Find Birds & Beads on the Cajun Coast
Find Birds & Beads on the Cajun Coast – See the Birds
Falling this year on Valentine’s Day weekend, the Eagle Expo is a great experience for lovebirds and bird lovers. Including boat tours into waterways to spot majestic birds, a live raptor presentation, Water & Nature Expo & more, you’ll have an adventurous weekend on the Cajun Coast!
There will be a dozen tour options to go out into the waterways to see eagles and other birds on Friday and Saturday of the Expo, as well as opportunities to socialize with other birding and nature enthusiasts, be enthralled by the fascinating birds of prey at the Wings to Soar presentation, and find out more about outdoor recreation and preservation at the Water & Nature Expo. As an add-on to the expo, famed photography, C. C. Lockwood offers a photography workshop with an excursion into Bayou Black. The Expo and the class fill up fast, register today! You can find more awe-inspiring birdwatching opportunities for this area National Geographic calls “hauntingly beautiful land.”
Catch the Beads
And then, the very next weekend, beads will fly along with birds as our Mardi Gras season] kicks off parades from February 21 to Fat Tuesday itself, February 25. Make sure you download the parade route guide, plan your visit and pick your spot to get the best of the throws and the views of this family-friendly Mardi Gras celebration on the Cajun Coast! And for an even greater celebration, take advantage of our VIP Mardi Gras Packages for individuals, couples, or groups! We take care of all the planning, including VIP spots to watch the parades. Check out the options and give us a call to reserve your spot now – first come, first served!
2020 Vision for a Great Vacation
Did you know that more than half of Americans left vacation time on the table last year— 768 million unused vacation days! Don’t waste your days off, Cher! January 28 is National Plan for Vacation Day, take the day to plan at least one adventure to the Cajun Coast!
There are so many ways to have a great time on the Cajun Coast! Check out all of the activities and even themed itineraries and map out your plan for adventure!
The Atchafalaya Basin Swamp has nearly 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.”
You can also see the bayous with a drive along the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway, meandering along this beautiful bayou waterway, taking in more than 100 historic properties along the way. You can bike along this byway as well, or Hwy. 182, known as the Old Spanish Trail.
You can get even closer to our waterway adventures on a Cajun Coast Paddling Trail. We have mapped out the routes and arranged by difficulty level, so the novice or pro can enjoy getting their canoe or kayak out into the wild. You can find kayak rentals at nearby outfitters or Cajun Houseboat Rentals also has some for day rental. If you want a professional guiding the way, swamp tour operators like Captain Caviar, can 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.
If your goal in the new year is to learn something new, or learn 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 find amazing dining and an upscale nightclub, featuring live entertainment each weekend. Nearby, Amelia Belle Casino also provides exciting gaming action!
So, come find a new adventure in the new year on the Cajun Coast!
Come Catch Ghosts (and a good time!) on the Cajun Coast this fall!
From the rougarou who inhabits the misty, murky waters of the Atchafalaya Basin, to Civil Water battle sites said to be grounds for restless spiritual activity, along with many antebellum mansions and historic properties, the Cajun Coast is ripe for delving into ghostly sightings. We have been featured on the Travel Channel’s Ghosts of Morgan City, and you’ll want to catch the show as well as a ghost or two in the area, especially during the Halloween season!
Fall Events
Fall not only features spooky fun, but also harvest time, and on the Cajun Coast that also means festivals to celebrate! You will want to schedule your visit to the Cajun Coast in October, since every weekend features a festival full of fun! Our October festivals display a microcosm of our culture on the Cajun Coast. From featuring the Berwick Lighthouse and our coastal history, to displaying our beautiful, historic Main Street towns of Patterson and Franklin which showcase our Dutch and English enclaves within the traditionally French Cajun area, to observing our strong Native American heritage at the Chitimacha Pow Wow, these festivals celebrate culture as well as provide a lot of fun, music and food for an entertaining weekend, even our pets and petting zoos get in on the action!
October 4-6, 2019
Berwick Lighthouse Festival (as well as the finish line for the Tour du Teche Paddling Adventure)
October 19, 2019
6th Annual Chitimacha Pow Pow – With the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
October 26, 2019
Harvest Moon Festival – With music, kid’s activities, classic cars, and retail specials
October 26, 2019
Patterson Fall Festival and Historic Walking Tour – With tours, kid’s activities, art auction, music and cochon (pork) cook-off
FIND EARL EGRET AND WIN! – And, if you spot Earl Egret (Yard Art stationed at each of these festivals) and send us your picture with him, you could win! Click here to find out more!
Shrimp Harvest Exhibit
Also, featuring a unique Louisiana harvest is the tribute to Louisiana’s shrimping industry on the Cajun Coast. You’ll want to make sure you take time to visit the Louisiana State Wedell-Williams Aviation & Cypress Sawmill Museum and see the Berwick Bay to Étouffée Exhibit!
Stay This Fall on the Cajun Coast
Find specials deals on your favorite lodging spot, and visit this fall on the Cajun Coast!
Come Camp on the Cajun Coast
There is nothing more peaceful than camping along the water’s edge, especially on the Cajun Coast where we have so many waterways! And to make it even more appealing, Louisiana’s State Parks are offering discounts during the fall! See the discounts here! We boast the beautiful, nearby Cypremort Point State Park which can be reserved at ReserveLAStateParks.com, as well as many other beautiful waterside camping spots.
Lake End Park and Campground in Morgan City features full amenities, RV and tent spots as well as a Lake House and pavilion for group events, and it has a sand beach alongside beautiful Lake Palourde with access to amazing bass fishing, as well as oak-shaded walking trails.
Kemper Williams Park and Campground in Patterson not only features traditional RV and tent spots, but it has access to the Patterson Civic Center for social events. It is also adjacent to the Atchafalaya Golf Course at Idlewild and the Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum. The area features tennis courts, ball fields, nature trails and a sanctioned horseshoe facility!
Cypress Lake Resort is a Cajun getaway RV Park & Campground, offers complete amenities, along with a swimming pool, fishing, boat rentals and golf cart rentals.
While they are doing some repairs after Hurricane Barry, so that only the picnic areas, fishing areas, and boat launch are open at the moment, Burns Point Campground in Centerville offers a picturesque view of East Cote Blanche Bay right on the Gulf as well as complete amenities and a new fishing pier in the works! Keep them on your list for your next getaway.
The Roy El Oak Campground along a quiet bayou in Bayou Vista has swimming, fishing, a boat launch, and even features boiled seafood in-season!
And while the campgrounds themselves may provide you enough amenities that you don’t want to leave, the Cajun Coast has plenty of outdoor activities to keep you entertained! The Atchafalaya Basin is our playground, and its many inlets provide opportunities for boating and fishing, swimming, and water skiing, along with paddling along our many paddling trails
Swamp tours to spot alligators and trips to wildlife areas, such as the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge with its viewing boardwalk are also popular.
So check out our many activities and the list of campgrounds and make your reservations to relax today!
Easy Ridin’ and Festival Fun on the Cajun Coast
Labor Day weekend is synonymous with the Shrimp & Petroleum Festival on the Cajun Coast, but August will also boast another big event this year! In honor of the 50th anniversary of the movie, Easy Rider, filmed on the Cajun Coast, the Bikers on the Bayou annual event promises to be even easier, just 90 minutes from the Big Easy, New Orleans! Downtown Franklin will be transformed to look like movie scenes – Ben Franklin store, Ice House Sign, old cars, Melancon’s Cafe in cooperation with Morganza, and there will be food, music, and fun for the whole family! Then, in addition to a car, motorcycle and rat rod show, viewing of Easy Rider at the Teche Theater, you can take in a few locations filmed along the Cajun Coast! Ride or not, it promises to be a good time! Find out more about the event, and then check out the Facebook page for Easy Rider trivia and more fun leading up to the big day, August 24!
Stay the week, since you will definitely not want to miss the annual Shrimp & Petroleum Festival on the Cajun Coast! Celebrating its 84th year, the festival began as a blessing of the shrimp harvest and a way to honor the many who labored in the deep Gulf waters, and it is considered the oldest harvest festival in the state. The addition of the petroleum industry in 1967, to also honor this important industry, made it the huge celebration it has become today. Labor Day weekend hosts the 5-day extravaganza, paying tribute to both of these time-honored industries, shrimp and petroleum. It will feature great food, continuous, free live music, arts & crafts, children’s activities, and traditional events, such as the blessing of the fleet and boat parade.
And no festival in Louisiana is complete without good music! The music line-up is long-anticipated, featuring local headliners such as Kyle Daigle, the Ross Grisham Band, Travis Matte & the Kingpins, Category 6, South 70 and Souled Out, as well as this year’s winner of the KQKI Country Showdown, Shannon Loupe.
The blessing of the fleet is a special part of the festival, and giving thanks for the harvest begins with Mass in the Park under the oaks in Lawrence Park on Sunday. After the water blessings from the Morgan City docks and celebrations on the Atchafalaya River, a Certificate of Blessing and a prayer card of St. Brendan the Navigator, patron Saint of Seafarers is presented to each participant.
The Shrimp & Petroleum Festival has been honored as a Festival of the Year for the past ten years by the Louisiana Fairs & Festivals Association, a Top 100 American Bus Association event and a top 20 Southeast Tourism Society event. It was even noted by Time magazine as “…the best, the most unusual, the most down-home, the most moving and the most fun that the country has to offer.”
Make plans now to stay the week, and longer to explore. Check out our accommodations, and make your plans to visit!
CHEAP and FREE THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS ON THE CAJUN COAST
If the good old summer time means finding stuff for the kids to do without spending a fortune, the Cajun Coast has got you covered! We have put together a Family-friendly itinerary, and a list of the top FREE or Cheap things for kids to do this summer!
EDUCATION & EXPLORATION
Kids will enjoy learning about the oil industry on this retired oil rig and the many ways oil is used at the International Petroleum Museum & Exposition, the “Mr. Charlie.” Visit the Wedell-Williams Aviation & Cypress Sawmill Museum (A Louisiana State Museum). Not only will their imaginations soar with all of the aviation exploration, but this summer, they can experience the Water Trails of the Atchafalaya exhibit. Tour the Chitimacha Museum in Charenton. The Chitimacha were the first settlers to the area and lived in and around the Atchafalaya Basin. The museum documents their history, culture and their efforts in preservation. Walk the “Great Wall,” a 21-foot seawall. Built for flood protection, visitors can climb up for a bird’s eye view of the traffic in the Atchafalaya River, one of the busiest rivers in the state. See the Southwest Reef Lighthouse in Berwick. This iconic symbol in Berwick is one of only 3 lighthouses in Louisiana that are easily accessible, and visitors can see the structure up-close for FREE at the Everett S. Berry Memorial Lighthouse Park. A Fresnel lens and fog bell similar to what would have been used in the lighthouse are displayed in the lobby of Berwick Town Hall, located 2 blocks west of the park on Third Street. If you have a Lighthouse Passport (available from https://uslhs.org/products/items/lighthouse-passport), bring it by the Berwick Town Hall during regular business hours for a stamp!
FESTING & FEASTING
Don’t forget summer festivals for FREE entertainment! 4th of July is always an exciting celebration with Party in the Park and fireworks over the Atchafalaya!
Mid-July features the Bayou BBQ Bash in Morgan City that is just as yummy as it sounds and includes a Kids Q competition. That same weekend, Bikers on the Bayou in Franklin celebrates 50 Years of “Easy Rider” on with music, food & fun on Saturday, and tours of locations from the movie!
OUTDOORS & ACTION
Summer on the Cajun Coast also means basking in the sunshine (FREE!) along with ways to beat the heat! Spending time on the water is easy on the coast along with finding an inland splash pad or swimming pool. Check out a few locations to play in the spray or deeper waters.
- Morgan City Public Pool, 985-380-4652
- Splash Pad and Spray Park in Bayou Vista, 985-395-6552
- Kiddy Pool at Franklin City Park, 337-828-6324
- Lake End Park in Morgan City, 985-380-4623 (beach, fishing)
- Cypremort Point State Park, 337-867-4510 (beach, fishing)
If your adventurer likes to skate, we have a few skate parks as well
- Morgan City Skate Park, 985-380-4600
- Swamp Skate Park in Bayou Vista, 985-395-6552
- Franklin Skate Park, 337-828-3631
With a self-guided driving trail, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area will take you on an adventure, showcasing the dramatic affect water has had on this area.
Byway drives along with biking, paddling and hiking trails, along with the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge and Boardwalk in Franklin will keep your nature-lover happy as well.
MOVIES & INDOOR FUN
Indoor fun can also be done on the cheap with FREE Summer shows at Lake Cinema on Ninth Street in Morgan City.
Fairview Cinema on Anthony Street in Bayou Vista also has plenty of movie action.
Bowling, Mini-Golf and other recreation can also be found on the Cajun Coast! Check out the adventures, plus a petting zoo and plan your summer fun!
COOL TREATS & CHEAP EATS
Cooling off with a good old fashioned snowball is also a delicious solution! These shaved ice concoctions of sugary syrup and any number of add-ins, from condensed milk to fruits and candies, are a prized commodity on a summer afternoon. Below are a few locations to pick up one of these treats around the Cajun Coast!
- Paw Paw’s Sno Cones – 319 Southeast Blvd, Morgan City, 985-395-6100
- Snocone Depot 505 Railroad Ave, Morgan City, 985-300-3197
- Cajun Sneaux Snowballs – 804 Marguerite Street, Morgan City
- Scoops – 1015 Main St, Franklin, 337-578-4014
- The Big Chill – 202 Tournament Boulevard Berwick, 985-329-2525
And while you can picnic for cheap at playgrounds and parks, Tampico’s Restaurant features special kids’ nights on Mondays!
So, pack up your crew and find fun in the summer sun and fun on the Cajun Coast!