7 Bucket-List Small Towns In Louisiana
Natchitoches is older than the United States. Grand Isle is the only inhabited barrier island in Louisiana. Eunice is a center for Cajun music and culture. Jazz music, bayous, and Cajun food abound across Louisiana. But these seven towns have a six-week-long Christmas festival, the oldest site in the state park system, and mixtures of Acadian, African American, and Cajun cultures that separate them from other small towns in the state.
Natchitoches
Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in Louisiana, even older than the state itself. It was founded in 1714 as Fort St. Jean Baptiste. Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site is an exact replica of the fort based on the original blueprints and is only a few hundred yards from the original site. Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant serves traditional Creole cuisine, including their signature meat pies. Kaffie-Frederick General Mercantile is Louisiana's oldest continually operating general store, even using the original 1910 cash register. The Natchitoches Christmas Festival is an annual six-week-long celebration of Christmas, with over 300,000 lights and over 1000 set pieces along the banks of Cane River Lake.
Grand Isle
Grand Isle is the only inhabited barrier island in Louisiana. Grand Isle State Park is on the eastern tip of the island. It contains a 900-foot-long fishing pier, the only pier in Louisiana that extends into the Gulf. Over 280 species of fish have been recorded in the waters around the park. Tommy's Restaurant and Bar serves locally caught seafood overlooking the Gulf. Fort Livingston is one of the largest coastal forts in Louisiana and the only fort on the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. It is on Grand Terre Island and only accessible by boat. Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge comprises saltwater marshes, coastal dunes, beaches, and mangroves.
Eunice
Cajun music is woven into many places in Eunice. The Savoy Music Center hosts free jam sessions every Saturday morning, performed by a mix of local and visiting musicians. The Cajun Music Hall of Fame and Museum houses artifacts and memorabilia related to Cajun music and culture, such as old records and vintage musical instruments. The Liberty Theater is a renovated 1924 vaudeville house that hosts Rendez-vous des Cajuns, a weekly Cajun-French music radio and television show on Saturday nights. The New Ronnie's Cajun Café serves classic Cajun dishes, including seafood gumbo, po'boys, and fried crawfish.
St. Martinville
St. Martinville is closely associated with the history of the 3,000 Acadians who arrived in Louisiana in the 18th century after British forces exiled them from eastern Canada. The Acadian Memorial and Museum features a mural depicting the Acadians' arrival, as well as stories about the refugees and a wall bearing their names. St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church is the third oldest Catholic church in Louisiana. Evangeline Oak Park is on the banks of Bayou Teche and centered around an ancient live oak tree that is named for the heroine in the poem, Evangeline. Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site is the oldest state park site in Louisiana. The site showcases a plantation home and a replica of an Acadian farmstead.
Breaux Bridge
Crawfish have been both a staple food and cultural symbol of Breaux Bridge. The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival was first held in 1960 and returns every May. It features close to three dozen Cajun, zydeco, and swamp pop musicians, crawfish races, dance contests, and, of course, crawfish prepared every imaginable way. La Poussiere is one of only a few remaining traditional Cajun dance halls where people still gather every weekend to dance to Cajun music. The Cypress Island Nature Preserve at Lake Martin preserves a swamp ecosystem home to many colonial nesting water birds, native plants, and a healthy population of American alligators.
Donaldsonville
Donaldsonville is regarded as having the finest collection of buildings dating from the antebellum era to 1933, of any Louisiana river town above New Orleans. Other historical sites in Donaldsonville include the Historic Fort Butler Commemorative Site. Fort Butler was built during the Civil War to guard the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Bayou Lafourche. It was guarded by African-American slaves who later became soldiers. The River Road African American Museum preserves over 300 years of history and heritage of African Americans along the Mississippi River. Grapevine Café and Gallery serves a blend of Cajun, Creole, and African cuisine from a restored 1920s building. Rotating collections of art from local artists are featured on the wall.
Abita Springs
Abita Springs was discovered by the Choctaw Native American people who used the natural springs, which were believed to have healing waters. Abita Springs Park features a two-story 1884 pavilion which was built over a statue of Princess Abita, commemorating the springs and their importance to town. The Abita Springs Trailhead Museum chronicles Abita Springs' history as a resort town and details its Choctaw heritage. The town's artesian waters have been used by Abita Brewery to produce eight year-round flagship beers as well as a variety of seasonal beers. The Abita Mystery House is a roadside attraction with over 50,000 found objects, like bottle caps and arcade games.
Tick These Louisiana Towns Off the Bucket List
Small-town Louisiana is more than Cajun food and bayou scenery. Eunice keeps Cajun traditions alive, St. Martinville preserves its Acadian history, and Breaux Bridge continues to honor its crawfish legacy. Together, the architecture, cultural heritage, and festivals found in these towns showcase how much variety small town Louisiana has.
