6 Playfully Peculiar Towns In Louisiana

America’s Deep South, Louisiana, is a true melting pot of diverse traditions, cultures, and ethnicities. Over the centuries, this unique state has developed a character and personality all of its own, which is readily apparent in its playfully peculiar small towns. Browse a mystery museum, celebrate werewolves, cheer on a frog race, see the home of hot sauce, or dance to some swamp pop. Whatever you get up to in the Louisiana bayous, it’s sure to be an unforgettable southern experience.

Houma

In the heart of Bayou County, just 55 miles from New Orleans, Houma has a very peculiar tradition that honours local spooky folklore. In October, the town celebrates the Cajun werewolf-like monster, the Rougarou, with a two-day Rougarou Festival. The free, family-friendly event includes costume competitions, live music, Cajun food, a parade, and games.

Enjoy more local lore at the Terrebonne Folklife Cultural Center which has exhibits on decoy carving, Cajun tools, and Native American artifacts as well as regular workshops and classes to learn skills including Cajun dancing and soap making. Unravel the mysteries of the Bayou from a local expert with Annie Miller’s Son’s Swamp and Marsh Tours. Annie Miller, aka Alligator Annie, was a world-famous naturalist who founded Louisiana's first swamp tour business. Today, her son continues the tradition with trips into the deep swamp to see local habitats and wildlife.

Meet the family of another local legend at Bayou Terrebonne Distillers, founded by Houma’s first Mardi Gras Queen, who was an underground moonshiner during Prohibition. The distillery offers homegrown Cajun rum, vodka, whiskey, and more. Tours are available by reservation.

Rayne

Part of the Cajun prairie, Rayne has a very strange claim to fame. Known as the ‘frog capital of the world’, this quaint small town doesn’t take itself too seriously. Every second weekend in May, the community comes together to celebrate its amphibian mascot with the Rayne Frog Festival, a tradition that’s been going on for over 50 years.

Honouring the town’s history of frog processing and shipping, the festival features frog races, carnival rides, a Frog Derby Queen Pageant, and, of course, lots of opportunities to snack on frog legs. If you can’t make it to the festival, you can get a taste of authentic Cajun cuisine year-round at Chef Roy’s Frog City Cafe, which has specialties including Frog Leg Etouffee and Fried Frog Leg Platter.

Take a wander through Rayne to see over 100 unique frog statues dotted around town and call into the Rayne City Museum to learn about the frog-processing industry and how it shaped the community through the decades.

Take in one more eccentric local attraction with a visit to St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Mentioned in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, St Joseph’s is believed to be the world’s only Christian cemetery where the graves face north to south rather than the customary south to north. This peculiar feature has earned it the nickname of ‘Wrong Way Cemetery’.

Lutcher

Lutcher takes its name from the town’s founder, Henry Lutcher, who owned a lumber business in the 1890s. Come to Lutcher in December to enjoy a Christmas you’ll never forget. Over the holiday season, locals build huge pyres along the Mississippi levees. One pyre is lit every night until Christmas Eve, when the whole display is set ablaze, illuminating the night sky in a one-of-a-kind spectacle. The tradition is said to be centuries old and originated as a way to light the path for Papa Noel.

A 15-minute drive south of Lutcher is the Whitney Plantation, named by National Geographic as ‘the plantation every American should visit’. The indigo, rice, and sugar plantation operated from 1752 to 1975 and is now a museum with over a dozen buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Don’t leave Lutcher without calling into Nobile’s Restaurant & Bar, a piece of local history that serves up Louisiana classics. This charming eaterie was established in 1895 and is housed in a restored Victorian building, which is period-decorated with antiques.

New Iberia

New Iberia, on the Bayou Teche, is a great example of Louisiana’s diverse heritage with Spanish, French, African-American, and Creole influences in its long history. The town has a wealth of eclectic experiences for visitors, including the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival in September and the World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off in October.

The town is also the home of Tabasco Pepper Sauce. Production of the famous condiment began here in 1868 and is still in production today. The factory/museum is open to the public for tours, showing visitors how the sauce is made and its evolution throughout the centuries. You can pick up some spicy souvenirs at the gift shop or try a little something hot at the onsite restaurant.

Near the factory is Jungle Gardens, a 170-acre preserve home to alligators, bears, bobcats, deer, and other wildlife. It’s also a paradise for birdwatchers, with large populations of egrets, herons, and other species. Birding and walking tours are available by reservation.

Head to the Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island for more stunning scenery and a bit of quirky local history. The island and semi-tropical gardens are named for the actor Joseph Jefferson who played the part of Rip Van Winkle on stage over 4,500 times. Wander the gardens before taking a tour of Jefferson’s sprawling 1870 mansion.

Ville Platte

An hour’s drive from Lafayette lies the quintessentially Cajun small town of Ville Platte. This quirky community is where you’ll find the Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum, a homage to one of the world’s most distinct and unusual musical genres. The museum features swamp pop stage costumes, photos, records, a wall of fame of swamp pop legends, and rare memorabilia. You may also be lucky enough to catch a live performance from the museum’s frequent guest musicians.

After filling up on musical heritage, try some down-home Cajun cuisine at the Cajun Catfish Buffet, which serves southern seafood classics in a relaxed, family-diner setting. Once you’ve fueled up on fish, head into the Louisiana wilderness at Chicot State Park, a stunning 6,400-acre nature preserve. The park is home to Lake Chicot, a popular spot for anglers eager to catch largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and red-ear sunfish. It also contains the Louisiana State Arboretum, which can be explored via its network of walking trails that wind through the beech-magnolia forest.

Abita Springs

One of the quirkiest towns in Louisiana, Abita Springs is best known for its artistic vibe, beautiful scenery, and one very weird and wonderful attraction known as the Abita Mystery House.

The Mystery House houses a fascinating collection of curiosities, folk art, memorabilia, antiques, and more. It contains over 50,000 objects, ranging from old arcade games to stuffed creatures. Laid out as a sprawling maze, it’s easy to lose a few hours exploring the eclectic jumble of artifacts and installations. Find more treasures at the Whole Town Garage Sale, another quirky Abita Springs tradition. One of the largest sales in the state, the springtime event attracts thousands of visitors to rummage through the annual flea market.

While in town, catch a show at the Abita Springs Opry. This nonprofit community theatre showcases grassroots Louisiana music with six shows a year in a historic venue that’s over a century old. To enjoy Abita Springs’ natural attractions, take a wander along the Tammany Trace trail, a 31-mile paved trail suitable for biking or hiking. At the trailhead, you’ll find the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum, which gives visitors a closer look at the town’s cultural and artistic heritage.

Mystery And Magic In Playful Louisiana

Named for a king, the birthplace of jazz, and the home of Mardi Gras, Louisiana is like nowhere else on earth. These colorful and curious communities offer a little something different from your usual vacation. Forget lounging at the beach or hustling through the crowds in a big city, take a break from the norm with a visit to one of these quirky southern towns. See the authentic side of Louisiana and soak up the fun-filled character of this fascinating state, where adventure awaits and memories are made.