It was a much needed long weekend with family in Lafayette, Louisiana. I love visiting the South – I was born and raised in NJ so it’s an interesting departure from a much faster pace. Plus who doesn’t love a weekend of parades, swamps, family and wine?!
We enjoyed a Mardi Gras parade and a cheeseburger from Bentley’s Filling Station on Friday night. The Filling Station is an old gas station turned restaurant. Although I was disappointed they were not serving food after the parade despite the crowd. That is a huge difference – in NJ business owners would be trying hard to make the extra bucks. In LA, they just say, sorry we are closing so we can also party all weekend. Anyway, they have the best cheeseburgers. Something about freshly shredded sharp cheddar…yum!
The parade was cool – the high school marching bands are my favorite part. I know, hard to believe its not begging for beads. The whole ‘krewe’ thing is interesting to me as there is really nothing like it up north. On Saturday night we had seafood at Don’s and saw a few tables of krewes all dressed up and ready for their ball- think of it as an adult prom where they even crown a king and queen.
Speaking of food…more southern cuisine to try- I enjoyed a catfish po-boy at Pat’s Landing in Henderson and a great breakfast at Dwyer’s. If you get to Dwyer’s which is in downtown Lafayette, be sure to try to the sweet potato pancakes.
My favorite part of the trip was On Sunday when we went out to Lake Martin, which is a bird sanctuary and swamp. We went out with the Cajun Country Swamp Tour and it was awesome. It was two hours and $20 per person. I recommend siting near the back so you can hear the guide. Get ready for a very strong southern Cajun accent! We saw nutria rats, alligators, turtles, many birds and even a few snakes. Kids and adults would enjoy this tour. The guide was knowledgable and took us close to the wildlife. I had to duck branches more than once. This is a definite must do if you are anywhere near Lafayette. It was beautiful, peaceful and very cool!
Time to go back home but I am glad to have a weekend away from the hustle. Love ya Louisiana!
XO
Bette
