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Lafayette AttractionsAcadian Village Alexandre Mouton
House – Lafayette Museum Evangeline Downs
Racetrack Festival International
de Louisiane Kart Ranch Lafayette Natural
History Museum & Planetarium Longfellow-Evangeline
State Commemorative Area Le Festival de Mardi
Gras à Lafayette Rodrigue Museum Rok Haus Climbing
Gym St. John's
Cathedral University Art Museum Vermilionville Zoo of Acadiana | ||
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Acadian
Village, a replica of a late 19th-century Creole community, showcases
the vast history of the Lafayette region. This attraction – with
eight authentic cabins, a general store, blacksmith's shop, and
chapel – offers a nearly complete view of life in southwest Louisiana
near the turn of the century. Visitors learn about the early settlers'
culture, language, and their journey here from Nova Scotia. They also
learn about the Confederate ties that brought down the aristocracy following
the Civil War, and how these roots have influenced modern life in Acadia.
A cornucopia of antiques decorates the houses and other buildings that
comprise one of the rarest and largest collections in Louisiana. The village,
located conveniently at 200 Greenleaf Drive off of West Broussard and
Ridge roads, complements any excursion to the Lafayette area and offers
fun for the entire family.
Jean
Mouton, the founder of Lafayette, built this old Sunday or town house
in 1800. It predates all existing structures in Acadia. Jean's son
Alexandre Mouton was born in this house on Nov. 19, 1804 and became owner
in 1834, upon his father's death. Alexandre, who played a decisive
role in the succession of Louisiana from the union, later became a U.S.
senator and eventually the ninth governor of Louisiana. Furnished with
contemporary antiques, this museum houses a collection of heirlooms, historical
memorabilia, Civil War relics, and Mardi Gras costumes. The museum, conveniently
located at 1122 Lafayette St., lies in the heart of historical downtown
Lafayette.
Evangeline
Downs Racetrack presents live horseracing from the first week in April
through Labor Day weekend each year, and simulcasts betting year-round.
It offers a seven-eighths-mile, oval track with over 1,000 stalls on a
133.7-acre property. Decorated with two ponds and lush landscaping, the
infield houses one of the most resplendent gardens in the area and makes
the view from the clubhouse quite exquisite. This racetrack, located on
Interstate 49 just three miles north of Interstate 10, showcases some
of the most anticipated races in Louisiana. 
Family fun for
all ages will be found at Kart Ranch, a quick getaway for the children
after a day of educational toil. Kart Ranch, although known for its two
go-kart tracks, offers a variety of entertaining activities – from
Water Wars and bumper boats to the batting cages and 18-hole minigolf
course. Inexpensive entertainment resides all around Kart Ranch, which
is close to downtown Lafayette and located one-fourth mile south of Pinhook
Road on Highway 89. The attraction is open at different hours throughout
the week.
In
1956, a women's service group called Les Deux Douzaines (the two
dozen) began working on a science enrichment program for local school
children. As the group's resources soon drew thin, they rounded
up community support for a full-time educational facility that became
the Lafayette Natural history Museum and Planetarium in 1969. Although
the museum's main goal is scientific education, it has expanded
its collection to include exhibits on history, culture, and – to
a narrow degree – fine arts. The museum, although a favorite of
younger visitors, stresses interactivity and imagination in its exhibits
to capture the attention of the whole family. The museum opened its new
three-story, 72,000-square-foot location at the corner of Polk and Congress
streets in downtown Lafayette on Oct. 29, 2002. The museum is open daily
and charges $2 to $5 for admission.
Situated
along the banks of the Bayou Teche, this state park enlightens visitors
about the meeting of ill-fated lovers Evangeline and Gabriel and the Longfellow
poem they inspired. It also elucidates the culture clash of the exiled
Acadians from Nova Scotia with wealthy New Orleanians seeking to flee
the oppressive heat and epidemics of the city. Complete with a mansion,
two cabins, two barns and farmstead, this site offers a view into the
typical 19th-century Louisiana plantation environment. The Maison Olivier,
acquired by Charles DuClozel Olivier in the early 1800s, is built in a
distinctive architectural form called a Raised Creole Cottage –
which displays Creole, French, and Caribbean influences. It was under
Olivier's control when the property reached its greatest prosperity
as a sugar plantation. The entrance to the park, just outside of Lafayette,
is located on North Main Street.
Le
festival de Mardi Gras à Lafayette, the second-largest Mardi Gras
celebration in Louisiana, attracts thousands of onlookers each year. Although
festivities date back to 1869, the city didn't crown a first king
of Mardi Gras until 1897 – when the installed King Attakapas rode
into Lafayette on the first float, a Southern Pacific train decorated
as a royal throne. Le festival de Mardi Gras, which occurs the same weekend
as New Orleans’ big bash, has included elaborate floats ever since.
The spectacle also includes many formal balls; however, only the Southwest
Louisiana Mardi Gras Association Pageant and Ball is open to the general
public. The Courir de Mardi Gras (a series of traditional rural jamborees)
include a ceremonial horse ride, in which participants go door-to-door
to beg for the ingredients to a gumbo served at the climactic “fais-do-do”
(dance). Check with the city's visitor's center for the exact
dates of Lafayette's Mardi Gras celebrations.
The
George Rodrigue Museum, at the Acadian Village in Lafayette, showcases
18 paintings from the artist’s “Saga of the Acadians.”
This major work, commissioned locally by Gerald and Betty Defez, was completed
between 1989 and 1993. This series of oil prints outlines the history
of the Acadian people from their first settlements in Nova Scotia through
the Cajun community of south Louisiana. The museum also houses a revolving
collection of Blue Dog paintings from the artist's personal collection.
Rok
Haus Climbing Gym, with over 4,000 square feet of climbing space, helps
beginning to expert climbers hike its wall. Experienced trainers facilitate
this process by helping guests use and understand a full range of rental
equipment. They also offer climbing classes to adults, outdoor trips and
group programs to families, and birthday parties to children. Youths also
can participate in a summer climbing camp and junior climbing team at
Rok Haus. To provide athletic fun for the whole family, one would be hard-pressed
to beat the Rok Haus. It is located at 109 Grand Ave., just off of Johnston
Street in West Lafayette.
In
1821, Jean Mouton founded this church parish near a 500-year-old oak tree,
which still stands on the site. The Dutch Romanesque cathedral, built
in 1918, replaced the original chapel with a structure that, at the time,
dwarfed all other buildings in Acadia with its soaring architecture. An
educational, on-site museum traces the history of the parish and its relationship
to the town that it occupies. The cathedral, located at 914 St. John St.,
provides the perfect backdrop for a quiet afternoon of religious contemplation.
The
University Art Museum, founded in 1968, accumulates, conserves, displays,
and deciphers artworks that appeal to the intellectual heritage of the
region. The permanent collection – housing more than 1,000 paintings,
prints, drawings, sculptures and photographs – embodies 18th-, 19th-,
and 20th-century American, European, and Asian art. The museum constantly
expands its collection and strives to bring it to the local region, even
if that means transcending the physical boundaries of the university.
The museum is presently located on the second floor of Fletcher Hall,
at the corner of East Lewis Street and Girard Park Circle, on the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette's campus. It will move to a new gallery
space at 710 East St. (off of Mary Boulevard) in December 2003.
Vermilionville
celebrates the Acadian roots of the Lafayette region by showcasing costumed
craftspeople, interpreters and living historians who have preserved the
arts and skills past down from previous generations of Creole inhabitants.
Positioned on the banks of Bayou Vermilion, this attraction portrays a
way of life that ended over a century ago for most of Lafayette’s
distinct French-speaking residents. The staff of Vermilionville strives
to bring the past to life through live demonstrations and interactive
activities, which would enthrall the entire family. This living museum,
located at 300 Fisher Road off of Surrey Street, attracts visitors from
all over the world.
As the only
zoo in southwest Louisiana, the Zoo of Acadiana attracts thousands of
visitors each year to its 25-acre park. This attraction, which began as
an exotic pheasant farm, has collected over 100 species of unusual creatures
to makeup its present-day population of 800-plus animals. Shaded boardwalks
and walkways lead visitors through a highly educational environment complete
with a petting zoo, concession stand, gift shop, and indoor and outdoor
meeting facilities. The privately operated zoo – receiving no state
or federal funding – supports itself through admissions, donations,
and fund-raisers. It is open 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving
and Christmas. Visitors will find the zoo at 116 Lakeview Drive in Broussard,
which is just outside of Lafayette.