Celebrate Mom on the Cajun Coast
Whether your mom is an adventurous and outdoorsy sort of mom or a shopping and fine dining sort of mom, the Cajun Coast has you covered for giving the gift of travel this Mother’s Day!
We even have a card you can download to wish Mom a Snappy Mother’s Day!
Bring Mom to explore and enjoy the beauty of nature all along the Cajun Coast! You can take a swamp tour or get Mom down in a kayak to paddle the vast Atchafalaya Basin! Check our list to find a captain, a guide, or even a weekend houseboat adventure on the Cajun Coast and go exploring.
Birding is also in high-season right now during the spring migratory season which also happens in the fall, so if your mom has her binoculars handy, bring them for bird and nature viewing on the Cajun Coast! Our Visitor Center is a great spot for beginning your journey!
The Bayou Teche Scenic Byway is a beautiful drive, combining natural beauty with more than 100 historic properties along the way. Bring Mom along this corridor and stop off in main street districts to shop, enjoy factory and plantation tours, dine at delicious spots, and even win at an area casino.
Take Mom shopping! The Cajun Coast is full of spots for antique, boutique, and unique shopping! Our Main Street districts are alive with shopping, dining, art & activities, and outlying stores cater to specialty items when you are looking for something specific. Check out our shopping section and plan your retail therapy adventure!
We plan our activities around dining on the Cajun Coast! From mom & pop spots (that Mom will love) to fine dining and even hot spots with martini specials each week, you’ll be able to plan your culinary adventures on the Cajun Coast!
And when you are looking for a place to stay, we’ve got you covered for camping out to glamming it up! Find gorgeous bed & breakfasts, casino suites, comfortable name brand hotels, and even RV parks to suit your mom!
Since Mom probably does the vacation planning, we’ve added a bunch of itineraries to our site to make the trip planning and giving the gift of travel easy! Take advantage of itineraries for just about every interest from Off-the-Beaten Path stays to Franklin’s Main Street, noted as one of the prettiest in Louisiana, to even an Easy Rider Tour for your motorcycle Mom! Let us make the planning easy with an itinerary built for you. Bring Mom for a week or a weekend away!
You can even time your visit during a fun festival this spring or fall or take in live music every weekend! Check out the Cajun Coast calendar and our list of Live Music https://cajuncoast.com/activities/live-music fun events.
Remind Mom why you’re her favorite and give the gift of travel to the Cajun Coast!
Celebrate Life on the Cajun Coast
The Cajun Coast is known for its many festivals each year, but it’s the celebrations of every day life that really tell the story of living (and visiting) on the Cajun Coast!
Spring is the hallmark of renewal, and nature takes her cues in earnest throughout the area! From the Iris blooms at the Visitor Center to the amazing explosions of color adding to the beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin, you’ll want to include outdoor excursions on your visit to the Cajun Coast! Our paddling trails or swamp tours can help you get up-close and personal exploring our vast waterways!
You’ll definitely want to take advantage of itineraries for just about every interest and plan your stay for a big adventure! From a golf trip on the beautiful Audubon Golf Trail Atchafalaya at Idlewild, to Off-the-Beaten Path stays, let us make the planning easy with an itinerary built for you. Come celebrate for a week or a weekend away!
Celebrations of life on the Cajun Coast include weekends full of live music, dining on piles of crawfish and other fresh seafood fresh from the water and cooked up in a delicious symphony of flavor, along with finding local treasures while exploring and shopping in charming Main Street locales. Weekly celebrations like Live After 5 in Berwick (go check out the music line-up!), to celebrations of local fare with marketplaces in Franklin and Morgan City, showcase local talent from craft and kitchen, as well as plenty of other goodies and food trucks to round out the party!
Check out the Cajun Coast calendar for a spring full of fun events. Do not miss a moment of fun this spring on the Cajun Coast!
Celebrate Spring on the Cajun Coast!
Not only does March host the final Mardi Gras parades of the season on Fat Tuesday (and other events back this year -yay!), but nature celebrates with its own parades of gorgeous splendor! You’ve got to experience it in person! Schedule your visit along with a swamp tour (or bring your kayak) to get up close and personal!
Continue the party with the Krewe of Dionysus as they are back this year with the Irish-Italian Walking Parade on March 19 along with Basin Brew Fest showcasing craft beer from Louisiana Breweries on March 26! Get all the Events Info!
The parade of color explodes on top of the green lushness of the Atchafalaya Basin. It is a beautiful spectrum that you have to witness! Captain Caviar or other nearby operators are ready to bring you out to spot the gorgeous bayou landscapes, gators and other wildlife as well.
Along with swamp tours, there are also ways many ways to view beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin and nearby waterways. You can take a boardwalk out into the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, stroll along lovely Lake Palourde at the Brownell Memorial Park & Carillon Tower, or even stay overnight in a houseboat along the Cajun Coast.
The Bayou Teche National Scenic Byway provides an easy way to see the beauty of the area, meandering along the banks of the Bayou Teche. See this lovely waterway, moss-covered trees, and buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Go download the brochure and plan your trip now.
We have also created itineraries that make planning easy to get away from it all this Spring! You can go camping, waking along the water’s edge, take an off-the-beaten path vacation, or venture out on the birding trail to witness the migratory birds this season.
Make your reservations to Celebrate Spring on the Cajun Coast!
Flock to the Cajun Coast for Eagle Expo or Lovebirds Getaway
Our annual Eagle Expo includes boat tours into various waterways to view eagles; a raptor show; presentations on the American bald eagle, wildlife, flora, fauna and the culture of the area by wildlife professionals and photographers; and much more. Admission and registration required. See info & register now! Eagle Expo – Feb. 17-19With the Eagle Expo so close to Valentine’s Day, Eagle Expo might also prove the perfect getaway for your lovebird, especially if they fancy birdwatching! Regardless of how serious of a birder you are, spotting these majestic birds out in the waterways of the Cajun Coast is definitely a sight not to be missed! Or if you just want to have a romantic weekend away, there are plenty of luxurious bed & breakfasts, as well as exquisite dining options to pamper your loved one! Find the perfect getaway! Mardi Gras parades also begin Feb. 25, so you can plan for a Mardi Gras getaway instead!
Eagle Expo Highlights
Boat Tours & Field Trips
Boat tours to view American Bald Eagles:
- Fri & Sat-The Atchafalaya Basin with Captain John Burke (Captain Caviar)
- Fri & Sat-Bayou Long with Captain Ivy St. Romain
- Sat-Captain Billy Gaston
Two new field trips have been added for a change to spot eagles and other wildlife:
- Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge
- Green Foundation Property off Cotten Road
Featured Events
- Wings to Soar – Thursday evening features a FREE Wings to Soar Presentation on Thursday at 6pm at the Patterson Civic Center.
- Friday evening will be a social at Lake End Park & Campground.
Why Eagles (and other birds of a feather) Flock to the Cajun Coast
As a part of the Atchafalaya Basin area, the largest overflow swamp in the United States, the marshlands located along the coast serve as the perfect havens for many of the states more unusual species of waterfowl, raptors and songbirds. This paradise is filled with some of nature’s most often sought-after birds. The area also features a designated bird sanctuary and ample opportunities for additional eagle sightings with nearly 300 active nests in the area.
Many locations for birdwatching are also noted along the St. Mary Loop of the America’s Wetlands Birding Trail. Cajun Coast paddling trails also offer many options to observe birds and wildlife up-close.
So, come for Eagle Expo or come any time to see birds, alligators, and other wildlife on the Cajun Coast!
New Year, New Normal
If your resolutions include travel in the new normal, make it a good trip! Come on down to the Cajun Coast, and we’ll help you check off your list of new year, new you adventures! Paddle the Atchafalaya Basin, dance to Cajun Music, and dine on food you can’t pronounce! We’ve got you covered!
We can help you add more adventures to your new year! From outdoor adventure, ecotravel, to dancing to Cajun Music, Check out our menu of activities and get your list started.
That great outdoors thing, we mean it on the Cajun Coast The Atchafalaya Basin Swamp is the largest overflow swamp in the U.S., containing almost one million acres of the nation’s most significant bottomland hardwoods, swamps and bayous. The Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail features 9 sites within the Cajun Coast including areas only available by boat, rich historic landmarks, and the beauty National Geographic Traveler noted as “hauntingly beautiful land.”
In addition to The Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail, you can drive along the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway, meandering along this beautiful bayou waterway, taking in more than 100 historic properties along the way as well. You can bike along this byway as well, or Hwy. 182, known as the Old Spanish Trail.
You can take a trail along the 170,000 acres of designated wildlife management areas, spotting an abundance of bird and animal life!
Local swamp tour operators, like Captain Caviar, provide entertaining and educational tours of the beauty and mystery of the Atchafalaya waters. Depending on the time of year, a variety of wildlife and plant life, and yes, alligators, will be spotted.
You may also want to plan your adventure during our Annual Eagle Expo, February 18-20. Find out more about the chance to go on tours into our waterways to spot these majestic creatures.
Add a little learning to your resolutions – Find out more about the many cultures who settled this area, including the Chitimacha, the first settlers of the region. Their basket-weaving skills are legendary, and you can see their work on display at the Chitimacha Museum in Charenton.
Also, in Charenton, is the Cypress Bayou Casino-Hotel, Louisiana’s first land-based casino. In addition to slots and table games, you’ll also find amazing dining. Nearby, Amelia Belle Casino also provides exciting gaming action!
Great dining is all around the Cajun Coast! You’ll want to especially try the dishes you have trouble pronouncing, like étouffée, jambalaya, fricassée, and sauce piquant. Check out the list of dining options, and find Cajun, Creole, Southern and other tasty fare, with seafood that most likely was swimming off the Cajun Coast before breakfast! Get the list and plan your dining adventure at CajunCoast.com/Eat. Make sure to pick up a local cookbook to try your hand at home. We will get you started with Cajun Shrimp Pastalaya and Red Beans & Rice.
We also have a new option to try your hand at candle making. Schedule a Candle Pouring Soiree at FIFOLET Candle Makers in the Franklin Historic District. FIFOLETcandles.com. Our historic districts and main street shops are also great places to shop, just in case treating yourself (or buying what you really wanted for Christmas) is on your list! The new Franklin Pocket Park is also a charming spot to catch your breath while shopping and dining!
Plan to stay awhile with plenty of lodging options, from Cypremort Point State Park to beautiful bed & breakfast, to brand names you know and love. Or, if you’d like for us to do the planning, check out our itineraries.
So, come find a new adventure in the near year, despite the new normal on the Cajun Coast!
Papa Noel Drives a Shrimp Boat!
Papa Noël Drives a Shrimp Boat! It was already a spot for selfies on the Cajun Coast – the Spirit of Morgan City Shrimp Boat on Brashear Avenue – but a few years ago it received quite an upgrade when Santa decided to take it for a spin! Morgan City’s own Lee Romaire, a successful Los Angeles sculpture artist, surprised his hometown by turning the landmark into a Cajun Christmas display for the lighting ceremony in 2018. Since then, it has received a few more additions, with swamp creatures along with a bit of elfin magic joining the story. “Mother Christmas” a Cypress tree was added last year, which according to Romaire is symbolic of the lumber industry once prevalent on the Cajun Coast. More presents have also been added to Santa’s bag of tricks.
Unveiled on Thanksgiving night at the annual lighting of the shrimp boat (along with visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus), this year’s interactive light display will be sure to draw in new crowds, along with those who come each year, to see the Christmas magic on the Cajun Coast.
Be sure to stop in and take a selfie with Papa Noël and Mother Christmas, then plan your route to see more amazing holiday light displays throughout the Cajun Coast! Park and walk along the beautiful Bayou Teche to see the Christmas Lights in Franklin. Tune your radio to 88.9 and enjoy the Centerville Light Show which runs nightly from 5:30 PM – midnight (weather permitting). The Traditional Idlewild Plantation Christmas Lighting in Patterson is a driving tour that runs from 5 to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Kemper Williams Park in Patterson for $2 per car (weather permitting). Download the complete guide.
Then check out the complete list of Christmas shopping spots, parades, and holiday events continuing throughout the holiday season on the Cajun Coast. Download your list so you can check it twice, and plan now to Christmas on the Cajun Coast! Don’t forget, our hotels offer great holiday rates into the new year!