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!
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!