Singing guide one of many sights on swamp tour

Cajun life, heritage, culture and wildlife come alive on one of the Tri-parishes’ many swamp tours.

Whether it’s Terrebonne, Lafourche or St. Mary, visitors and even locals can get their dose of life in south Louisiana first-hand.

Ron “Black” Guidry has been a green beret, a state trooper and an oil field worker; however, for the last 20 years he has found his calling as owner and operator of A Cajun Man’s Swamp Cruise, located at the Bayou Black Marina.

“This is my home (Bayou Black), where I was born and raised. If I can stay home doing what I love to do and make a few dollars, then it’s all worth it,” Guidry said. “I wish I would have been doing this from the beginning.”

The purpose behind a swamp tour is not to make money; instead it’s about showing and teaching people about the beauty of south Louisiana.

Even though Guidry has become well known through his famous slogan – “AYEEEE” – he still rathers be out in the swamp than on television or radio.

For Guidry, it’s a chance to expose the Louisiana culture to others, that same culture locals tend to take for granted.

“I get tons of people coming here and saying, ‘This is what I was looking for. A chance to get away from the big city,'” he said. “Most people think that after New Orleans, there is nothing in Louisiana. That’s what swamp tours can teach.”

Guidry added, “I had one woman from Canada tell me one time that it was so beautiful, she could have cried. That’s the beauty I want to show people.”

It’s also entertainment for those who have never been in the area before.

“My favorite part is entertaining. I’ve been entertaining since I was four years old. There is nothing else I enjoy more,” Guidry said. “They like the French language too and I can speak it. It just adds a little more Cajun flare to the tour. They can get a true sense of the Cajun culture.”

On a swamp tour, tourists can get a personal view of Louisiana wildlife. They can feed the alligators or even bald eagles when one ventures nearby. It’s common to spot raccoons, turtles, snakes, French ducks, owls, herons, cranes, deer, squirrels, wood ducks, mockingbirds, red birds, blue jays and many other species. Even wild boar and bobcats emerge from time to time.

Guidry has seen all of these animals during the tour at one point in the last 20 years. The only thing he hopes he can see now is a wild black bear.

“If I see that, then I can officially say I’ve seen everything,” he said.

Swamp tours also offer a first-hand experience with the plants of the south, including Spanish moss, which gracefully hangs from the trees and the cypress knees emerging from the water.

They can also see locals fishing for sac-a-lait on the banks.

While every swamp tour will provide guests with something a little different, Guidry’s tour offers another valuable piece of the Cajun culture: music.

During every tour Guidry gives, he shuts the boat down and gives visitors a true taste of Cajun, as he sings some of the songs he has written. Guidry even sings in French.

“Everyone who comes to my tour says they come for the music,” the guide said. “My favorite part is seeing the people’s reaction to the music. I believe the music adds to the experience.”

Following the 2005 storms, the swamp tour business took a hit. While many swamp tours still offered group tours, the charter buses out of the New Orleans area stopped transporting. However, Guidry was running two days after the storm in full force.

Now, the recovery efforts from the storm have brought even more business for Guidry’s operation.

“I get a lot of people who are helping in recovery in the New Orleans area and the Dulac area,” he said. “We give them a special rate because they are doing a good thing. It’s helped our business thanks to word of mouth. When they go back home they tell people about the swamp tours and then they come down to experience it. It’s really a great chance to see and meet so many wonderful people.”

Singing guide one of many sights on swamp tour