10 Ways to Experience Cajun Culture in Louisiana

Few places in the country offer a culture as distinct and deeply lived as Louisiana’s Cajun Country.

Since their exile from Canada in 1755, the Acadians have created their own cuisine and musical styles, and even a dialect known as Cajun French. Acadiana even has its own capital (Lafayette), complete with a flag honoring its Spanish, French and Catholic roots. So get ready, because once you’ve tried a bite of crawfish pie or boudin, you’ll want to thank a Cajun.

1. Kick Up Your Heels at a Fais do-do

You know it when you hear it: Cajun music is the lively, irresistibly danceable counterpart to the region’s spicy cuisine. The upbeat sounds of fiddles, accordions and acoustic guitars ring throughout the dancehalls and restaurants of South Louisiana. Even if you spend just a little time down here, you're almost guaranteed to find a party known as the fais do-do (pronounced fay doe doe). Dance with a glass of Abita beer in hand at the Jolly Inn in Houma or head to Fred's Lounge in Mamou for authentic Cajun music. Don't miss the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette for live music and great dancing. And the World Championship Gumbo Cookoff in New Iberia doubles as one of the state’s largest fais do-dos.

Lagniappe (something extra): Start learning how to speak Cajun French.

2. Cajun Food: Eat What the Locals Eat

Cajun cooking is known around the world for its unmistakable spice and uncommon flavors. Gumbo, jambalaya, boudin — there are more dishes to try here than you can fit into one trip. Taste outstanding Cajun dishes in such restaurants as Rita Mae’s Kitchen in Morgan City, A-Bear’s Café in Houma and Steamboat Bill’s in Lake Charles.  

Lagniappe: Learn the difference between Cajun and Creole food.

3. Learn About Cajun Traditions

The Cajuns’ exile from Nova Scotia in 1755 is a story more worthy of a Hollywood film than just history books. Today, you can learn about the Acadians at the Acadian Museum in Erath and the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville.

Lagniappe: Explore six more ways to learn about Cajun history in Louisiana.

4. Visit Lafayette

Louisiana’s fourth-largest city is also the capital of Acadiana. Set smack in the middle of Cajun Country, Lafayette is a town well known for its restaurants — the city is said to have more per capita than anywhere else in the nation. The claim is bolstered by AAA Southern Traveler, which once named Lafayette the “tastiest town in the South.”

Lagniappe: Get our Lafayette day-trip itinerary.

5. Travel the Backroads & Bayous

There are great driving tours around this part of the state. The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road is a 180-mile remote highway spanning southwest Louisiana, and visitors to its website can download free maps and audio tours. The America’s Wetland Birding Trail is a driving tour that takes visitors to sites across 22 southern Louisiana parishes, where visitors can see birds on their way to nesting grounds in South America (or on their way back).

Lagniappe: Discover more trails and byways in Louisiana.

6. Cast a Line

Ready to go fishing? Cast a line and reel in your own Cajun-style dinner. Double Down Charters in Chauvin and Custom Charters in Houma will set you up with an offshore or inland fishing trip you’ll be bragging about to friends long after you’ve stepped ashore. If you prefer to go solo, you’ll find fine fishing spots at Vermilion Bay and Grand Isle State Park.

Lagniappe: Find the best kayak, shore and pier fishing spots in Grand Isle.

7. Respect the Swamp Monsters

Alligators are known as the “king of the swamps” for good reason — some of these bad boys measure up to 13 feet long, weighing in at over 500 pounds. One of the best ways to see gators and other creatures of the bayous is by getting off dry land and onto the water. Airboat tours offer an adrenaline rush like no other, while houseboat rentals and swamp tours in the Atchafalaya Basin will get travelers into some of Louisiana’s most remote reaches.

Lagniappe: Get our definitive swamp tour packing list.

8. Sip the Local Spirits

There’s a small-batch liquor renaissance going on in Louisiana, and much of it is taking place in Cajun Country. Louisiana Spirits in Lacassine began producing Bayou Rum in 2011. Three childhood friends vowed to utilize one of Louisiana's oldest crops, sugar cane, to create the best Louisiana rum (Louisiana's oldest liquor) for the world to enjoy. Stop by for a visit, take a distillery tour and taste for yourself.

Lagniappe: Taste your way across the state on the Louisiana Libations Trail.

9. Do Mardi Gras Cajun-Style

There are two sides to Mardi Gras. There’s the kind you know — floats, beads, parades — and another kind, lesser known to those outside Louisiana. Cajun Mardi Gras is a tradition you’ll find in Church Point, Mamou and Eunice, wherein masked men team up on horseback early on Mardi Gras day and ride through town searching (ceremonially) for ingredients to use in a big pot of communal gumbo.

Lagniappe: Here’s how to experience Cajun Mardi Gras in Louisiana.

10. Take a Piece of Acadiana Home With You

Collecting Cajun souvenirs is a great way to celebrate an unforgettable trip. Take a tour of the TABASCO Factory in Avery Island and stock up on your hot sauce supplies. Find albums by popular artists like Leon Thomas and Sabrina Carpenter, plus local bands and Cajun musicians, at Lagniappe Records in Lafayette. Or take home a one-of-a-kind piece of Louisiana art from A & E Gallery/Paul Schexnayder in New Iberia.

Lagniappe: Explore our favorite ways to shop local in Louisiana.