Cajun Country

The official name of this area is Acadiana, and it consists of a rough triangle of Louisiana made up of 22 parishes (counties), from St. Landry Parish at the top of the triangle to the Gulf of Mexico at its base. Lafayette is Acadiana's "capital," and it's dotted with such towns as St. Martinville, New Iberia, Abbeville, and Eunice. You won't find its boundaries on any map, nor the name "Acadiana" stamped across it. But those 22 parishes are Cajun Country, and its history and culture are unique in America.

Planning Your Trip

A circular drive will allow you to take in one or two of the plantation homes en route to Baton Rouge (if you take the River Rd. instead of I-10) before turning west on I-10 to reach Lafayette and the land of the Cajuns. Go north of Lafayette on I-49 to reach Opelousas; Eunice is about 20 minutes west of there on Highway 190. A return to New Orleans on U.S. 90 is a trip through the history, legend, and romance of this region. There is more than a day's worth of interest in this area, so you'll probably want to plan at least an overnight stay. On I-10 the distance from New Orleans to Lafayette is 134 miles; Lafayette to New Orleans on U.S. 90 is 167 miles. Listed below (in alphabetical order) are some of the places you should not miss, but you will find scores of other Cajun Country attractions on your own. Also listed are some places to stay overnight as well as some of the outstanding Cajun restaurants (rest assured, bad restaurants do not last long) in the area.

Contact the excellent Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, 1400 NW Evangeline Thruway (P.O. Box 52066), Lafayette, LA 70505 (tel. 800/346-1958 in the U.S., 800/543-5340 in Canada, or 337/232-3737; fax 337/232-0161; www.lafayettetravel.com). It will send you tons of detailed information to make your trip even more fun. The office is open weekdays from 8:30am to 5pm and weekends from 9am to 5pm.

Hands down, the best time to visit Acadiana is during festival time. You'll have a terrific time along with native Cajuns, who celebrate with real gusto. If you miss this, however, every weekend seems to bring a smaller festival somewhere else in the area -- and plenty of music at any time of the year.

Tours

If you can't find time for an extended visit to Cajun Country, a 1-day guided tour can provide an introduction to the area. Tours by Isabelle (tel. 888/223-2093 or 504/391-3544; www.toursbyisabelle.com) specializes in small tours in comfortable, air-conditioned passenger vans. You'll cross the Mississippi to visit Cajun Country and then take a 1 1/2-hour narrated swamp tour. The Cajun Bayou Tour ($65) leaves New Orleans at 1pm and returns around 5:30pm. Isabelle's Grand Tour ($136) includes the Cajun Bayou Tour, a guided tour and lunch at Oak Alley Plantation, and a guided tour of Laura: A Creole Plantation.

A Cajun Weekend

For music lovers, a trip out of New Orleans to the source of Cajun and zydeco music is practically a must. Though it's especially tempting to go during an organized event such as Lafayette's Festival International or Breaux Bridge's Crawfish Festival, there is always plenty of music happening -- so much that you can easily fill a couple of days. Here are our suggestions for a good Cajun Country weekend itinerary:

Friday -- Drive out from New Orleans (avoid rush hour, when it can take a very long time to get through Baton Rouge). Stay in Lafayette, Eunice, or Washington, pretty towns with nice B&Bs (and some basic chain hotels). That night, drive into Lafayette and hear whatever's going on at the Grant Street Dancehall or the Blue Moon Saloon or check out Opelousas's Slim's Y Ki-Ki for the best in zydeco.

Saturday -- Get up early and head to the Savoy Music Center in Eunice for the weekly jam session. Leave before noon and drive to Mamou, where Fred's Lounge should be jampacked. The action at Fred's stops at 1pm, but the bar next door picks up the slack. Then head to Ville Platte and Floyd's Record Shop to buy some of what you've heard. Have a bite at the Pig Stand or back in Eunice. That night, go to Eunice's Liberty Theater for the live radio broadcast featuring Cajun and zydeco groups -- plus plenty of Cajun folk tales and jokes. Consider dinner at D.I.'s, which also has live music.

Sunday -- Spend the morning checking out picturesque Washington, strolling the wonderful gardens at Magnolia Ridge, or combing the many antiques shops before heading back to New Orleans.