Acadiana
Knowing that I would be flying into Lafayette for my trip to Baton Rouge for an interview due to the cost savings, I knew I wanted an early morning flight. I was saving close to $200 by doing this and it is typically the time when I prefer to fly, since the chance of missing planes and connections is minimal. I arrived at the airport in Norfolk 90 minutes before my plane was scheduled to take off, assuming that would give me plenty of time to grab some breakfast at the airport since I did not have any bags to check. I was greeted by a line at security that extended all the way out into the center of the terminal. Shocked, I headed straight to the line, skipping the chance for breakfast. The line crawled along. The TSA agents kept apologizing, but due to construction at the security checkpoint, they were limited to a single lane for everyone -- and everyone seemed to have the same idea I had about early morning flights.
It took almost the entire 90 minutes I had allowed for breakfast just to get through security; I made my plane right before the gate closed.
The flight to Atlanta was uneventful -- I actually slept almost all the way there. Fortunately, my plane to Lafayette was taking off from the same terminal where we had landed, so I had time to grab a muffin and coffee at the Coffee Bean in Atlanta. It was a lifesaver. The flight on to Lafayette was equally as uneventful as the flight to Atlanta. It appeared that my only real adventure was the line through security in Norfolk.
Landing in Lafayette, I grabbed my reserved rental car and decided to start my explorations of the area, which is considered the center of Acadian culture in Louisiana. The Acadians were residents of Acadia in French Canada who were expelled from their homeland when the English captured Canada from the French in the 18th century. Rather than swear allegiance to the English king and the Anglican Church, the Acadians were expelled from French Canada and forced to relocate to what was then French Louisiana.
Wanting to learn more about the Acadians, I decided that my first stop should be the Acadian Cultural Center, which is a part of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park. I followed the directions to the address I had obtained on line -- and found myself at an empty field surrounded by a fence with signs marking it as federal property and "No Trespassing" signs. Frustrated, I returned to the airport and followed the directions on my I-phone, which returned me to the same empty field. So much for the Acadian Cultural Center.
Fortunately, a local park celebrating Acadian culture, Vermilionville, was not far from where I was, so I headed there. Vermilionville is a recreation of life in the area from 1765, when the Acadians first arrived, through 1890. It is located along Bayou Vermilion in a beautiful wooded area adjacent to Lafayette's Bayou Vermilion Historic District. Vermilionville, which was the original name of Lafayette, contains exhibits on the environment of the area (focusing on the watershed and its importance to the region) as well as the history, with historic buildings and recreations of some traditional Acadian homes, scattered along the path that borders the bayou. In addition to the buildings, docents dressed in period clothing demonstrate the skills required for life on the Louisiana frontier in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Among the more interesting exhibits was one on Acadian weaving, that contained a 150 year old loom and a number of quilts from the 19th century located in the home known as Beau Bassin, an 1840 Creole (a person of French descent born in America) cottage. There are other historic homes on the property as well as a reconstruction of a typical church, school, and blacksmith smithy. I enjoyed walking around the park, which was not crowded, in the cool crisp air -- and I learned a bit about Acadian culture.
After spending the morning at Vermilionville, I decided to find some place for lunch that offered traditional Cajun cuisine. As I was driving, I stumbled on the Alexandre Mouton House, another historic home in Lafayette that doubles as the Lafayette Museum. I decided to pass on lunch for a while and check out the house since I was there.
Alexandre Mouton was the first mayor of Lafayette and the first Jacksonian Democrat elected governor of Louisiana. The house was originally a single room built by Alexandre Mouton's father and the founder of Vermilion, Jean, as the family's Sunday house -- a place to rest on their way to the cathedral from their plantation home. Alexandre Mouton added on the house, making it a true Cajun townhouse. The home remained in the Mouton family for years and still contains some of their furnishings as well as other period pieces. It also holds a quilt made by Abraham Lincoln's mother and, in keeping with its role as the Lafayette Museum, an exhibit of Mardi Gras costumes from Lafayette's Mardi Gras celebrations.
By now I needed nourishment, so determined to find some place serving typical Cajun food for lunch. I was driving down University Boulevard, toward the interstate, where I assumed I would find restaurants, when I saw a sign for Julien's Po' Boys, I decided that would be lunch. I stopped and found a menu filled with Cajun specialties. I decided on an alligator sausage po' boy, that was excellent. It was just spicy enough and the kettle-cooked chips that came with it were a nice way to set off the sausage.
Having satisfied my need for food, I decided to set out of town in search of the region's most famous plantation home, Chretien Point. Built in 1831, this home had once been a house museum and bed and breakfast, but is now a private home not open to tours. Supposedly, it served as the model for Tara in Gone with the Wind. I knew the home was no longer open for tours, but I did want to see it. I had been warned that it was difficult to find, since it was not on a major road with a number of people posting on-line that it was not worth the drive and time it took to find. Undaunted, I set out, following the directions on my I-phone and found it with no problem. It is a bit hard to see from the road, but it is a beautiful mansion. I was glad I made the effort, though I will admit disappointment that the current owners choose not to open it to the public.
Returning to Lafayette, I had one more site I really wanted to visit -- the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The current building only dates to 1916, but it does sit on the site that Jean Mouton donated to the Catholic Church in 1821. Everything I had seen on line indicated that the cathedral was open for tours, but it was solidly locked up when I arrived. Still, it was a beautiful building and the 500-year old Cathedral Live Oak next to the cathedral was impressive.
Exhausted, I headed to my hotel to check in for a nap before heading out for dinner.
Once I woke up, I checked for a recommendation for dinner, again wanting Cajun cuisine. My choice was the Blue Dog Cafe, which was one of the higher recommended restaurants in town. It deserved the recommendation. I began with a cup of gumbo that was just spicy enough and followed that with a jambalaya that was amazing. The food was so good I decided to splurge on a dessert -- bread pudding, one of my favorites. This was an incredible meal.
On my way back to the hotel, I decided to stop by the Cathedral to check it out when lit for the night. I assumed that the Dutch Romanesque architecture would be spectacular when lit against a dark sky. I was right. It was.
It took almost the entire 90 minutes I had allowed for breakfast just to get through security; I made my plane right before the gate closed.
The flight to Atlanta was uneventful -- I actually slept almost all the way there. Fortunately, my plane to Lafayette was taking off from the same terminal where we had landed, so I had time to grab a muffin and coffee at the Coffee Bean in Atlanta. It was a lifesaver. The flight on to Lafayette was equally as uneventful as the flight to Atlanta. It appeared that my only real adventure was the line through security in Norfolk.
Landing in Lafayette, I grabbed my reserved rental car and decided to start my explorations of the area, which is considered the center of Acadian culture in Louisiana. The Acadians were residents of Acadia in French Canada who were expelled from their homeland when the English captured Canada from the French in the 18th century. Rather than swear allegiance to the English king and the Anglican Church, the Acadians were expelled from French Canada and forced to relocate to what was then French Louisiana.
Wanting to learn more about the Acadians, I decided that my first stop should be the Acadian Cultural Center, which is a part of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park. I followed the directions to the address I had obtained on line -- and found myself at an empty field surrounded by a fence with signs marking it as federal property and "No Trespassing" signs. Frustrated, I returned to the airport and followed the directions on my I-phone, which returned me to the same empty field. So much for the Acadian Cultural Center.
Fortunately, a local park celebrating Acadian culture, Vermilionville, was not far from where I was, so I headed there. Vermilionville is a recreation of life in the area from 1765, when the Acadians first arrived, through 1890. It is located along Bayou Vermilion in a beautiful wooded area adjacent to Lafayette's Bayou Vermilion Historic District. Vermilionville, which was the original name of Lafayette, contains exhibits on the environment of the area (focusing on the watershed and its importance to the region) as well as the history, with historic buildings and recreations of some traditional Acadian homes, scattered along the path that borders the bayou. In addition to the buildings, docents dressed in period clothing demonstrate the skills required for life on the Louisiana frontier in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Among the more interesting exhibits was one on Acadian weaving, that contained a 150 year old loom and a number of quilts from the 19th century located in the home known as Beau Bassin, an 1840 Creole (a person of French descent born in America) cottage. There are other historic homes on the property as well as a reconstruction of a typical church, school, and blacksmith smithy. I enjoyed walking around the park, which was not crowded, in the cool crisp air -- and I learned a bit about Acadian culture.
After spending the morning at Vermilionville, I decided to find some place for lunch that offered traditional Cajun cuisine. As I was driving, I stumbled on the Alexandre Mouton House, another historic home in Lafayette that doubles as the Lafayette Museum. I decided to pass on lunch for a while and check out the house since I was there.
Alexandre Mouton was the first mayor of Lafayette and the first Jacksonian Democrat elected governor of Louisiana. The house was originally a single room built by Alexandre Mouton's father and the founder of Vermilion, Jean, as the family's Sunday house -- a place to rest on their way to the cathedral from their plantation home. Alexandre Mouton added on the house, making it a true Cajun townhouse. The home remained in the Mouton family for years and still contains some of their furnishings as well as other period pieces. It also holds a quilt made by Abraham Lincoln's mother and, in keeping with its role as the Lafayette Museum, an exhibit of Mardi Gras costumes from Lafayette's Mardi Gras celebrations.
By now I needed nourishment, so determined to find some place serving typical Cajun food for lunch. I was driving down University Boulevard, toward the interstate, where I assumed I would find restaurants, when I saw a sign for Julien's Po' Boys, I decided that would be lunch. I stopped and found a menu filled with Cajun specialties. I decided on an alligator sausage po' boy, that was excellent. It was just spicy enough and the kettle-cooked chips that came with it were a nice way to set off the sausage.
Having satisfied my need for food, I decided to set out of town in search of the region's most famous plantation home, Chretien Point. Built in 1831, this home had once been a house museum and bed and breakfast, but is now a private home not open to tours. Supposedly, it served as the model for Tara in Gone with the Wind. I knew the home was no longer open for tours, but I did want to see it. I had been warned that it was difficult to find, since it was not on a major road with a number of people posting on-line that it was not worth the drive and time it took to find. Undaunted, I set out, following the directions on my I-phone and found it with no problem. It is a bit hard to see from the road, but it is a beautiful mansion. I was glad I made the effort, though I will admit disappointment that the current owners choose not to open it to the public.
Returning to Lafayette, I had one more site I really wanted to visit -- the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The current building only dates to 1916, but it does sit on the site that Jean Mouton donated to the Catholic Church in 1821. Everything I had seen on line indicated that the cathedral was open for tours, but it was solidly locked up when I arrived. Still, it was a beautiful building and the 500-year old Cathedral Live Oak next to the cathedral was impressive.
Exhausted, I headed to my hotel to check in for a nap before heading out for dinner.
Once I woke up, I checked for a recommendation for dinner, again wanting Cajun cuisine. My choice was the Blue Dog Cafe, which was one of the higher recommended restaurants in town. It deserved the recommendation. I began with a cup of gumbo that was just spicy enough and followed that with a jambalaya that was amazing. The food was so good I decided to splurge on a dessert -- bread pudding, one of my favorites. This was an incredible meal.
On my way back to the hotel, I decided to stop by the Cathedral to check it out when lit for the night. I assumed that the Dutch Romanesque architecture would be spectacular when lit against a dark sky. I was right. It was.