Opelousas, LA Road Trips
Plan drives from Opelousas, LA with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Abhishek Navlakha
Trip Routes
3
Longest Drive
192.1 mi
Shreveport, LA
Quickest Drive
28m
Lafayette, LA
Plan Around Opelousas, LA
Popular Incoming Routes
Useful if Opelousas, LA is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.
Continue From Opelousas, LA
Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.
Trips from Opelousas, LA
Opelousas, LA by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
15,662
Median Income
$36,260
Median Home Value
$113,000
Median Age
34.3
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Opelousas, LA
Opelousas is the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, and is one of the former capitals of Louisiana. Opelousas is in the south Louisiana area known as "Acadiana", the center of Cajun culture in Louisiana. Opelousas is also on the far eastern edge of the geographic region known as the "Cajun Prairie." This is due to the extensive prairie lands that extend from northeast of Lake Charles eastward to the edge of Opelousas.
Opelousas is called The Spice Capital of the World with productions and seasonings of Tony Chachere's products.
1 Le Vieux Village du Poste des Opelousas and Louisiana Orphan Train Museum, 828 E. Landry St., ☏ +1 337-948-6263. Collection of historic buildings and structures from 19th century Opelousas and onward, and museum depicting stories of orphans sent by train from New York to Louisiana. Schoolhouse, chapel, and homes are displayed. Personal items from Alamo legend Jim Bowie are on display inside the tourist center at the site. Free.
1 Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino, 2235 Creswell Lane Extension (Entrance to casino is less than two minutes east of Interstate 49 on Creswell Lane), toll-free: +1 866-472-2466. 24 Hours. (updated Aug 2018)
Interstate 49 services the city from north to south, while US Highway 190 serves Opelousas from east to west. The famed Louisiana Highway 31 (Bayou Teche Byway) and Louisiana Highway 182 (The Old Spanish Trail) also pass through Opelousas. Greyhound Lines serves Opelousas several times a day. Northbound buses head to Alexandria and Shreveport, while southbound buses serve Lafayette.
Opelousas is best explored by car, though be warned: most city streets away from the main roads are in poor condition. Even highways can be in bad condition in some places. Drive slow and watch for cracks and potholes on neighborhood streets. Both Uber and Lyft serve the Opelousas area, but as many drivers come in from Lafayette, a rider could wait anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes for a ride.
Travel tips adapted from Opelousas on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
Trips to Opelousas, LA
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