Around The State

Where to Eat, Stay and Shop in Washington, Louisiana

It’s hard to imagine steamboats docked along Bayou Courtableau, bustling activity moving cotton, cattle, sugar and molasses into the town of Washington. Today, the sleepy St. Landry Parish town dating to 1720 French settlement boasts of historic homes and businesses…

A Field Guide to Summer in Acadiana

While Acadiana is a destination that beckons any time of year, the summer is an especially great time to enjoy all that Cajun Country has to offer. In addition to authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine (and an all around stellar…

Antiquing in Sunset

Now that we’re rolling into the holidays, it’s time to think gift-giving, but how about saving the earth at the same time? Antiquing, thrifting and perusing consignment shops are the ultimate recycling, not to mention finding that elusive item your…

It’s Carnival, Dahling!

Twelfth Night Revelry | Lake Charles Carnival season makes its flamboyant entrance with the Twelfth Night Parade Extravaganza (January 4) at the Lake Charles Event Center. Revelers hail the kings and…

Around Acadiana: Museums and Historic Sites

Congrès Mondial Acadian, an international Acadian (Cajun) celebration, happens every four years. August is the month for Congrès, coinciding with National Acadian Day on Aug. 15. If you can’t go to Nova Scotia this year, visit St. Martinville for all…

Museums and Day Trips Across Acadiana

Stepping into a museum is like entering a portal that transcends time, space and culture. The hushed reverence of its halls, adorned with masterpieces and artifacts, invites visitors into a realm where history, art and human creativity intertwine. Acadiana has…

Boudin For Days

SCOTT Best Boudin in the Land Known as the “boudin capital of the world” since 2012, the Scott Boudin Festival (April 5-7) features the top boudin vendors of legend and lore: Don’s Specialty Meats, Best Stop, Billy’s Boudin, Menard’s and…

Swamp Pop’s a Poppin’

The heart of swamp pop phenomenon lies in Ville Platte, named the “Swamp Pop Capital of the World” by the Louisiana Legislature. This February, it’s the 18th annual Swamp Pop Reunion concert at the Ville Platte Civic Center. Tickets went…

Prize-winning Crawfish Étouffée

EUNICE Got Crawfish Cravings? Since the debut of crawfish étouffée in the early 1920s at the Hebert Hotel in Breaux Bridge, the savory dish has stirred debates that have evolved into tribal feuds. “There’s a different recipe for every five…

Holidays in Acadiana

The holidays roll in Acadiana like a slow-moving fog, teasing us with festivities at the beginning of the month until we’re blanketed with the trifecta of Hanukkah, Christmas and KwanzaA. But the fun doesn’t stop there in Louisiana. After we…

Flamboyant Festivities

  THIBODAUX Fit for a King Vote for your favorite king cake prepared by esteemed local vendors, dance to live music and watch a children’s parade during the January 27 Bayou King Cake Festival in downtown Thibodaux. Hosted by the…

Where to Winter

1 | Travel to Lebanon Sam and Georges Homsi bring their Middle Eastern heritage to Cousin’s Lebanese Cuisine. Experience with authentic Lebanese menu items such as hummus, baba ghanoush, grape leaves,…

Best of Dining

For Acadianians, food is like, art, a hobby and -- for some -- practically a sport. Each year, with that visceral and deep connection to sustenance and where we get it, we set out to discern the best restaurants, dishes,…

Fall Fun in Ruston

There's much to celebrate in Ruston this fall, home to both Louisiana Tech and Grambling universities and affectionately known as "Louisiana's College Town." The northeastern Louisiana town resides in Lincoln Parish, which is commemorating its 15oth anniversary this year and…

The Reel Louisiana

1 | Café JoJo's Dine Touring film sites makes one hungry. Enjoy some of the riverfront restaurant’s seafood dishes with bounty brought in from right outside the doors. Or indulge in trademark martinis and margaritas. Café JoJo’s, a local fine…

Focusing On Flora and Fauna

Over the last seven years photographer LeeAnn Hepler of Patterson has traveled the remote back roads and levees of St. Mary Parish at those golden moments after sunrise or before…

Down the Bayou

1 Bayou Country Crawfish Trail Dine on Crustacean No, it’s not a trek through the woods, but a culinary trail that honors our favorite spring crustacean. In Houma and Thibodaux, there are more than 30 places to pause for crawfish…

Spring Flinging

Lafayette Sipping Suds with Pups and Pals Two adopted dogs served as the inspiration for Ryan and Traci Pécot’s latest venture, the new Adopted Dog Brewery (ADB). Owners of Tchoup’s MidCity Smokehouse, the pet-loving husband-and-wife team unveils a family- and…

Through Good Times And Bad

Resourceful and committed restaurant owners share a similar trait exhibited by successfully married couples. How on Earth can someone compare participants in the culinary industry to people who developed a personal relationship that evolved into a union? Well, both…

Shop 'Til You Drop

1 | Lagniappe Antiques Shopping Start the shopping stroll through quaint downtown Breaux Bridge with a stop at one of its largest establishments at 17,000 square feet. Lagniappe Antiques contains rows and rows of antique dealers, as well as items…

Catch And Release

Lafayette nature photographer Gary Meyers gives new meaning to the old sportsman adage, “catch and release.” With his camera and kayak, Meyers — dressed in camouflage — moves quietly through the swamps and bayous of Louisiana’s Acadian parishes, capturing…