Come See Us Soon!
When you are ready, we’ll be here! The waters of the Atchafalaya Basin will still be full of mysteries, the fishing will still be fabulous (ready to catch your limit!), and the restaurants will still serve up the freshest of seafood in world-renowned dishes you’ve been dreaming of tasting!
While it might be a while before you are ready to tackle big cities and crowds, we have plenty of wide-open spaces for you to roam. With 800,000 acres of pristine beauty in the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest wetland area in the country as our backyard, and the entire Gulf Coast at our feet, there is no shortage of outdoors. We have paddling trails, scenic byways and trails, and spaces to view birds and wildlife. Whether by bike, hike, boat or kayak, you can still practice safe-distancing here on the Cajun Coast!
And, our hotels and attractions have put additional cleaning and rigorous sanitation protocols into place. If you want to escape overnight, or maybe just find some sanity while working from home, you’ll find a safe space, hot coffee, and a warm smile!
With all of that working from home, we’ve been on a few (dozen) Zoom calls, so we’re offering some Cajun Coast backgrounds to dress up your Zoom – and dream of the day when you can travel!
If you need a virtual taste, order from Cajun Coast merchants, including having your D.a.T. Sauce delivered (with a code for $100 worth of free music downloads from the Last Honky Tonk Music Series) or tune in to Facebook Live concerts for a living room concert from a variety of musicians.
We know these are difficult times, but we are in this together. We appreciate you trusting your travels to us. We pray for a speedy recovery to all those impacted by this virus. Get a sample of itineraries and options, start planning, and come see us soon!
It’s Good to Get Out!
We know travelers will visit Louisiana again, just as they did after 9/11, after Katrina, and after the oil spill, and Louisiana will once again be able to show off this place we love to the world. But, we know that the first place people will visit is their own towns, then regions, then further out, so here’s a bucket list for our first visitors to enjoy and reasons why it’s good to get out!
Escape to the Great Outdoors
You may not yet be ready for the big city, so it’s good that the Cajun Coast has an entire 800,000-acre wetland playground as its backyard. Explore the pristine beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest wetland area in the country. Check out the sites on the Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail, learn more about our connection to the waterway. You can even take a swamp tour to go exploring –colorful local guides, like Captain Caviar, can also teach you about the flora and the fauna, including alligators!
Explore the Atchafalaya
Take a Swamp Tour
Shed a Little Light on the Situation
A little sunshine exposure improves your mood and can help your immune system, so taking a trail on the Cajun Coast may help your physical body as well as your happiness levels! The Cajun Coast has a series of paddling trails to get out on the water, or even scenic byways, like the Bayou Teche Byway, to explore by bike or car.
Check out the trails and byways
Paddle a trail on the Cajun Coast
Enjoy the Bayou Teche Byway
And Learn a Little Something
Aside from nature treks, you can take the family on a historic stroll (or drive) through the Franklin or Morgan City Historic Districts, taking in the architecture and beautiful homes. You can download the brochures from the website. There are also a variety of itineraries, to help you decide what topics to explore next – from Civil War, to Birdwatching, to Culture or Casinos!
Find history on the Cajun Coast
Check out the Franklin Historic District
Take Morgan City’s Walking Tour
Find an itinerary to suit your group
Seafood is good for you – Catch a Good Time!
With the Gulf Coast at our feet, you can hire a guide to take you out or launch your own craft into the deep blue waters at more than 30 launch locations throughout the area. And, if fishing for your own catch sounds like a bit much, there are plenty of locations to pick up fresh seafood to prepare at home, or restaurants serving up seafood just about any way you can think to make it!
Fish on the Cajun Coast
Launch your boat
Dining Out – Yes, order the dessert!
We cannot wait to go out to eat on the Cajun Coast! We are already taking advantage of outdoor seating in the beautiful weather and socially distancing for some indoor dining, but when we can just meet friends for a colorful cocktail or take the whole family out for a meal, from down-home barbeque to international flavors, especially those with a Louisiana twist, are definitely on our bucket list when we can get out on the town! Order appetizers, and definitely the dessert!
Shop Local – Help the Economy
While tourism has a huge economic impact on the area, shopping local helps keep these businesses thriving and able to provide unique treasures for our visitors. Main Street Shopping or other local businesses helps fuel the economy and the community. Our stores will be practicing safe-distance guidelines and cleaning protocols to ensure healthy environments.
Stay – Someplace Besides Your House!
Camping in the great outdoors is a great way to get back to nature, get out of your house, and practice social distancing! We have several campgrounds and RV Parks to choose from, as well as a houseboat available for rental! Our hoteliers have also implemented stringent cleaning practices from the lobby to the already clean and comfortable rooms, and they are as ready to see you as you are to see them! Bellhops, concierges and service personnel will be taking extra precautions to ensure you feel safe, so you can concentrate on enjoying your stay.
Express Your Freedom to Travel
And, we can’t wait to provide our special brand of Louisiana hospitality, and open our doors to visitors who become friends on the Cajun Coast! We appreciate those who trust their travels to us!
Not the Same Old Song and Dance
The Cajun Coast features live music every weekend, and our festivals are full of top notch performances, but Songs on the Bayou features more than 100 songwriters from across the nation and showcases new talent that you won’t want to miss!
Presented by Last Honky Tonk Music Series and D.a.T. SaUcE, Songs on the Bayou Songwriter’s Festival is 5 full days of performances, competitions, events, workshops, and bayou fun. D.a.T. SaUcE will also be showcasing the winners of their National Songwriting Competition. There are opportunities to rub elbows with top names as well as many public performances planned throughout the area and multiple special events, such as a Fais Do Do, Bayou Sunset Pickin’ Party, Songs on the Bayou Extravaganza, Veterans Night, Blues On The Bayou, Back To The Country, and Songs In The Park. All of the shows and events are FREE, with the exception of Veterans Night ($20 Donation). See the Special Events Schedule. Come be a part of this fun and funky festival!
With Morgan City, LA being the headquarters of the National Last Honky Tonk Music Series, the Cajun Coast gets its fair share of historic, roots music performances. Series performances are held throughout the nation, from small honky tonks to large outdoor arenas, with everything from solo acoustic performances to full band shows. Catch the live music calendar to find these performances throughout the area.
The weekly music calendar is packed with a variety of musical genres for all tastes, so check out the calendar and find a festival or venue for live music every weekend on the Cajun Coast!
Nature even sings a little differently on the Cajun Coast alligators adding their deep rhythm to the hum of the cicadas and bullfrogs croaking and birds chiming in with their soprano staccatos. Swamp Tours and paddling trails will give you a front row to the symphony.
So, come enjoy a vacation that’s not the same old song and dance! CajunCoast.com
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!