Leave Lake Charles along the breathtaking Creole Nature Trail All American Road (www.creolenaturetrail.org), a 180-mile corridor through unspoiled wetlands and wildlife. There's excellent fishing, hunting, crabbing, boating, and nature photography. But before you begin, fuel up at Cajun Charlie's (202 Henning St., Sulphur; 337-527-9044; www.cajuncharlies.com) with a buffet feast of gumbo, étouffée, jambalaya, fried seafood, and hush puppies.

Hackberry's Brown's Grocery (620 Main St., Hackberry; 337-762-4632) draws a crowd that epitomizes the Sportman's Paradise (think pickups hauling hunting dogs and fishing boats). But even businessmen line up at the grocery/deli/gas station for hearty plate lunches, fresh French bread sandwiches, and hot boudin and boudin balls.

Down along the coast, where the marsh meets the flatland, Sha Sha's (4409 Creole Hwy., Creole; 337-542-4850) welcomes with some of the freshest shrimp you'll ever find. Roll up your sleeves and share a traveling tale with your tableside neighbor while you dive into a seafood menu nearly 40 items deep. Then continue on the trail north to the Cameron Prairie Refuge (www.fws.gov/cameronprairie). There you can fish (with a permit) or walk along the levees, watching for deer, birds, and gators. Hope you brought your binoculars.

Ready to spot another meal? Head north to the tiny town of Welsh, smack in the middle of rice country. At mom-and-pop shop called Cajun Tales (501 N. Adams St., Welsh; 337-734-4772) taste rich and spicy stews and étouffées served over local rice.

In Jennings, people rave about Boudin King (906 W. Division St., Jennings; 337-824-6593), in a low-slung building with an oft-occupied drive-thru. Indulge in chicken and sausage gumbo, fried gizzards, red beans and rice, and, of course, boudin that will rock your socks. Frey's Seafood Restaurant (919-A N. Lake Arthur Ave., Jennings; 337-824-6004) is 7,000 square feet of Cajun: classics like savory gumbo and rich étouffée, music on Friday and Saturday nights, and plenty of space to dance. Walker's Cajun Dining (603 Holiday Dr., Jennings; 337-616-0766) too has Cajun staples, plus pasta dishes, thick grilled steaks, and hearty plate lunches. And you can't miss Nott's Corner (639 Arthur Ave., Lake Arthur; 337-774-2332), with its giant crawfish that stands as tall as the building. Seafood, steaks, and gumbo are standards; in the spring every table is piled high with steaming boiled crawfish.

Crystal Rice Plantation & Heritage Farm (6428 Airport Rd., Crowley; 337-783-6417; www.crystalrice.com) is just 25 miles east. Take a tour of this farm that alternates two complimentary crops - rice and crawfish. Afterward, sample a surprise at Rice City Liquor (630 N. Parkerson Ave., Crowley; 337-783-9856) - locals swear by the homemade tamales. Or maybe you'd rather something a little more, er, exotic. In Rayne, the Frog Capital of the World, visitors and locals alike appreciate the fried frog legs at Chef Roy's Frog City Cafe (1131 Church Point Hwy., Rayne; 337-334-7913; www.chefroy.com). Craving crawfish? You're in the right spot. Try Hawk's in Robert's Cove (just off Hwy. 98; 337-788-3266). During crawfish season owner Hawk Arceneaux purges his mudbugs for 48 hours in well water, cleaning out every bit of debris from the flesh and shell, leaving them succulently sweet. The restaurant is at the end of a gravel road in the woods north of Rayne, so you'll have to call for directions.

Kaplan is your first stop in Vermilion Parish - one of the state's larger and more geographically diverse, with Gulf waters, open prairies, and hardwood bottom swamps. Suire's Grocery & Restaurant (13923 Hwy. 35 S., Kaplan; 337-643-8911) cooks up Cajun classics: shrimp and egg stew (with whole boiled eggs), turtle sauce piquant, and fried catfish and alligator. Save room for homemade desserts - sweet dough tarts, fig cake, and pecan pie.

In Abbeville, founded in 1843 by a French missionary, oysters are the draw. Shucks Louisiana Seafood (701 W. Port St., Abbeville; 337-898-3311) is a first-class oyster emporium with lightning-fast shuckers, oysters on the half shell, oyster stew, and oyster poboys. Just around the corner, Dupuy's Oyster Shop (108 S. Main St., Abbeville; 337-893-2336) has been open for more than 100 years. What started out as a sort of oyster harvesting and shucking depot has become a great little restaurant, turning out thick stews, gumbo, fried seafood, and fat steaks. And don't miss Richards Seafood Patio (1516 S. Henry St., Abbeville; 337-893-1693) (pronounced RE-shards), rightly famous for select boiled crawfish. Locals line up before the doors even open, so it's best to get there early.

Mid-October through December, the sweet scent of syrup fills the air here. Sugar cane has always been a huge crop for the state, and Steen's Syrup Mill (119 N. Main St., Abbeville; 800-725-1654; www.steensyrup.com) is the only business of its kind left in the United States. It still makes the same pure, long-cooked, open-kettle cane syrup it did in 1910. Steen's products are available at Robie's Food Center in Abbeville (604 S. State St.; 337-893-4354). You can also purchase numerous other Cajun products from all over Louisiana and don't forget to stop by their deli and enjoy a delicious home cooked plate lunch.

Near Vermilion Bay, in Delcambre, shrimping is the cash crop. Just south of the drawbridge on Highway 14 lie the Delcambre docks, where graceful shrimp boats unload their haul. A few minutes away, Jefferson Island's Rip Van Winkle Gardens (5505 Rip Van Winkle Rd., New Iberia; 337-359-8525; www.ripvanwinklegardens.com) boasts 25 acres of irises, magnolias, hibiscus, camellias, azaleas, and other plants and flowers that bloom year round, all sitting atop a salt dome.

Worked up an appetite? Get started on the Bayou Bounty trail nearby.