Lafayette, LA Road Trips

1 Acadian Cultural Center, 501 Fisher Road, ☏ +1 337 232-0789. Daily 8AM-5PM. You can spend an hour or so here learning about the history of the Acadian (Cajun) people. Free, donations accepted. 2 Lafayette Science Museum, 433 Jefferson St, ☏ +1 337 291-5544. Th-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 1PM-6PM, M-Th closed. Adults $12, Seniors (60+) $5, Children (2-15) $8, Ages 2 and under free. (updated Oct 2021) 3 University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 104 E University Ave. A large four-year university with a great campus and a small swamp containing live alligators next to the Student Union. There is a University Art Museum on campus, and an International Film Series is screened every semester. 4 Vermilionville, 300 Fisher Road, ☏ +1 337 233-4077. Tu-Su 10AM-4PM. A heritage and folk-life park depicting the way of life on the Bayou. The park has costumed French interpreters, traditional craft demos, and hosts traditional Cajun music and dance parties each Sunday. $8 adults. 5 Hilliard Art Museum, 710 E. Saint Mary Blvd (on University of Louisiana, Lafayette campus), ☏ +1 337-482-0811. Tu-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-5PM. Museum collection of over 4,000 objects including 18th-, 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century American, European and Asian art works. $4/adult, $3/senior, $2/student. 6 The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 914 St John St, ☏ +1 337 232-1322. (updated Nov 2020)

Lafayette Pétanque Club, Girard Park. 4PM-sunset, 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. Pétanque is a deceptively simple two-player French game played with tennis-ball-sized metal orbs that is similar to bocce or horseshoes. Players score points by tossing their balls as close to a target ball as possible while trying to knock their opponent's away. It's a ubiquitous sight in parks all over France, where it is a national game of sorts, but quite rare in the U.S. Members socialize in both English and French. Visitors are encouraged. Free. (updated Dec 2018) Listen to 101.1 FM KBON. With a combination of Louisiana country music sung sometimes in French accompanied by accordion, and sometimes in English, listening to this radio station as you travel the area very distinctly tells that you are in Acadiana, and not some other part of the United States. Free. (updated Jan 2023) 1 Sky Zone, 3814 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, ☏ +1 337 417-8000. Indoor trampoline park (updated Jan 2023) Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival (in the nearby town of Breaux Bridge). Usually occurs in early May. This annual weekend veneration of the "mud bug" brings together the best features of Cajun culture. The main centerpiece of the festival is a massive iron kettle which sees a constant flow of the festival's namesake critters throughout the day (also available in abundance in any form you could wish for.) The other centerpiece of the festival is a stage, which sees the most popular Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, and Creole musicians around. D.L.

Lafayette is a center for great Cajun cuisine (see the Acadiana article for an overview), but don't think Cajun food is all there is to eat here. Many different styles of food can be found here, and many have developed a Cajun flair. Lafayette is truly a food-oriented city, with more restaurants than cities with a much larger population. We talk about what to eat a lunch over breakfast, and what to eat for dinner over lunch; and we're rarely disappointed with the outcome. Agave Cantina, 200 E Vermilion St, ☏ +1 337 289-0000. M-W 11AM-10PM, Th-Sa 11AM-11PM. Tex-Mex with some Tex-Mex / Creole fusion dishes. Inside and outside eating. Another Broken Egg, 112 Rue Promenade, ☏ +1 337 504-3365. Terrific breakfasts and brunches. Artmosphere, 902 Johnston St, ☏ +1 337 233-3331. M-Sa 11AM - 2PM, Su 11AM - midnight. Eclectically decorated restaurant, bar and hookah bar with live music and a wide variety of great food. 1 Borden's Ice Cream Shop, 1103 Jefferson St. Noon - 8PM. Ice cream, ice cream dishes and soda fountain. (updated Oct 2020) Cafe Sydnie Mae, 140 E. Bridge St., Breaux Bridge, ☏ +1 337-909-2377. Su 9AM-2PM; M Tu closed, W-F 5-9PM; Sa 11AM-2PM, 5-9PM. Steaks, seafood and spirits. Charley G's, 3809 South Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, ☏ +1 337 981-0108. Specialty in seafood. Excellent bar. Live piano music. The French Press, 214 East Vermilion St, ☏ +1 337 233-9449. Great local and French food, lunches and breakfasts. One of Lafayette's most celebrated for good reason. Hub City Diner 1412 South College, +1 337 235-5683.

Downtown Lafayette Hosts live entertainment nightly with its variety of clubs and kind of resembles New Orleans' French Quarter on a smaller scale. The Strip on McKinley Street with its row of bars right next to The University of Louisiana is another popular venue. Where it used to the run of college students from The Keg to the McKinley Street Pub, the scene is now represented by new members like La Honda Discotheque and Freetown Boom Boom Room. Most visitors to Lafayette are often surprised by another feature of the local drinking scene: drive-thru daiquiri stores. Open-container laws are seemingly disregarded as customers can purchase potent frozen drinks without leaving their car, and then simply drive-off. Exercise caution, though, as cops still consider these drinks to be open alcohol containers, as evident by the styrofoam-cupped drinks are often handed to customers with a piece of tape over the lid opening. For you bar and club patrons, last call in Lafayette is at 2AM Monday through Saturday, and at midnight on Sunday nights. 1 The Greenroom, 229 Jefferson St, ☏ +1 337 233-4255. 4PM-2AM. Great local bar in Downtown Lafayette with an easygoing vibe. Several local and imported beers on tap, with the widest bottled beer selection in town. Nightly drink specials, pool tables, shuffleboard, foosball, and plenty of good people..

Hampton Inn Lafayette, 3941 State Road 26 East, ☏ +1 765 447-1600, fax: +1 765 449-9963. $100 (for an extra $20 get the jacuzzi suite). 1 Lafayette Microtel Inn & Suites, 301 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, ☏ +1 337 235-9010. 2 Blue Moon Guesthouse, 215 E Convent St, ☏ +1 337 234-2422, toll-free: +1-877-766-2583. Check-in: 5-10PM, check-out: 11AM. A clean, safe, and very hospitable hostel located in downtown Lafeyette. Dorms from $18, privates from $75. (updated Nov 2015) 3 The Juliet, 800 Jefferson St, ☏ +1 337 261-2225. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: Noon. $109.

& Lafayette is at the intersection of Interstates 10 and 49. I-10 runs through the northern part of Lafayette, linking the city with New Orleans (2½ hours east) and Houston (4 hours west). I-49 links Lafayette with Alexandria and Shreveport to the north. to Going south of I-10, US Hwy 167 connects travelers to US Hwy 90 where it takes a southern turn and passes through New Iberia, Franklin, Morgan City, and the Houma – Bayou Cane – Thibodaux metropolitan area before reaching New Orleans. Going west of its junction with US Hwy 167, US Hwy 90 closely parallels I-10 through Scott, Rayne, Crawley, Jennings and Lake Charles to the Texas state line. Going north, US Hwy 167 becomes I-49. 1 Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT IATA). Has nonstop flights on American Eagle from Dallas/Fort Worth (Envoy & Mesa Airlines) and Charlotte (PSA Airlines); Delta Connection from Atlanta (Endeavour Air); and United Express from Houston (Mesa Air & CommutAir). 2 Greyhound Lines, (bus stop) Lafayette Transit System (LTS) Station @ 100 Lee Ave (bus stop at the local bus transit center north of the Amtrak station building. No Greyhound ticket counter inside train station building.). Greyhound travels primarily on I-10 (Houston, Beaumont Vidor, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans); US 90 (Lafayette, New Iberia, Morgan City, Thibodaux, Houma, Raceland and New Orleans); and on I-49/US 167 (Lafayette, Opelousas, Alexandria, Jonesboro, Ruston, Grambling State University and Shrevesport).

While Lafayette does have a bus system that is accessible from most areas in town, driving by car is still the most popular way to get around the city. Most businesses have parking lots, and even in the Downtown area there is often plenty of parking on a normal day. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is usually the only area where visitors encounter parking troubles, but while school is in session a shuttle bus links the center of campus with the massive parking lot at Cajun Field (near the Cajundome and Convention Center), providing a quick commute with frequent service. Bike lanes are becoming a growing trend on some major roads as well. There are taxis available.