St. Landry

St. Landry Parish was once the domain of the indigenous Appalousa people, who gave their name to the parish seat of Opelousas. Today Opelousas, likely Louisiana’s third-oldest city, and its capital during the Civil War, is known as the “Zydeco Music Capital of the World.” Zydeco King Clifton Chenier was born here, as were two distinguished chefs who brought Cajun cuisine to the world: Paul Prudhomme and Tony Chachere. St. Landry’s second largest town, Eunice, bills itself as the Prairie Cajun Capital, where rice fields and crawfish ponds stretch into the horizon. Eunice is the site of several important music locales, including the Savoy Music Center, an accordion atelier with a Cajun jam every Saturday morning; the Liberty Theatre’s Rendez-vous des Cajuns live radio show; and Acadiana’s premier all-local radio station, KBON 101.1. The little town of Arnaudville is home to Bayou Teche craft brewery and the always fascinating NUNU Arts & Culture Collective, a gallery, gift shop, and communal gathering spot. Once a bustling steamboat town, Washington now houses the Old Schoolhouse Antique Mall, 40,000 square feet of vintage collectables. And don’t forget to pass by Port Barre, where the headwaters of the Bayou Teche begin, and the annual Cracklin Festival gets eaters crunching on fried pig skins.