Page 160 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New Orleans

158  BEY OND NE W ORLEANS

180-acre state park that
stretches along Bayou Teche.
It offers pleasant picnicking and
walking trails among 300-year-
old oaks. At the center of the
park stands a reconstruction
of a typical Acadian cabin
representative of the 1790s.
This can be contrasted with
the Olivier House, a plantation
home built in 1815. The cypress
and brick structure has 14-inch
(36-cm) thick walls. There is also
a museum, which focuses on
The Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville Acadian history and culture.
7 St. Martinville ending, placing her as a nurse at E Acadian Memorial
his bedside as he lay dying. 121 S New Market St. Tel (337) 394-
Cajun Country. * 8,000. n 215 2258. Open 10am–4:30pm daily.
Evangeline Blvd, (337) 394-2233. St. Martin de Tours Church is Closed major hols. 7 &
∑ stmartinville.org the focal point of St. Martinville.
Established in 1765 by French R St. Martin de Tours Church
This small picturesque town missionaries, it was the first 133 S Main St. Tel (337) 394-6021.
on a natural levee of the Bayou church to serve the Acadian Open 8am–6pm daily. Closed noon–
Teche was founded in 1765 as community. Fairly plain inside, 6pm Fri. 7 ∑ stmartindetours.org
a military outpost. It became it contains a baptismal font, E Petit Paris Museum and
known as “Petit Paris” (little which was a gift from Louis XVI, Gift Shop
Paris) because many French and a replica of the grotto at 103 S Main St. Tel (337) 394-7334.
noblemen settled there Lourdes. The grave of Evangeline Open 9:30am–4:30pm daily.
after fleeing the French Labiche (mythol ogized as Closed Dec 25. 7 &
Revolution. Located in Longfellow’s Evangeline) and E The Longfellow-Evangeline
the main square of this a bronze statue of her are State Commemorative Area
town is the Acadian located in the garden behind 1200 N Main St. Tel (337) 394-
Memorial, which the church. The monument 3754. Open 9am–5pm Wed–Sun.
houses the mural was donated by actress Dolores Closed Thanks giving, Dec 25, Jan 1.
painted by Robert del Río, who played the role of 7 8
Dafford, The Arrival Evangeline in the silent movie
of the Acadians in filmed here in 1929. Also on the 8 New Iberia and
Louisiana, which church square there is the Petit
portrays some 40 Paris Museum and Gift Shop, Avery Island
people, who arrived which houses the historical Cajun Country. * 32,000. @ 1103 E
in Louisiana records of the most important Main St. n 2513 Highway 14, (888)
Acadian between 1764 and events in the town’s life. The 942-3742. ∑ cityofnewiberia.com
Memorial 1788. The painter Longfellow-Evangeline State
went so far as to Commemorative Area is a New Iberia is notable for its
model some of the portraits on many sugar cane plantations.
contem porary descendants. The area also owes its wealth
Opposite the painting, the Wall to oil drilling and salt mining.
of Names lists about 3,000 early In fact, the so-called “islands” in
Aca dians. Behind the museum, the region, such as Avery and
an eternal flame burns in a Jefferson, are not actually
small courtyard garden surrounded by water; rather
overlooking Bayou Teche. they are domes located atop
Nearby stands the salt mines.
Evangeline Oak, marking the At the plantation home
spot where the two famous known as Shadows on the
Acadian lovers, Gabriel and Teche, 40 trunks were found
Evangeline, supposedly in the attic, filled with 17,000
encountered each other. letters, photographs, receipts,
Gabriel confessed that after and papers relating to the
three years in exile he had family who lived here. This
despaired of ever seeing her documentation is used as
again and married another. She back ground for the fascinating
went mad and died soon after. St. Martin de Tours church at the center tour of the house. A native of
Longfellow’s poem changes the of St. Martinville Maryland, David Weeks, built

158-159_EW_New_Orl.indd 158 05/08/16 3:50 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.7)
Date 1st October 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm