Friend Group Getaways in Lafayette

Lafayette’s 100-acre Moncus Park in the center of town offers daily special events in addition to its picturesque walking trails, playground for kids, gardens, and picnic areas. The park provides the ideal spot for group activities, but don’t miss guided nature walks, yoga, movies, live music events in the natural amphitheater, and Saturday’s Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market. There’s a fee to park, but every Monday, parking is free. 

Just minutes from downtown Lafayette and next to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Girard Park is a local favorite for relaxing and reconnecting with friends. This 33-acre park offers scenic walking trails, a pond with resident ducks, shaded picnic spots, and plenty of open green space with a 9-hole frisbee golf course. You’ll also find tennis and basketball courts, a fitness trail, and pavilions with BBQ pits perfect for group gatherings.

To get a feel for Cajun and Creole culture, Vermilionville Living History Museum Folklife Park, and Acadian Village let visitors literally walk through history. Both have assembled historic homes and buildings to create villages resembling 19th-century life. 

On the 23 acres along Bayou Vermilion, Vermilionville showcases Acadian, Creole, and Native American cultures that existed here from 1765 to 1890. Visitors will find costumed artisans, a gift shop, and a calendar of ongoing live music and dancing. Make it an experience with a guided tour of the historic village, a Bayou Vermilion boat tour, or a group cooking class!

LARC’s Acadian Village is a folklife museum that also presents Acadian society in South Louisiana during the 19th century. Visitors may enjoy guided tours, educational programs, and artisan demonstrations. Make it a celebration during December with Noel Acadien au Village, featuring half a million lights, live entertainment, carnival rides, local cuisine, photos with Santa, and holiday shopping.

There’s so much to discover at Lafayette’s museums, from world-class artwork at the Hilliard University Art Museum located on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus, the interactive Children’s Museum of Acadiana, the Lafayette Museum, Historic Home and Gardens, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Science Museum. 

The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve-Acadian Cultural Center is one of three dedicated to the Acadians and Creoles who settled South Louisiana. Visitors to the Lafayette center will learn about the origins, migration, settlement, and contemporary culture of the Acadians (Cajuns) and other area groups through films, exhibits, and programming, with rangers also hosting special events. 

Explore Lafayette’s pivotal role in America’s journey toward equality along the Civil Rights Trail. At the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, four courageous Black students challenged segregation in 1953 and helped integrate one of the first state-funded Southern universities. Their story is commemorated with the “Pillars of Progress” memorial part of Louisiana’s broader route of interpretive markers revealing key moments of the movement. 

We’re in Louisiana, so a vibrant sports environment is to be expected, most of which is family-friendly and complemented by some of the tastiest tailgating you’ll find anywhere. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette belongs to the Sun Belt Conference and competes in the NCAA’s Division I, the highest level of collegiate athletics. The Ragin’ Cajuns compete in 16 sports, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, track and field, softball, soccer, and volleyball. 

Sports facilities in Lafayette and the surrounding area include the impressive Youngsville Sports and Recreation Complex, Broussard Sports Complex at St. Julien Park, and Moore Park soccer complex, in addition to the CAJUNDOME in the center of Lafayette. 

Just south of Lafayette in Youngsville, the Youngsville Sports Complex spans over 100 acres, and features baseball and softball fields, tennis courts, a beach volleyball arena at Sugar Beach, and a splash park.

Nearby in Broussard, the 122-acre Broussard Sports Complex at St. Julien Park offers more than just fields. With soccer and football fields, softball diamonds, tennis courts, a disc-golf course, walking trails, ponds for catch-and-release fishing, and a splash pad for cooldowns, it’s ideal for groups that want versatility. 

Groups visiting Lafayette will quickly discover that the city truly comes alive during festival season. Throughout the year, Lafayette hosts world-renowned celebrations that blend culture, music, food, and community spirit, perfect for sharing with friends. 

Experience the excitement of one of Louisiana’s largest Mardi Gras celebrations, where colorful parades and elegant balls meet the traditional courir de Mardi Gras, a rural Cajun event that traces its roots back centuries.

In spring, Festival International de Louisiane transforms downtown Lafayette into a global stage, uniting musicians and artists from French-speaking regions around the world for five unforgettable days of music, art, and cuisine. 

When fall arrives, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles takes center stage, celebrating the sounds of Cajun and zydeco music alongside local food, crafts, and heritage. 

And for those who love authentic Cajun & Creole cooking, the South Louisiana Black Pot Festival & Cookoff at Vermilionville brings together live music, dancing, and black pot cooking competition.