Flying to Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) is the gateway to Cajun Country — boudin, étouffée, zydeco music, the Atchafalaya Basin, and the most distinctive regional food culture in the United States. FareOptic compares American, Delta, United, and Southwest for the cheapest fare into LFT.
Flights to Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT)
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Why Visit Lafayette?
Boudin from gas station windows, a living history village where Acadian French is still spoken, 1.4 million acres of cypress swamp that birthed crawfish étouffée, and 5 days of free zydeco and world music every April
Cajun Food and the Lafayette Restaurant Scene -- the Boudin Capital of the World, Cracklins, Étouffée, Gumbo, and the Specific Reason Why Lafayette's Food Is Different From New Orleans' Food in Ways Most Visitors Don't Understand Until They've Eaten Both
Boudin (Pork-and-Rice Cajun Sausage Sold From Grocery Store Gas Stations, Boucheries, and Specialist Boudiniers Who Are as Opinionated About the Correct Proportion of Pork Liver to Rice as Competitive BBQ Pitmasters Are About Brisket), the Precise Difference Between Cajun and Creole Cuisines, and Why Lafayette Has More Great Restaurants Per Capita Than Any Louisiana City Outside New OrleansLafayette's food culture is built on the Cajun tradition (a distinct cuisine developed by the Acadian French exiles who settled southwestern Louisiana's prairies and wetlands from the 1760s onward, using the ingredients available in the bayou and prairie environment -- game, freshwater fish, crawfish, pork, rice, and the Louisiana holy trinity [onion, celery, and bell pepper] in place of the French mirepoix's carrots). The cuisine's key characteristics: (1) boudin (a fresh sausage made from pork, pork liver, cooked rice, onions, and Cajun seasoning stuffed into pork casing; the definitive Lafayette food; eaten by squeezing the filling out of the casing directly into the mouth; sold from every grocery store, gas station, and specialty boudiner in the city -- including: Bourque's Superette [321 W Main Street, Broussard, 20 miles south -- often cited as the best boudin in Louisiana; cash only; cash price $4-5/link], Don's Specialty Meats [730 I-49 South Service Road, Scott -- also excellent; both locations have drive-through boudin windows]); (2) cracklins (cochon de lait fried pork skin and fat -- not the dry American pork rind but a moist, fried pork product with a crackling skin and chewy fat interior, sold by the pound at the same boudin shops); (3) crawfish étouffée (the dish credited to Breaux Bridge, the 'Crawfish Capital of the World,' 12 miles east -- a butter-based roux with crawfish tails and the holy trinity, served over white rice; the canonical Lafayette-area version uses more butter and less cream than New Orleans versions); and (4) gumbo (the one-pot rice-and-roux soup [thickened either with filé powder [sassafras] or okra] that is the definitive Louisiana dish -- Lafayette's versions tend toward chicken-and-andouille [smoked pork sausage] rather than the seafood gumbo more common in coastal New Orleans).
Cajun vs. Creole -- the Difference That Every Food Writer Gets Wrong, Why They're Distinct Cuisines, and Why Lafayette Is Cajun and New Orleans Is Creole
Cajun and Creole are two distinct culinary traditions that are frequently conflated in American restaurants outside Louisiana: (1) historical origin (Cajun cuisine derives from the Acadians -- French settlers expelled from Acadia [Nova Scotia] by the British in 1755 in 'le Grand Dérangement' [the Great Upheaval]; approximately 10,000 Acadians were deported, and those who eventually reached Louisiana [after years of displacement through France, the Caribbean, and other American colonies] settled in southwestern Louisiana's prairies and bayous; the word 'Cajun' is a Louisiana French corruption of 'Acadien.' Creole cuisine derives from the urban colonial culture of New Orleans -- the mixture of French, Spanish, African, Native American, and Caribbean influences in the plantation economy and port city of New Orleans, where wealthy colonists had access to imported spices, butter, cream, and ingredients unavailable in the rural Cajun interior); (2) cooking style (Cajun: one-pot, practical, rural -- pots of gumbo, court-bouillon, dirty rice made to feed large farm families; darker roux [the butter-and-flour base for gumbo and étouffée, cooked longer in Cajun versions to reach a near-black 'chocolate roux' that adds deeper, earthier flavors]; Creole: more refined, urban -- multiple-course meals, cream and butter sauces, classic French techniques applied to local ingredients); (3) geographic split (roughly: Cajun = southwestern Louisiana [the Acadiana region: Lafayette, St. Martin, St. Landry, Vermilion, Cameron, and adjacent parishes]; Creole = the New Orleans metro, River Road plantation parishes, and southeastern Louisiana). The two cuisines coexist and overlap, and many Louisiana dishes draw from both traditions, but the distinction is real and meaningful to Louisiana cooks and food scholars.
Vermilionville Living History Museum -- 23 Acres of Reconstructed Cajun and Creole Village Life From 1765 to 1890, Including an Active Boucherie, Traditional Cajun Boat-Building, and Live Cajun Music Every Weekend Since 1990
The Bayou Vermilion Waterfront Village of 18 Reconstructed Period Buildings Where Costumed Interpreters Demonstrate Pirogue-Carving, Spinning, Blacksmithing, Trapping, and Cajun Cooking Over an Open Hearth, With the Cajun Band Playing on the Verandah Every Saturday AfternoonVermilionville Living History Museum (300 Fisher Road, Lafayette -- on the banks of Bayou Vermilion adjacent to the Bayou Vermilion District; admission $12 adult, $5 child; open Tuesday-Sunday 10AM-4PM; founded 1990 by the Lafayette Consolidated Government; 23 acres of living history village) is the most comprehensive interpretation of Cajun and Creole material culture in Louisiana. The museum's 18 reconstructed period buildings (original structures relocated from Acadiana parishes or historically accurate reconstructions built with period techniques) represent the full spectrum of Acadiana life from the Acadian arrival (1765) through the Civil War and Reconstruction (1890): (1) the Acadian farmstead (a bousillage-construction [mud, moss, and Spanish moss pounded between cypress posts] house furnished with period implements -- spinning wheels, iron pots, wooden churns, corn grinding stones, and the Acadian rope bed [lattes de lit, woven rawhide supports]); (2) the Creole plantation cottage (a raised-center-hall house representing the wealthier planter class; different construction [briquette-entre-poteaux, brick between posts] and furnishings reflecting French colonial urban design influence); (3) the trapper's cabin (a palmetto-thatched structure representing the coureurs de bois and bayou trappers who hunted muskrat, nutria, beaver, and otter on the Atchafalaya Basin marshes through the 19th century); (4) the Cajun chapel (a replica of the type of wooden Catholic churches that served Acadian communities before brick churches were built in the late 19th century -- Catholicism being a central institution of Cajun cultural identity, distinguishing the Acadian community from the Protestant Anglo-American settlers who moved into Louisiana after the Louisiana Purchase [1803]); and (5) the weaving house (traditional Cajun handloom weaving, a cottage industry in Acadiana through the 19th century, demonstrated by museum interpreters using period looms to produce the couvertures [woven blankets] that were a standard feature of the Cajun hope chest).
The Acadian Exile -- How 10,000 French Colonists Were Expelled From Nova Scotia by the British in 1755 and How Those Who Eventually Reached Louisiana Created One of the Most Distinctive Regional Cultures in North America
The Acadian Deportation (le Grand Dérangement, 'the Great Upheaval' -- July 28, 1755 to 1762) was the forced removal of the Acadian people (approximately 10,000-14,000 French Catholic settlers who had lived in Acadia [modern Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island] for more than a century) by British colonial authorities during the French and Indian War. The British feared the Acadians, who had signed limited oaths of loyalty to the British crown but refused to take unconditional oaths that would have required them to bear arms against France, would assist French forces. Governor Charles Lawrence ordered the deportation: Acadian farms were burned, families were separated, and people were loaded onto ships with no stated destination. The deportation dispersed the Acadian people across 13 American colonies, France, French Caribbean colonies, Louisiana (then under French and later Spanish control), England, and South America, in what some historians consider the first ethnic cleansing in North America. The Acadians who eventually reached Louisiana (those who traveled through France and were subsequently transported by Spain to Louisiana in the 1760s-1780s, or those deported to other American colonies who made their way to Louisiana, or those who escaped to French Canada and later migrated) found an environment similar to Acadia in some ways (wetlands, fish, waterfowl) but requiring new adaptation in other ways (subtropical heat, cypress swamps, alligators, and Spanish governance). The culture they developed in southwestern Louisiana -- Cajun culture -- is a synthesis of their Norman French heritage, their century of Acadian farming adaptations, and the new Gulf Coast environment and its Native American, African, and Spanish influences. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1847 epic poem 'Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie' (based on the Acadian deportation, set partly in Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin) made the Acadian story known to an international audience and is considered a founding text of Cajun cultural identity.
Atchafalaya Basin -- the Largest River Swamp in North America at 1.4 Million Acres, the Birthplace of Crawfish Étouffée, the Bayou Country of Spanish Moss and Cypress Knees, and Breaux Bridge -- the Crawfish Capital of the World 12 Miles East
1.4 Million Acres of Cypress-Tupelo Swamp, Bottomland Hardwood Forest, and Bayou Waterway Between the Mississippi and the Gulf -- the Largest Wetland in the United States Outside Alaska -- Where Blue Herons, Alligators, Roseate Spoonbills, and Crawfish Fishermen Share the Same Waterways as They Have for CenturiesThe Atchafalaya Basin (the Atchafalaya River and its associated floodplain, extending from Simmesport in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south; approximately 1.4 million acres; bounded by I-49 on the west and I-10/US-90 on the east; the largest river swamp in North America and the largest wetland in the contiguous United States) is the defining landscape of the Lafayette region and the source of the ingredients that define Cajun cuisine. The basin's ecology: (1) cypress-tupelo swamp (bald cypress [Taxodium distichum] and water tupelo [Nyssa aquatica] growing in permanently flooded water with their distinctive buttressed trunks, 'knees' [pneumatophores, root extensions that protrude above the water surface to exchange gas], and Spanish moss [Tillandsia usneoides, an epiphytic bromeliad, not a moss, that hangs from branches throughout the basin]); (2) crawfish (the Louisiana red swamp crawfish [Procambarus clarkii] and white river crawfish [P. zonangulus] are farmed in flooded rice fields and harvested wild from the Atchafalaya Basin in a February-June season; Louisiana produces 90% of US crawfish and 40% of world crawfish by volume; the Atchafalaya Basin's wild crawfish harvest is one of the largest in the state); and (3) the alligator population (the Atchafalaya Basin has one of the highest American alligator [Alligator mississippiensis] densities in Louisiana -- approximately 700,000 alligators statewide, the largest alligator population in the US; the basin's combination of warm water, abundant food, and protected status supports a thriving population). Breaux Bridge (12 miles east of Lafayette on LA-94 -- 'La Capitale Mondiale des Écrevisses' [Crawfish Capital of the World], named by the Louisiana State Legislature in 1959; population 8,000; the Café des Amis [140 East Bridge Street] on the Bayou Teche is the canonical Breaux Bridge restaurant for Saturday Zydeco breakfast with live music) is the center of the crawfish universe.
The Old River Control Structure -- the US Army Corps of Engineers Battle to Prevent the Mississippi River From Abandoning Baton Rouge and New Orleans and Permanently Rerouting Through the Atchafalaya, and Why New Orleans Almost Became an Inland City in 1973
The Atchafalaya Basin sits at the geographic center of one of the most consequential ongoing engineering projects in US history: the Old River Control Structure (Simmsport, Louisiana -- 130 miles northwest of New Orleans) maintains the current Mississippi River channel to New Orleans against the river's natural tendency to switch to the shorter, steeper Atchafalaya route. The Mississippi River's geological behavior: large rivers on flat alluvial plains periodically 'avulse' -- shift channels to take a shorter, steeper path to the sea. The Mississippi has done this approximately 5 times in the past 5,000 years (switching between the Atchafalaya, the Bayou Lafourche, and other routes). By the 1950s, hydrologists observed that the Atchafalaya was capturing an increasing proportion of Mississippi flow (30% by 1950, increasing each year as the Atchafalaya's shorter path [142 miles to the Gulf vs. Mississippi's 315 miles] continued to capture more flow during floods). If the Mississippi fully diverted to the Atchafalaya route, it would: (1) strand Baton Rouge's and New Orleans' water intake facilities (both cities draw drinking water from the Mississippi); (2) cut off the shipping channel that makes New Orleans' port the fifth-largest in the US by tonnage; and (3) flood the Atchafalaya Basin with the full Mississippi River flow, permanently changing the basin's ecology. The Army Corps' solution (the Old River Control Structure, built 1963; nearly destroyed in the 1973 Mississippi flood, which bent steel and eroded the foundation but did not fail; reinforced and expanded in 1986 with the Auxiliary Structure) mechanically limits Atchafalaya to 30% of combined flow. John McPhee's 1989 book 'The Control of Nature' (specifically the chapter 'Atchafalaya') describes this situation in detail and is considered essential reading for understanding the Louisiana water system.
Festival International de Louisiane -- the Largest French-Language Festival in North America, Five Days in Late April, 300,000 Visitors, 100+ Free Performances on 6 Outdoor Stages in Downtown Lafayette, and the Cultural Bridge Between Louisiana, Quebec, France, and the French-Speaking World
300,000 People in Downtown Lafayette for 5 Days of Free Outdoor Music Across 6 Stages -- Zydeco and Cajun and Francophone World Music From Martinique and Senegal and Mali Alongside Louisiana Artists Performing for an Audience That Actually Speaks French, Not Tourists Pretending They Understand CrawfishFestival International de Louisiane (downtownLafayette, primarily Parc International and surrounding streets; typically held the last full week of April [Wednesday-Sunday]; free admission to outdoor stages; approximately 300,000 total attendance over 5 days; founded 1987 by Pat Rickels and Naomi Marshall; the largest free Francophone music festival in North America) brings together Louisiana Cajun and zydeco musicians, French Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe), French West African (Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast), Québécois, Acadian (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick), and metropolitan French performers on six outdoor stages in downtown Lafayette. The festival's cultural significance: Lafayette is one of the last places in the continental United States where French (Cajun French, a conservative dialect close to 17th-century Norman French with Louisiana Native American, Spanish, African, and English loanwords) is still spoken as a community language -- approximately 150,000-200,000 people in Louisiana are considered French-speaking to some degree, concentrated in the Acadiana parishes around Lafayette. Festival International draws French-speaking performers from across the French world who perform for an audience that genuinely understands the lyrics, making it culturally distinct from French music festivals in non-Francophone cities. Key festival performers have included: Les Frères Balfa (Cajun fiddle), BeauSoleil (Cajun), Terrance Simien (Zydeco), Amadou & Mariam (Mali), Kassav' (Martinique zouk), and dozens of French-language artists across jazz, pop, folk, and world music. The festival's spring timing coincides with crawfish season (February-June) -- attending Festival International during peak crawfish week is the canonical Lafayette food-and-music experience.
Zydeco -- the Music Born in the Louisiana Prairies From the Encounter of Cajun French Culture, West African Rhythms, and the Accordion Brought by German Immigrants in the 1840s, and Why Zydeco Is One of the Most Authentic American Musical Forms in Existence
Zydeco (pronounced 'ZY-dee-co' -- from the Louisiana Creole French phrase 'les haricots ne sont pas salés' ['the snap beans are not salty,' a Depression-era saying meaning times are hard; 'les haricots' [la-ree-KO] contracted to 'zarico' and eventually 'zydeco' in Louisiana vernacular] is a music form developed in the Louisiana prairies by Creole people of African descent (distinct from the white Cajun community, though living in the same geographic area) in the early 20th century. Its instrumentation: accordion (button accordion brought to Louisiana by German and Czech immigrants who settled the Texas-Louisiana border area in the 1840s-1860s; adopted first by Cajun musicians, then by the Creole community to replace the fiddle as the primary melody instrument), frottoir or rub board (a corrugated metal vest worn around the neck and chest, played with bottle openers; unique to zydeco), and trap drums (replacing the traditional fiddle and triangle rhythm section). The founder of modern zydeco is Clifton Chenier (1925-1987, Opelousas, Louisiana) -- a Black Creole accordion player who merged the traditional Cajun/Creole la-la [house dance] tradition with rhythm and blues, creating the energetic, syncopated style that became zydeco's commercial sound. Chenier's 1971 single 'Hot Rod' established zydeco as a recording genre; he won a Grammy for his 1983 album 'I'm Here.' The Lafayette zydeco scene is most accessible at El Sido's Zydeco and Blues Club (1523 N St Antoine Street -- a Friday and Saturday dance club that has been the city's most authentic zydeco venue since 1970; no cover most nights; zydeco bands start late [10 PM] and play until 2 AM; the dance floor fills with locals who know how to actually dance the zydeco two-step).
How to Find Cheap Flights to Lafayette LA
Festival International de Louisiane (Late April) Fills Hotels Months in Advance
Festival International de Louisiane (last full week of April, 300,000 attendees) is Lafayette's largest event and fills every hotel in the area. Book flights and rooms 3-6 months in advance for festival week. The festival itself is free, but accommodation becomes scarce and expensive. Baton Rouge (55 miles east) hotels may be cheaper during festival week.
Crawfish Season Runs February Through June -- Prime Time for Cajun Food Tourism
Louisiana crawfish season peaks February through June, when prices drop and quality peaks. Plan a Lafayette food trip during this window to maximize boudin, étouffée, and boiled crawfish experiences. The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival (first full weekend of May, 12 miles east of Lafayette) is a major regional event — book early if visiting during this weekend.
Houston Is the Cheapest Hub for Lafayette -- IAH and HOU Both Serve LFT
Houston (55 miles west of Lafayette via I-10) is the closest major hub. United's IAH-LFT nonstop and Southwest's HOU-LFT nonstop both offer the shortest and often cheapest connections. New Orleans (120 miles east on I-10) has more airline service including JetBlue, Frontier, and Allegiant, and may be cheaper for travelers willing to drive. Compare LFT vs. MSY [New Orleans] fares for your origin.
Lafayette Is Between Houston and New Orleans on I-10 -- Road Trippers Can Combine Cities
Lafayette sits on I-10 exactly between Houston (2 hours west) and New Orleans (2 hours east), making it the ideal middle stop on a Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast road trip. Fly into Houston (IAH), drive to Lafayette (2h, via I-10), spend 2-3 days, then continue to New Orleans (2h), and fly home from MSY. Or reverse direction.
Airlines Flying to Lafayette (LFT)
American Airlines
DFW, CLT, and DCA Hub Connections to LFT -- American's Texas, East Coast, and Southeast Network to the Cajun CapitalAmerican Airlines serves Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Charlotte (CLT), and Washington Reagan National (DCA), providing Texas, East Coast, and Southeast connections to Cajun Country. DFW-LFT is the primary Texas gateway. CLT-LFT reaches the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. American's LFT service is operated by regional partners including Envoy Air and SkyWest on CRJ and ERJ regional jets.
Key Routes
DFW to LFT (1h 30m nonstop; CLT to LFT (2h nonstop; DCA to LFT (2h nonstop; ORD to LFT (via DFW; LAS to LFT (via DFW; LAX to LFT (via DFW; PHX to LFT (via DFW; MIA to LFT (via CLT
Delta Air Lines
ATL Hub Connection to LFT -- Delta's Southeast and International Network Access to Lafayette LouisianaDelta Air Lines serves Lafayette (LFT) through its Atlanta (ATL) hub, providing Southeast, East Coast, and international connectivity to the Lafayette area. ATL-LFT reaches the entire Southeast US (Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Carolinas) and Delta's international network at ATL. Delta's LFT service is typically operated by Delta Connection regional carriers. For Florida and East Coast travelers, Delta via ATL often has the most convenient and competitive routing.
Key Routes
ATL to LFT (1h 20m nonstop; DTW to LFT (via ATL; JFK to LFT (via ATL; BOS to LFT (via ATL; MCO to LFT (via ATL; MSP to LFT (via ATL; SLC to LFT (via ATL or DFW
United Airlines
IAH, ORD, and DEN Hub Connections to LFT -- United's Texas, Midwest, and Mountain West Network to Cajun CountryUnited Airlines connects Lafayette (LFT) from Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Chicago O'Hare (ORD), and Denver (DEN), providing Gulf Coast, Midwest, and Rocky Mountain access. IAH-LFT is a particularly useful route for western Houston residents visiting Lafayette (the two cities are connected by I-10 across Louisiana, but IAH-LFT is 1 hour flying vs. 3.5 hours driving). ORD-LFT covers the Chicago and Great Lakes markets.
Key Routes
IAH to LFT (45m nonstop; ORD to LFT (2h nonstop; DEN to LFT (3h via connecting; EWR to LFT (via ORD or IAH; SFO to LFT (via IAH or DEN; Seattle to LFT (via DEN or IAH; Dallas to LFT (via IAH
Southwest Airlines
HOU (Houston Hobby) Nonstop to LFT -- Southwest's Budget Houston-Lafayette Service for Gulf Coast TravelersSouthwest Airlines serves Lafayette (LFT) from Houston Hobby (HOU) with nonstop service, providing a budget alternative to United's IAH connection and connecting Southwest's extensive network to the Lafayette area. Southwest's HOU-LFT is particularly useful for travelers originating in the Texas Gulf Coast area (Houston, Galveston, Beaumont). Note: Southwest does not distribute fares through third-party sites — always check Southwest.com for HOU-LFT fares separately.
Key Routes
HOU to LFT (45m nonstop; additional Southwest connections via HOU hub; check Southwest.com for current LFT routes (not available on Google Flights or Kayak; New Orleans [MSY] is 120 miles east of Lafayette and an alternate airport with more Southwest routes
Things to Do in Lafayette and Cajun Country
Essential Info for Your Lafayette Trip
Region
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Population ~130,000 city, ~245,000 parish. The 'Hub City' of Acadiana. 120 miles west of New Orleans on I-10. 180 miles east of Houston. The largest city in the Acadiana region of southwestern Louisiana.
Airport
LFT -- Lafayette Regional Airport, 4 miles SE of downtown. American (DFW, CLT, DCA), Delta (ATL), United (IAH, ORD), Southwest (HOU). Alternative: New Orleans MSY (120 mi east) has more airlines including JetBlue, Frontier, Allegiant.
Currency
USD -- US Dollar
Time Zone
CST (UTC-6) / CDT (UTC-5) in summer -- Central Time, same as Houston, Dallas, and Chicago
Cajun Food Essentials
Boudin: squeeze filling from casing. Cracklins: fried pork skin and fat, eaten warm. Étouffée: butter-roux with crawfish tails and vegetables, over white rice. Gumbo: roux-thickened soup with okra or filé. Dirty rice: rice cooked with chicken livers and holy trinity. All found at local restaurants and many grocery stores.
Zydeco Venues
El Sido's (1523 N St Antoine -- Fri/Sat nights, authentic, local crowd). Blue Moon Saloon (215 E Convent Street -- live music most nights including Cajun and zydeco). Café des Amis in Breaux Bridge (Sat morning Zydeco brunch, 8-11 AM -- arrive early; 12 miles east).
Swamp Tours
Henderson, LA (I-10 Exit 115, 15 miles east): McGee's, Annie Miller's, and Atchafalaya Basin Swamp Tours. Tours: 1.5-2h, $25-35/person, alligators guaranteed in season. Spring-fall best; call ahead in winter. Kayak and canoe rentals also available.
Emergency Number
911
Most Popular Airlines
Best Airlines for Domestic & International Routes
Frequently Asked Questions on Flights to Lafayette LA
Airport info, boudin guide, Festival International details, and Atchafalaya Basin swamp tours
What airport serves Lafayette Louisiana?
Lafayette Regional Airport (IATA: LFT) serves Lafayette, 4 miles southeast of downtown. Airlines: American (DFW, CLT, DCA), Delta (ATL), United (IAH, ORD), Southwest (HOU). New Orleans International (MSY, 120 miles east) and Houston Intercontinental (IAH, 180 miles west) are alternatives with more airline options. United's IAH-LFT nonstop (45 minutes) is the fastest connection from a major hub.
What is Festival International de Louisiane?
Festival International de Louisiane is the largest free French-language music festival in North America, held annually in late April in downtown Lafayette. Five days of outdoor performances on 6 stages feature Cajun, zydeco, French Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe), West African (Senegal, Mali), Québécois, and other Francophone artists. Admission to outdoor stages is free; ticketed evening concerts also available. Approximately 300,000 total attendees.
What is boudin and where do I eat it in Lafayette?
Boudin is a Cajun fresh pork sausage made with pork, pork liver, cooked white rice, onions, and Cajun seasoning, stuffed in a pork casing. You eat it by squeezing the filling directly into your mouth. Best boudin near Lafayette: Bourque's Superette (Broussard, 20 miles south — often called the best in Louisiana), Don's Specialty Meats (Scott, 12 miles west), and Billy's Boudin & Cracklins (several locations). Boudin is sold at most Lafayette-area grocery stores and gas stations.
What is the Atchafalaya Basin and how do I see it?
The Atchafalaya Basin is a 1.4-million-acre cypress-tupelo swamp and river system between Lafayette and the Gulf of Mexico — the largest river swamp in North America. Swamp tours: multiple operators near Henderson (15 miles east of Lafayette on I-10 at Exit 115) offer flat-bottom airboat or pontoon tours through the cypress forest. Tours run approximately 1.5-2 hours, include alligator sightings, and cost $25-35 per person. Best season: March-November.
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