Lafayette
Around Lafayette
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Metro area · Louisiana · 419k people
Lafayette
“Hub City”
Where the music is live and the boudin is hot.
Vermilion
Welcome to Lafayette, where the music is loud, the food is spicy, and the people are friendly. Get ready to dance, eat, and enjoy the good times.
Clubs for Lafayette
No clubs for Lafayette yet.
The room
One room for everyone around Lafayette. It never closes; when it's busy it splits into tables. Once you're in, you stay until you leave.
Ask the neighbours
AllA good plumber, the best tacos, a lost cat: nobody has asked yet. Be the first.
Coming up
No events in the next month. Events made in the room show up here.
Marketplace
Things for sale, free and wanted, and rooms for rent, from people around Lafayette. Sign in to sell something.
Things to do
- Cajundome Home of Ragin' Cajuns basketball and concerts.
- Vermilionville Recreates 18th-19th century Acadian life.
- Acadian Cultural Center National Park Service site about Cajun culture.
- Lafayette Science Museum Hands-on exhibits and planetarium.
- Heymann Park Large park with a lake and performing arts center.
- Girard Park Popular city park with walking trails and playground.
- Outdoors Kayak the Bayou Vermilion
- Outdoors Walk the trails at Moncus Park
- With kids Visit the Lafayette Science Museum
- With kids Explore Vermilionville
- Evenings Dance to live zydeco at a local dance hall
- Evenings See a show at the Heymann Performing Arts Center
- Locals love Dance halls
- Locals love Boudin shops
Through the year
- Festival International de Louisiane April Music and arts festival with international acts.
- Scott Boudin Festival April Celebrates the local sausage with food and music.
- Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival May Crawfish dishes, live music, and carnival rides.
- Downtown Alive! Spring/Summer Weekly outdoor concert series in downtown.
- ArtWalk Monthly Downtown art galleries open late with live music.
Lafayette has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Best: Spring and fall are the best times to be out, with comfortable temperatures and lower humidity.
Talk like a local
- “Cher”
- Term of endearment, like 'dear'
- “Mais”
- Filler word, like 'well' or 'but'
- “Lagniappe”
- A little something extra
- “Fais do-do”
- A dance party, especially Cajun
Getaways
- Avery Island and Tabasco Factory Tour the Tabasco plant and Jungle Gardens.
- Historic Opelousas Antebellum architecture and local history.
- Baton Rouge state capital Visit the Louisiana State Capitol and LSU campus.
- Morgan City and Atchafalaya Basin Swamp tours and fishing in the basin.
Local flavour
Teams
- Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns NCAA Division I
Also rooting for LSU Tigers (NCAA, Baton Rouge), New Orleans Saints (NFL), New Orleans Pelicans (NBA)
Eat and drink
- Boudin Smoked pork and rice sausage, a local staple
- Crawfish étouffée Crawfish in a rich roux, served over rice
- Gumbo Hearty soup with okra, sausage, and seafood
- Jambalaya Rice dish with meat and vegetables, spiced Cajun style
- King cake Mardi Gras tradition, often with a hidden baby
- Cracklins Fried pork skins, a local snack
- Po'boys Sandwich on French bread, often filled with fried seafood
Where people go
- Dance halls Historic venues for Cajun and zydeco music, often with wooden floors
- Bayous and swamps Scenic waterways with cypress trees and Spanish moss
- Boudin shops Casual spots serving fresh boudin and cracklins
- Crawfish ponds Working farms that supply the region's favourite crustacean
- Music festivals Events like Festival International de Louisiane celebrating world music
- Historic downtown Charming streets with boutiques, galleries, and cafés
Heritage and traditions
Lafayette is the heart of Cajun Country, proud of its Acadian heritage, vibrant French music, and world-famous food—where every meal and dance is a celebration of joie de vivre.
This time of year in Lafayette
- Festivals Acadiens et Créoles October October music and food festival in Girard Park.
- Festivals Acadiens et Créoles October October celebration of Cajun and Creole music, food, and crafts.
Say it like a local: “Mais oui” — but yes, of course
Festivals
- Festivals Acadiens et Créoles October October celebration of Cajun and Creole music, food, and crafts.
- Courir de Mardi Gras Mardi Gras season Rural Mardi Gras run where costumed riders chase a chicken for the communal gumbo.
- Abbeville Giant Omelette Celebration Easter Easter weekend festival featuring a giant omelette made in a huge pan.
- Boudin, Bourbon & Beer January January tasting event spotlighting local boudin, whiskey, and craft beer.
- Carencro Cajun Music Festival Spring A small-town gathering with local bands and family-friendly dancing.
Landmarks with a story
- St. John's Cathedral The seat of the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, with stunning stained glass and a historic cemetery.
- Alexandre Mouton House Home of a former Louisiana governor, now a museum of Lafayette history.
- Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site Commemorates the Acadian exile and the legend of Evangeline, with a 19th-century plantation home.
- St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church One of the oldest churches in Louisiana, a spiritual center for the Acadian community.
- Acadian Memorial A moving tribute to the Acadian people, with a flame and a wall of names of the exiles.
- Breaux Bridge Historic District A charming downtown with 19th-century buildings, antique shops, and the famous 'Crawfish Capital of the World'.
Food traditions
- Crawfish boils Springtime gatherings where crawfish are boiled with potatoes, corn, and sausage, then dumped on newspaper-covered tables.
- Boucherie A traditional pig slaughter turned community feast, where every part is used to make boudin, cracklins, and gratons.
- Gumbo z'herbes A meatless Lenten gumbo made with a mix of greens, served on Good Friday.
- Cochon de lait Roast suckling pig, a centerpiece at festivals and family reunions, slow-cooked over wood fire.
- Rice and gravy A daily staple of brown gravy simmered with meat, served over rice—the ultimate comfort food.
Music and arts
- Cajun music Fiddle and accordion-driven dance music with French lyrics, rooted in Acadian traditions.
- Zydeco music Creole music blending blues, R&B, and accordion, featuring the rubboard for rhythm.
- Swamp pop A regional genre mixing rock, country, and R&B, with a distinctive Louisiana flavor.
- Fais do-do dance parties Community dances where families gather to two-step to live music.
A little history
- 1755 Acadian expulsion from Nova Scotia
- 1785 First Acadians arrive in Louisiana, settling along the bayous
- 1836 Lafayette incorporated as a town
- 1901 Oil discovered nearby, sparking the region's petroleum boom
- 1940s Oil boom transforms Lafayette into a hub of the Gulf Coast energy industry
Rivalries
- LSU Tigers vs. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns In-state college football rivalry.
- Scott vs. Breaux Bridge Friendly rivalry over who makes the best boudin.
- Lafayette vs. Baton Rouge Friendly city rivalry over culture and food.
- Game day Ragin' Cajuns football tailgating
- Game day Friday night high school football
- Outdoors Swamp tour in Henderson
- Outdoors Fishing in the Atchafalaya Basin
- With kids Acadian Village
- With kids Fais do-do at a dance hall
Locals speak a warm Southern English with frequent French borrowings and a slower, musical cadence. Cajun French phrases like 'cher' and 'mais oui' sprinkle everyday conversation, and place names like 'Lafayette' are pronounced with a strong final syllable: 'Laf-ee-ETT.'
Only here
- Courir de Mardi Gras—the rural Mardi Gras run where masked riders chase chickens for the communal gumbo.
- Boudin as a breakfast food—often eaten with eggs and coffee.
- The fais do-do—a dance party where even kids join in the two-step.
- The use of 'cher' as a universal term of endearment.
New here? A few tips
- Pronounce 'Lafayette' as 'Laf-ee-ETT' (stress on the last syllable) to sound like a local.
- Try boudin from a local shop—it's a breakfast, snack, and cultural icon all in one.
- Expect hot, humid summers and mild winters; be ready for afternoon thunderstorms.
- Learn a few Cajun French phrases like 'cher' (dear) and 'mais oui' (but yes) to break the ice.
- Spring means crawfish season—join a boil and don't be afraid to get your hands messy.
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Part of Lafayette area
Nearby
Every areaNew IberiaLouisianaWhere the bayou runs with spice and sweetnessOpelousasLouisianaWhere the bayou sings and the crawfish boilBaton RougeLouisianaWhere the Mississippi bends and the crawfish boil.Ville PlatteLouisianaWhere the prairies meet the pinesMorgan CityLouisianaCajun culture, fresh off the boat.AvoyellesLouisianaWhere the bayou meets the cotton fields.Lake CharlesLouisianaCajun heart, lake soul.AlexandriaLouisianaWhere the piney woods meet the bayou
Lafayette, LA. Areas from the US Census Bureau and Statistics Canada; places from GeoNames. Local flavour was written with a model and may have mistakes. Team names identify teams; no endorsement.