Page 358 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

356  THE DEEP SOUTH

These include the In downtown Breaux Bridge,
netmaking that was a tiny drawbridge over Bayou
vital for a life that Teche proclaims the town
depended on “the Crawfish Capital of the
harvesting food from World.” The town also hosts
the bayou, and the the annual Crawfish Festival
woodcraft that built in May.
plows and the shallow- At Lake Martin, the Nature
draft wooden pirogue. Conservancy’s Cypress Island
The National Park Preserve offers an opportunity
Service operates the to see swamp wildlife from a
Jean Lafitte National hiking trail and boat tours.
Historic Park and The preserve has a world-
other Acadian class wading bird rookery.
cultural centers. Farther south, in St.
Martinville, the famous
E Vermilionville Evangeline Oak marks the
300 Fisher Rd. Tel (337) 233- spot where Evangeline and
4077. Open 10am–4pm her lover Gabriel were
Tue–Sun. Closed Mon, Jan 1, supposed to be reunited.
Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, Both their tragic tale and the
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Lafayette Dec 24, 25, & 31. & 7 Acadian saga are narrated in
∑ vermillionville.org Evangeline, Henry Wadsworth
4 Lafayette E Jean Lafitte Longfellow’s 1847 poem.
* 126,000. @ £ n 1400 NW National Historical Park Acadian Nearby, St. Martin de Tours
Evangeline Thruway, (337) 232-3737. Cultural Center Church dates back to the
∑ lafayettetravel.com 501 Fisher Rd. Tel (337) 232-0789. town’s founding in 1765.
Open 9am–4:30pm Tue–Fri, 8:30am– Just outside town, the
The unofficial “Capital of French noon Sat. Closed Mardi Gras, public evocative Longfellow-
Louisiana” is an entertaining hols. 7 ∑ nps.gov/jela Evangeline State Historic
introduction to the world of Site offers tours of an 18th-
bayous, alligators, superb cuisine, 5 Bayou Teche century sugar plantation
and lilting Cajun accents. When house. Bayou Teche flows
the first Acadians arrived here Hwy 31 runs from Breaux Bridge to through the town of New
in 1765, they settled along the New Iberia. n 2513 Hwy 14, (337) Iberia, famous for its grand
bayous and prairies west of 365-1540. ∑ iberiatravel.com plantation home – the 1834
New Orleans, working as Shadows-on-the-Teche,
farmers to make a living from Bayou Teche (pronounced which is now a museum.
the swamps and marshes. “Tesh”) meanders north-to- A detour to Avery Island
Lafayette evolved from a south alongside a scenic route leads to the McIlhenny Tabasco
small settlement, set up in between Lafayette and the Company, a popular stop for
1821 around a church, now the Atchafalaya Swamp. Stretching gourmands where a guide
towering Cathedral of St. John between Breaux Bridge and presents information about
the Baptist, near the Vermilion New Iberia, the 25-mile (40-km) the company’s history
River. Today, the town is length of Hwy 31, with its lush and manufacturing. The
the heart of Cajun Country, vegetation and beautiful moss- adjacent Jungle Gardens
distinguished by its unique draped oaks, offers a true flavor is a natural swamp, which
cultural heritage. of the region. also offers tours.
Lafayette’s living history
museum, Vermilionville (the
original name of the town),
evokes 19th-century Acadiana
with its characteristic French-
influenced architecture. The
buildings here are constructed
of bousillage (see p354), and
have high-pitched roofs.
Both Vermilionville and nearby
Jean Lafitte National Historical
Park Acadian Cultural Center
feature exhibits as well as
demon strations on the skills
needed to survive in 18th-
and 19th-century Louisiana. Shadows-on-the-Teche plantation house in New Iberia, Bayou Teche
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp368–70 and pp371–3

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Date 12th July 2013
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