Lafayette: Culture, History and Nature

Lafayette offers several clearly distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: Acadian and Creole history, art and music, museums, and green spaces. If you’re looking for a hotel in Lafayette, it helps to first consider your interests and travel dates. For scheduled programs and opening hours, the specific date matters.

Acadian Culture and History

At LARC’s Acadian Village, the houses take center stage as examples of Acadian architecture. They are authentic examples, restored on-site and furnished with antiques from the early 19th century. The village was founded in 1976 to preserve the heritage of Acadiana.

Vermilionville offers a different historical and cultural context: This historical and folklife park covers 23 acres and portrays Acadian, Creole, and Native American cultures from 1765 to 1890. This lets you distinguish between restored houses and a portrayal of several cultures over an extended period.

Vermilionville is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; last admission is at 3 p.m. daily. Check the opening hours before your visit, as they may change. The Lafayette Museum Historic Home & Gardens interprets artifacts connected with the families who lived there, their eras, and the events that contributed to the development of Lafayette and the surrounding region.

Art, Music and Events

Art and music are represented through events with different schedules. Exhibitions at the Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA) are the main anchor of Lafayette’s monthly ArtWalk. AcA’s performing arts program includes a wide variety of performing arts experiences; schedules change over time.

Festival International de Louisiane is a free annual international music and arts festival in downtown Lafayette. Dates vary from year to year, so check the dates for the relevant festival year before planning your trip.

Museums and Activities for Children

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Science Museum has 10,000 square feet of exhibition space. The museum combines a variety of exhibits with a planetarium and covers the subjects of Earth, sea, and space. The Crawl Space presents insects and arachnids in 10 terrariums. Since exhibit layouts may change, check the current exhibit details if you’re interested.

The Hilliard Art Museum’s Create & Play Café is a monthly hands-on activity for children aged four and up. This age requirement is a useful reference point when planning with children; since the program schedule may change, it’s a good idea to check the current dates.

Green Spaces and Nature

Moncus Park is a central 100-acre green space in the heart of Lafayette, with nature and play areas. Its listed amenities include a treehouse, a playground, and a splash pad. Acadiana Park Nature Station has a trail system of more than three miles in a wooded section of Acadiana Park. The green spaces described here differ in their focus: nature and play areas at one, compared with a trail network in a wooded section of the park at the other.

Discover more destinations: Broussard, Youngsville, Duson, Carencro.

See the broader travel overview: Lafayette County.