’s original settlers lived on the bayou.
You can take swamp boat tours with the Atchafalaya
Experience. Check out the wildlife
and come face to face with the famous Louisiana alligators.
There is a Children’s Museum and several art museums,
and the Lafayette Natural History Museum and planetarium
for some good family fun.
Lafayette is a great place for day
trips as New Orleans is a hour and 1/2 drive
as is Marksville to the north
with its big casino. You can also catch Lake
Charles an hour to the West, so renting a car and
doing some exploring would be a great idea.
Hotels in Lafayette LA are plentiful especially the
budget hotels. You can try the big Hilton Hotel
and towers which has a big convention center, or take
in one of the many budget Lafayette hotels. There
are plenty of choice Lafayette hotels like Comfort Inn,
as well as the Drury Inn, Hampton Inn, Best Western and
La Quinta. Some hotels in Lafayette LA can be interesting
like the Blue Moon Inn Guest House and Salon, more of
a hostel with live music nightly. There are also
hotels in Lafayette LA that function as bed
and breakfast hotels like the Bois des Chenes
Inn, listed on the national register of historic places
and full of antiques for the history lover and romantic
at heart. Like most Lafayette hotels that are very cheap
(Travelodge, Super 8 and the like) be prepared for budget
conditions, which is basically one step up from camping.
If you are looking for a place to discover the bayou and eat some of the best food on earth, a Lafayette Louisiana vacation is the ticket.
