Vermilionville

Cajun Country


This tranquil, recreated 19th-century Cajun village wends along the bayou near the airport. Friendly, enthusiastic costumed docents explain Cajun, Creole, and Native American history, and local bands or dance-hall-esque events go off on Sunday (1pm to 4pm). You can also stop in for a buffet lunch.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cajun Country attractions

1. Acadian Cultural Center

0.1 MILES

This National Parks Service museum has extensive exhibits on Cajun culture and is a good entry point for those looking to peer deeper into Acadian…

2. Children's Museum of Acadiana

1.47 MILES

Lafayette's children's museum is a pretty good spot to kill half a day with younger kids. There's a TV studio, fake dentist office (yay?), bubble 'factory…

3. Lake Martin

5.58 MILES

This lake – a mossy green dollop surrounded by thin trees and cypress trunks – serves as a wonderful, easily accessible introduction to bayou landscapes…

4. Acadian Village

6.36 MILES

At the understated, educational Acadian Village, you follow a brick path around a rippling bayou to restored houses, craftsman barns and a church. Old…

5. Shadows on the Teche

18.06 MILES

This grand, Gothic Greek Revival plantation house sits on the banks of – you guessed it – Bayou Teche, a geographic location that adds to its eerie,…

6. Jungle Gardens

21.59 MILES

In 1890 Tabasco founder EA McIlhenny started this bird sanctuary on Avery Island. At Jungle Gardens you can drive or walk through 250 acres of moss…

7. McIlhenny Tabasco Factory

21.71 MILES

Driving here feels a bit like entering Oz. After stopping and waiting for the gate to lift, you drive onto Avery Island – which isn’t really an island,…

8. Opelousas Museum & Interpretive Center

22.75 MILES

Squatting sleepily alongside Hwy 49, Opelousas' historic downtown is home to this grandma's attic of exhibits, artifacts and esoterica related to the town…