Continue the Celebrations This Spring
With Mardi Gras just behind us, it’s time to bring on Spring Festival season with celebrations like Basin Brew Fest and the Irish-Italian Walking Parade! Enjoy the family-friendly, festive, cultural celebrations! And of course, nature springs into its own celebrations that you can enjoy all season long!
The Krewe of Dionysus hosts the Irish-Italian Walking Parade through Morgan City on March 18, and the following weekend is the Basin Brew Fest, showcasing craft beer from Louisiana Breweries on March 25! Check the events calendar for the details.
The parade of Spring explodes with irises and water hyacinths and other bursts of color on top of the green lushness of the Atchafalaya Basin. It is a beautiful spectrum that you have to witness! Take a kayak tour with Tours by Steven, and Captain Caviar or other nearby operators are ready to bring you out on a swamp tour to spot the gorgeous bayou landscapes, plenty of alligators, and other wildlife.
Along with kayak or swamp tours, there are also ways many ways to view the 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. And, party barges create their own sort of floating parade at Lake End Park! You can rent barges, pontoon boats, jet skis, and kneeboards from Lake End Rentals.
We have also created itineraries that make planning easy to get away from it all this Spring! You can go camping, waking up 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.
The Bayou Teche National Scenic Byway is an easy way to see the beauty of the area from the comfort of your car! The meandering route along the banks of the Bayou Teche affords views of the lovely waterway, moss-covered trees, and buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Download the brochure and plan your trip now.
With plenty of lodging varieties, plan to stay a while to Celebrate Spring With Fests and Nature’s Bounty on the Cajun Coast!
Come Mardi Gras on the Cajun Coast!
The Mardi Gras season is in full swing on the Cajun Coast, beginning January 6, the Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day, continuing through Mardi Gras Day, always 40 days before Easter which is set based on the spring equinox.
This year Fat Tuesday falls on February 21 with the weekend leading up to the big day full of family-friendly parades, along with a season of balls and parties, where Mardi Gras royalty are celebrated.
The season also brings the long-anticipated King Cake! The usually ring-shaped cake was traditionally a cinnamon and sugar-filled pastry, but all different types of cakes exist, such as those filled with cream cheese and fruit or even boudin and crawfish for a savory treat! Cajun Coast chefs are even more creative, with King Cake bread pudding, milkshakes, and coffee-based creations celebrating the season!
Mardi Gras parades roll through the Cajun Coast beginning February 17!
See the parade schedule below and download the route map and other info and make reservations now to Come Mardi Gras on the Cajun Coast!!
CAJUN COAST PARADE SCHEDULE
- February 17 – Krewe of Adonis. Morgan City, 7 p.m.
- February 18 – Baldwin Mardi Gras Parade. Baldwin, 1 p.m.
- February 18 – Cypremort Point Parade. Cypremort Point State Park, 1 p.m.
- February 18 – Krewe of Dionysus Parade, Berwick, 2 pm.
- February 19 – Krewe of Galatea Parade. Morgan City, 2 p.m.
- February 19 – Krewe of Nike, following Krewe of Galatea Parade; 2:30 pm.
- February 20 – Krewe of Amani Parade. Patterson, 2 p.m.
- February 20 – Krewe of Hera Parade. Morgan City, 7 p.m.
- February 21 – Franklin Mardi Gras Parade. Franklin, 1 p.m.
- February 21– Krewe of Hephaestus Parade. Morgan City, 2 p.m.
- February 21– Siracusaville Parade. Siracusaville, 1 p.m.
New Year – Yours to Explore!
The new year means new adventures and new paths to explore! The Cajun Coast is full of new possibilities throughout its age-old, mystical waterways and the cities and towns that have built up along its fresh and saltwater shores. With its seductive waterways and hypnotic beauty, you can plan to make magical memories as you explore the Cajun Coast this year!
And, let’s not forget festival season kicks off with the incomparable Mardi Gras! Balls, parades, and Mardi Gras festivities mark this season of frivolity, celebrated up to Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Day, February 21 this year. Officially, Mardi Gras begins on January 6, the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, and the King Cakes of just about every variety imaginable can be found on the Cajun Coast! You can check out our Mardi Gras page for a list of locations. CajunCoast.com/MardiGras Tag us on social #cajuncoastmardigras to let us know your favorites (or other spots to add).
There are so many ways to find a new adventure on the Cajun Coast! And, we’ve made paddling the Atchafalaya Basin easy to navigate. Not only do we have Paddling Trails with maps and difficulty levels, so you’ll know where to put your oar in the water, but Tours by Steven now has guided Kayak Tours, so you don’t even need to bring your kayak along. If you would like a little more distance from the water, take a pontoon boat with local swamp tour operators, like Captain Caviar, who provide entertaining and educational tours of the beauty and mystery of the Atchafalaya waters.
After all that waterway exploration, you’re bound to be hungry! We’ve got you covered! Everything is delicious, so you can take your taste buds on a new adventure as well – try étouffée, jambalaya, gumbo, sauce piquant, and seafood so fresh it was probably swimming in the Gulf this morning! Be sure to save room for dessert! The Cajun Coast is sugar country, so sweets from pralines to bread pudding are worth the calories! (You can dance it off later to some Zydeco rhythms) See our dining page and plan to eat your way throughout the region.
You could work off those pounds in the mesmerizing beauty of our great outdoors – with year-round, mild temperatures, you can hike or bike even in winter! Of course, check the weather before you head out, and remember we do get our fair share of winter showers, so pack appropriately.
Or, if you’d prefer your exercise in jumping up and down over your casino winnings, Amelia Belle Casino or Cypress Bayou Casino-Hotel, Louisiana’s first land-based casino, have plenty of opportunities. In addition to slots and table games, you’ll find amazing dining at Cypress Bayou.
We also have cool museums to add a little learning to your adventures! Learn something new in the new year, including learning about the many cultures who settled this area, such as 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. We also have museums highlighting aviation pioneers, and you can even walk about an oil rig on the Cajun Coast!
So, come explore and find a new you in the new year on the Cajun Coast!
It’s the Most Wonderful Time!
Any time is a good time to visit the Cajun Coast, but Christmas is an especially magical time! Christmas on the Cajun Coast finds holiday events with a Cajun twist – from Papa Noel being pulled on a shrimp boat by his team of gators to feasting on Cajun fare to twinkling lights making the beauty of this area even more spectacular! Come Christmas on the Cajun Coast!
Along with traditional Christmas tree lightings, caroling, and concerts, holiday features include Victorian Christmas at Grevemberg House and Shadowlawn with historic tours of other homes and churches, as well as Christmas lights on the bayou and boat parades! Plan your route to see the 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). Visits from Santa may look more like Pere Noel with his team of alligators instead of reindeer, so see the Christmas Events page for all the details and don’t miss a single event! 
And in a place where we live to eat instead of eating to live, the holidays brings that up to a magical place! Try scrumptious, Cajun bread pudding with a Chantilly sauce and gumbos made with the freshest catch from coastal waters. Even cookies for St. Nick might be pralines or divinity. Check out local restaurants and dine like a king this holiday season.
Black Friday pales in comparison to Small Business Saturday (and the rest of the holiday season) on the Cajun Coast! Main Street shops, dressed for the holidays, beckon you with local shopping and quaint, one-of-a kind buys, as well as tastes of Louisiana cuisine and cookbooks to bring back home. Take home keepsakes of your travels along with great memories and find something special for those special someones in your life. There are plenty of holiday shopping specials, so check the calendar for events like Moonlight Monday or Mingle & Jingle and come shop the Cajun Coast!
Come Christmas on the Cajun Coast and leave the holiday headaches behind! Let us entertain and feed you, and we’ll even do the dishes! And, with such great rates, you’ll be able to spend more on unique gifts for the whole family! Make your reservations now at holiday rates!
So, check out the complete list of holiday events, download your list to check it twice, and plan to Christmas on the Cajun Coast!
De-Stress This Season
The holidays can be stressful, but the Cajun Coast has your path to de-stress this season! Take in the beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin, shop main street towns all dressed up for the holidays, and eat your way through spots with the freshest of seafood and Cajun & Creole delights as well as a flurry of desserts in one of the top sugar-producing areas of our state!
Get up-close with nature on our paddling trails, including the new Franklin Paddling Trailhead, or take a Tours by Steven Bayou Teche Kayak adventure! If a covered, pontoon boat is more your speed, take an entertaining journey through the swamps with Captain Caviar! You can even walk out into the swamps on the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge Boardwalk.
Escape for a little time to yourself, or bring the family along to escape from the everyday stressors of the holidays. Focus on family as you roam our trails and relax in our parks, getting away from it all. We have itineraries, just for the kids, or sorted by your kind of getaway, so check them out and make your to-do list!
If Main Street shopping amazing dining, and all the trappings of an idyllic holiday season are your idea of the perfect getaway, we’ve got you covered on the Cajun Coast! Our beautiful, historic towns dress up for the holidays, featuring lighting ceremonies, tours, celebrations, shopping, and the jolly old elf himself to get you in the holiday spirit! See our complete list of activities for the holiday season!
Shopping is as bountiful as a Thanksgiving table on the Cajun Coast. Offerings throughout the area will fill your stocking with eclectic gift options! Holiday shopping events, like Mistletoe & Moss Holiday Market will get all your holiday gift-giving knocked out in no time!
Give the gift of memories this holiday season. We even have great hotel rates to make your holidays even sweeter on the Cajun Coast!
Fall Fests & Ghostly Fun
Fall not only features Halloween’s spooky fun, but it is also harvest time with cooler temps for outdoor activities, so on the Cajun Coast that means a lot of 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!
Bikers on the Bayou is Back! Whether you are a motorcycle enthusiast or not, you are welcome to come out to the fun in Franklin, Saturday, Oct. 1. There will be live music and lots of food, including a black pot cook-off, along with plenty of vendors for shopping!
Catch the Tour du Teche racers as they come into Franklin Saturday night, October 8th and leave out early Sunday, October 9th at Parc Sur La Teche. These racers travel 135 miles from Port Barre to Berwick in this 3-day race. You could also get in on the racing action for the full tour or shorter racers from Morey Park in Patterson.
October 15 brings a new event to the Cajun Coast – the Halloween Scare Fair, hosted by Couyon Creations in Lawrence Park in Morgan City with music, food trucks, haunted areas & costume contests. The Patterson Main Street Festival will also not disappoint with FREE entry, great live music, and plenty of craft & food vendors at Morey Park.
Oct 22 Features fun for pets (and their owners) at the Morgan City Petting Zoo Fall Fest along with the Morgan City Trunk or Treat with live music and lots of goodies for young and old.
The Harvest Moon Festival is also in full-swing to get your holiday shopping kicked off! The Franklin Main Street Merchants will be decked out in full fall decor, with scarecrow contests, hayrides, pet parade, pumpkin patch, cornhole tournaments, a 5k, live music and even a Sugar Showdown Bake Off! Don’t miss the festivities, October 29!
Harvest Moon Fest – Oct. 29
And ghostly sightings don’t limit themselves to the Halloween season on the Cajun Coast! You can take advantage of Tours by Steven’s Ghost Walk or Captain Caviar’s haunted tours all year, but the spirits do seem a little more animated during Halloween on the Cajun Coast. See our Ghost Page for details and other ghost stories!
So come out for fall festivities, ghostly sightings, and plenty of fun on the Cajun Coast this fall.