Lafourche offers more than just Cajun hospitality

May kicks off south Louisiana’s official tourist season, and visitors continue to be drawn to Lafourche Parish.

One of the original Cajun settlements, Lafourche is situated on what once was an important resource for transporting goods – Bayou Lafourche. Today, the bayou remains an integral part of the community, offering a seafood portal for arriving Gulf of Mexico catches. It is this fresh bounty that continually supplies the many bayou restaurants.

Since most visitors now arrive to the parish by car instead of boat, the Lafourche Parish Tourist Commission is helping motoring tourists by offering scenic driving tips.

One of the best places to start is Port Fouchon on the southern end. Fourchon is where the oil and gas industry work side by side with recreational and commercial fishermen. The port serves as a terminal for much of the oil activities in south Louisiana. Fourchon is also home to Lafourche’s only public beach, with shore birds, ducks and other migratory birds finding food and refuge in the area.

Traveling north takes visitors to the town of Golden Meadow. The thick Cajun accents of the residents remind visitors they aren’t in Kansas. The town offers many shops and restaurants.

Continuing up the bayou roadway, designated as Louisiana Highway 1, is the Town of Lockport. Founded in 1835, Lockport was incorporated in 1899 and features the Bayou Lafourche Folklife & Heritage Museum. The displays highlight the rich culture and history of the area and the museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The communities of Raceland and Mathews are where La. Highway 1 meets U.S. Highway 90. The area provides a good place to shop, eat or stay at a bed and breakfast establishment.

Just north of Raceland, on the La. Highway 308 side of Bayou Lafourche, is Laurel Valley Village and General Store. Once a working sugar plantation, the site features the nation’s best-preserved authentic slave communities. The sugar cane fields, slaves’ quarters and general store featuring local arts and crafts still exist as a tribute to a way of life of the early settlers along Bayou Lafourche.

Thibodaux marks the northern boundaries of the parish and offers numerous lodging options and tourist attractions. It is also the home of the Jean Lafitte National Park Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center. Located at 314 St. Mary St. in Thibodaux, the museum offers visitors a chance to relive the story of the Acadians who settled along the bayous and in the area’s swamps and wetlands.

Every Monday evening, locals and visitors tap their toes to authentic Cajun music as the center hosts a Cajun Jam Session from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Bring an instrument and join in the blues, Cajun, country, gospel, jazz, and zydeco, or just set back and enjoy.

National Park rangers are also available to answer questions and offer walking tours of historic downtown Thibodaux. Special hands-on demonstrations are available in the making of various Cajun crafts.

One-tank vacationers can stay the night in Thibodaux and use it as a jumping off point to visit the many plantations located along the Mississippi River.

Lafourche Parish continues to be the home of Cajun hospitality, and whether it’s the beaches of Fourchon or the historic homes of Thibodaux you’re here to see, the friendly residents are ready to greet you.

For more information on places to stay and things to see in Lafourche Parish, visit www.visitlafourche.com or the Bayou Lafourche Area Convention and Visitors Bureau on La. Highway 1 at the U.S. Highway 90 overpass, 985-537-5800. For more information on places to stay and things to see in Lafourche Parish, visit www.visitlafourche.com or the Lafourche Tourist Information Center on La. Highway 1 at the U.S. Highway 90 overpass, (985) 537-5800.