Spring Fests of Saws, and Boats, and Bears, Oh My!
The Cajun Coast Spring Festival Season begins in earnest with three signature festivals and the weekly Rhythms on the River in April!
The Cypress Sawmill Festival opens with the KQKI Country Music Showdown – come see your favorite local talent compete and win! Also, Songs on the Bayou performers will be featured along with 
other, festival favorite musicians. You can find a lot of cypress and other arts & crafts and cheer on competitors in lumberjack and other fun events, honoring the lumber industry, at the Kemper-Williams Park Fairgrounds in Patterson. Find out more.
Come out the weekend of April 12 & 13 for the Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival in beautiful, downtown Franklin! This celebration of the Louisiana’s Black Bear features educational components along with Louisiana, food, music and festival fare. April 12 & 13.
Held Friday, in conjunction with the Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival, the Bayou Teche Wooden Boat Festival celebrates the craftsmanship and long history of vessels made of wood. This festival for wooden boat enthusiasts takes place along the beautiful Bayou Teche in downtown Franklin on April 12.
Get Into the Rhythm with Rhythms on the River every Friday, beginning just after Easter, April 26 for 9 weeks, starting each weekend off right in downtown Morgan City. First in the music line-up for Fridays, April 26-June 7:
April 26th – Deja Vu
May 3rd – Don Rich
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 on the Cajun Coast
Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday” is a day of feasting and celebration before the traditional observance of Lent, a time of fasting and sacrifice for 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday. The date is based on the spring equinox, so it varies each year. Mardi Gras Day is March 5 in 2019 and will feature not only a long weekend of “Throw Me Something, Mister” parades and family-friendly fun, but also has been marked by weeks of grand balls and parties, where Mardi Gras royalty are celebrated.
The season also brings the long-anticipated King Cake! This cake is shaped in a ring and is usually a cinnamon and sugar-based pastry, but all different types of king cakes exist, such as those filled with cream cheese and fruit.
Check the schedule of Mardi Gras Parades for 2019, get all the info at CajunCoast.com/MardiGras and make your reservations now!
Come Mardi Gras on the Cajun Coast!
CAJUN COAST PARADE SCHEDULE
March 1, 2019
Krewe of Adonis, Morgan City, 7 p.m
March 2, 2019
Krewe of Dionysus Parade, Bayou Vista, 2 p.m.
March 2, 2019
Cypremort Point Parade, Cypremort Point, 1 p.m.
March 2, 2019
Baldwin Mardi Gras Parade, Baldwin, 1 p.m.
March 3, 2019
Krewe of Galatea Parade, Morgan City, 2 p.m.
March 4, 2019
Krewe of Amani Parade, Patterson, 2 p.m.
March 5, 2019
Franklin Mardi Gras Parade, 1 p.m., Franklin
March 5, 2019
Krewe of Hephaestus Parade, Morgan City, 2 p.m.
Flock to the Cajun Coast
Celebrate the eagle and other birds during Eagle Expo February 22-23, and find amazing birding and wildlife viewing on the Cajun Coast any time of year. 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! A Photo Contest is also underway to capture the best shots, so enter today!
In addition to eagles, the Cajun Coast is home to some of the most awe-inspiring birdwatching opportunities in the country. And because it is located along the Mississippi Flyway, more than 300 species of birds can be particularly spotted during the spring and fall migrations. And, with several distinct aquatic & terrestrial habitats, more than 65 species of reptiles and 46 species of mammals inhabit 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.
Plan your birding and nature watching excursion in an area National Geographic calls “hauntingly beautiful land.
New Year. New Adventures
If your New Year’s resolutions include more adventures – come on down to the Cajun Coast, and we’ll help you check adventuring off your list! Paddle the Atchafalaya, blaze a trail, take in culture, or even play the slots! We’ve got you covered!
There are so many ways to have a great time 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 blaze a trail along the 170,000 acres of designated wildlife management areas, spotting an abundance of bird and animal life! We are also part of the Atchafalaya Basin Geotrail, with 24 geocaches around the area! Get more info on the trails.
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. We have a lot of learning adventures as well. You can take in area fine culture 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 near year on the Cajun Coast!
Come Christmas on the Cajun Coast!
Celebrate Christmas in a place that knows how to put the joy into any event. Here, we turn everyday events into reasons to celebrate, so you can imagine how big we do the holidays! We’ve already put up the lights and the mistletoe, and Père Noël has readied his Cajun sleigh with eight, tiny gators, so we are ready for company!
Enjoy The Most Wonderful Time of the Year on the Cajun Coast! Along with traditional Christmas tree lightings, caroling and live productions, holiday events on the Cajun Coast range from a Victorian Christmas at Grevemberg House and historic tours of other homes and churches to Christmas lights on the bayou and boat parades! We’ve even put together a complete list of holiday lights to make it easy to see all the sights.
Visits from Santa, or Père Noël, may even find him stepping off a pirogue at the water’s edge, rather than a sleigh. In fact, the holiday display in Morgan City at Brashear Avenue – Spirit of Morgan City – unveiled by talented artist Lee Romaire, showcases the Cajun Santa on the shrimping boat in all his glory! Visit the Christmas Events page for all the details and don’t miss a single moment!
Dining on the Cajun Coast is always a treat, but especially during the holidays! Warm up with the freshest of seafood dishes, including gumbos and étouffées, and indulge in Elf-approved desserts, like scrumptious bread pudding with a Chantilly sauce or pralines with local pecans. Check out our restaurant list and dine like jolly old Saint Nicholas himself this holiday season. [
Shops dressed for the holidays, beckon you with local crafts and quaint, one-of-a kind buys, as well as tastes of Louisiana cuisine and cookbooks to bring back home. There are two huge Mistletoe Markets on Dec. 3 in Morgan City and Dec. 13 in Berwick as well. Find a perfect gift on the perfect trip to the Cajun Coast.
Plan your getaway to the Cajun Coast and leave holiday hassles behind! Let us entertain and feed you, and we’ll even do the dishes! And, with a great rate on a snuggly bed for those sugar plums to dance in your heads, you’ll be able to spend more on unique gifts for the whole family! Make your reservations now at holiday rates.
Locals can take advantage of great holiday hotel rates, too! Invite your friends and family to the Cajun Coast, but keep a little breathing room!
Plan now to Christmas on the Cajun Coast!
Come Christmas on the Cajun Coast
Come Christmas on the Cajun Coast where holiday events are magnified with the beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin and the Louisiana coastline! We will treat you to Cajun fare, hospitality, and live music, where joy, or joie de vivre is a normal way of life! Enjoy The Most Wonderful Time of the Year on the Cajun Coast!
Along with traditional Christmas tree lightings, caroling and live productions, holiday events on the Cajun Coast range from a Victorian Christmas at Grevemberg House and historic tours of other homes and churches to Christmas lights on the bayou and boat parades! Visits from Santa, or Père Noël, may even find him stepping off a boat rather than a sleigh. Legend claims that Cajun Santa is pulled through the swamps on a pirogue by alligators! Regardless of how he arrives, be sure to catch Santa and the joy of the season throughout the Cajun Coast. Visit the Christmas Events page for all the details and don’t miss a single moment!
Shops dressed for the holidays, beckon you with local crafts and quaint, one-of-a kind buys, as well as tastes of Louisiana cuisine and cookbooks to bring back home. Find a perfect gift and the perfect trip on the Cajun Coast.
Dining on the Cajun Coast is always a treat! Get warm on the inside with hearty gumbos and étouffées, feast on the freshest seafood from local waters, and indulge in Santa-approved desserts, like scrumptious bread pudding with a Chantilly sauce or pralines with local pecans. Check out our restaurant list and dine like a king this holiday season.
When you get away to Christmas on the Cajun Coast, you leave the holiday headaches behind! Let us entertain and feed you, and we’ll even do the dishes! And, with a great rate on a snuggly bed for those sugar plums to dance in your heads, you’ll be able to spend more on unique gifts for the whole family! Make your reservations now at holiday rates:
Locals can take advantage of great holiday hotel rates, too! Invite your friends and family to the Cajun Coast, but keep a little breathing room!
Make Christmas less crazy – Come Christmas on the Cajun Coast!