Bayou Lafourche Parish
Bayou Lafourche is your path to enjoying a Cajun vacation. Within an hour of New Orleans, you can visit along the bayou known locally as the “The Longest Street in the World”, which connects many communities that developed along its banks.
Traveling throughout Lafourche Parish is simple--just go "up the bayou" or "down the bayou". Highways LA 1 and LA 308 parallel the Bayou as it winds its way to the Gulf of Mexico at Port Fourchon. Here you can enjoy the experience of a Cajun festival, music, dancing, swamp tours, fishing, birding and taste our mouth-watering authentic Cajun delicacies. Relax as you stroll the beach or browse antique shops.
As you travel throughout Lafourche Parish you will experience our "joie de vivre" and genuine Cajun hospitality, while you enjoy a wide variety of attractions.
Traveling "up the bayou" from the Visitor Welcome Center, you will drive through the farming communities next to churches. In Thibodaux, walk into the past at Laurel Valley Plantation, America's oldest surviving working sugar plantation. The Wetlands Acadiana Cultural Center, a part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve, offers exhibits, demonstrations and videos that tell the story of the Acadians who settled along the bayous and in the swamps and wetlands of Southeastern Louisiana. Thibodaux's downtown area features numerous buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and quaint antique shops. The grand Queen Ann Revival homes along Canal Boulevard remind passersby of a by-gone era. In Kraemer discover the mystery and haunting beauty of the cypress swamps on a swamp tour.
Traveling "down the bayou" from the Visitor Welcome Center, you will see lush fields of sugarcane and cattle pastures. The farther "down the bayou" you travel you will pass through small communities and fishing villages. In Golden Meadow stop to view the "Petit Caporal," the first fishing boat (built in 1850) converted from sail to motor driven to ply the bayou waters for over 100 years. Continuing "down the bayou" you will drive by shrimp docks and processing plants and wind your way through the wetlands. These marshes and estuaries produce various wildlife species as well as an abundance of seafood. At Port Fourchon, Bayou Lafourche ends its 110-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. From the beach, you can see the shrimp boats trawling the waters for an abundant catch of shrimp, crabs and fish. You will also see the oil rigs drilling for "black gold" and the support vessels bringing supplies and personnel to the platforms.
On any given weekend in spring and fall you may find a festival celebrating Cajun culture and heritage with an array of local Cajun food, music and dancing. In winter, experience our Mardi Gras!
Hungry? Enjoy authentic Cajun delicacies at the many locally owned restaurants "up and down the bayou," as you talk with locals and listen to "Boudreaux and Thibodaux" jokes. All this and more can be found in "The Gateway to Cajun Country and the Gulf of Mexico." For more information on planning your Cajun vacation, call 877-537-5800, visit our website www.visitlafourche.com or email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
