Sharing the food, music, culture, and history at the heart of Cajun & Creole Country.

History of Festivals Acadiens et Creoles

In the 1930s, folklorists John and Alan Lomax visited South Louisiana to record Cajun and Creole songs for the Library of Congress Archive of American Folk Song (now the Archive of Folk Culture). It was the first time someone recorded Cajun and Creole songs on tape for archival purposes. In 1964…

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Civil Rights Trail in Lafayette

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail marks important landmarks, primarily in Southern states, where activists challenged segregation in churches, courthouses, schools, and other sites in the 1950s and 1960s. In Louisiana, interpretive markers, each explaining the stories of the people who worked for equality…

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Lafayette's Historic Restaurants

In the late 1700s, South Louisiana was a melting pot of cultures where families, friends, travelers, and neighbors gathered around the table at mealtime. Today, Cajun culture still revolves around food, family, and joie de vivre, which is a joy of life. Many of the area’s most popular restaurants…

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Things to Do on a Monday in Lafayette

Oftentimes it can be difficult when visiting an area to find things to do on a Monday. It’s one of our more popular questions at the beginning of each week in our Visitor’s Center. In spite of what you may believe there are plenty of things to do, places to eat as well as shop throughout Lafayette…

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GRAMMYs in Acadiana: Music Goldmine

GRAMMY award-winning and nominated musicians from Acadiana Music has been the soul of Acadiana since the area's humble beginnings, with a melting pot of Cajuns, Creoles, European, and Native American cultures inspiring fresh new sounds. South Louisiana has fostered folk music, country, rock, rhythm…

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Mardi Gras Frequently Asked Questions

South Louisiana is home to the greatest free party on earth, a colorful celebration known as Mardi Gras. In Lafayette, LA, residents celebrate in many ways, including the traditional courir de Mardi Gras; parades with marching bands, beads, and doubloons; Mardi Gras Indians with elaborate dancing…

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A Cake Fit For A King

Most people think of Mardi Gras as our season of merriment before Lent, but many of our traditions, such as the sweet and decorative king cake, begin with Christmas. The season of Carnival begins on Jan. 6, known as the Epiphany or Twelfth Night, the day the three kings visited the Christ Child. In…

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Mardi Gras Treasures

Carnival is the season of merriment leading up to Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent. During Carnival, south Louisiana celebrates with parades and other special events. Krewes are the organizations that sponsor the parades, which are sometimes preceded by krewe…

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Dance For A Chicken: Cajun Country Mardi Gras

Most people recognize Mardi Gras as parades, masked balls, and other urban events, but in Cajun Country, a unique side of Mardi Gras takes place in the countryside and dates back centuries. In Acadiana, a region surrounding Lafayette, many towns celebrate the ancient Carnival tradition of courirs…

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