| Louisiana |
Attractions
Abbeville:
• Acadian Cultural Center |
Baton Rouge:
• Rural
Life Museum
This is a collection of 7 buildings (including
a Cajun home) from 19th century Louisiana. There's also a barn filled
with hundreds of artifacts.
Open 8:30am-5pm, 7 days a week
Adults: $5; Children: $3 |
Erath:
• Acadian
Museum
The Museum contains three rooms:
1) the history of Erath, 2) the Acadian Room, and 3) the Cajun room.
Open 1-4; M-F |
Eunice:
• Prairie
Acadian Cultural Center
The branch of the Jean Lafitte
National Park system is dedicated to the Cajuns who settled the prairies
of southwestern Louisiana. |
Jennings:
• Zigler Museum
It plans on having several exhibits
in 1999 on Acadian-Cajun culture. |
Lafayette:
• Acadian
Cultural Center
This is the headquarters for
the Acadian Cultural Centers. Besides temporary and permanent displays,
there is a film about the Acadian story that plays every hour from 9-4.
• Acadian Village
A number of actual cajun homes
have been gathered together. A replica of an early church is also
there.
• Vermilionville
This is a Cajun & Creole
living history museum and folklife village. There are a number of
buildings (authentic and replicated), as well as 'characters' presenting
the customs.
Open |
St. Martinville:
• Acadian Memorial
The memorial includes an eternal
flame, an Acadian mural, and a bronze wall of names of all the Acadian
immigrants to Louisiana. A research room will be opening in the near
future.
• Evangeline Monument
• Evangeline Oak Park
• Longfellow-Evangeline State Commemorative Area |
Thibodeaux:
• Wetlands
Acadian Cultural Center
The branch of the Jean Lafitte
National Park system is dedicated to the Cajuns who settled along the bayous
such as the Lafourche and the Terrebonne. |
|
Genealogical Libraries
College Libraries:
Dupre - USL, Lafayette
Ellender - NSU, Thibodaux
LSU, Baton Rouge
Howard-Tilton, Tulane, N.O.
McNeese, Lake Charles
There are three colleges in Acadiana with significant
Acadian-Cajun material ... USL, NSU, and McNeese. Remember to check
out their Archives departments, also. Clearly, the largest repository
of Acadian-Cajun material in Louisiana (and probably the entire United
States) is at the Dupre Library at USL. If you had to go to only
one place, this is it. The other universities mentioned have about
as much material as the larger parish libraries. Some specialize
in other material that might be relevant to the Acadian-Cajun researcher.
LSU, for example, has a great newspaper collection. |
Parish Libraries:
Lafayette, Lafayette
Terrebonne, Houma
Calcasieu, Lake Charles
St. Martin, St. Martinville
The three largest cities in Acadiana have the largest
amounts of Acadian-Cajun material. But every parish library in Acadiana,
and many other parishes in Louisiana, has a collection of genealogical
materials on Acadian-Cajun material. Of these smaller libraries,
the best seems to be St. Martinville. Some resources found there are available
elsewhere only in much larger libraries. The large libraries in the
New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas, though not Acadiana, also have Acadian-Cajun
material. |
| Louisiana State Archives |
|
|
East
of the Atchafalaya River
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| New Orleans |
Sites |
| Genealogical Information |
New Orleans Public Library, 219 Loyola Avenue
[504/596-2610]
Howard-Tilton Library,
Tulane University, 6823 St.
Charles Avenue [504/865-5605]
Louisiana Historical Museum, 400 Esplanade
[504/568-6968]
Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal St.
[504/523-4662]
Notarial Archives, 421 Loyola Avenue
[504/568-8577]
Vital Records,
Louisiana State Office
Building, 325 Loyola Avenue [504/568-5152]
Orleans Parish Courthouse |
Tourist Attractions
[not related to the culture] |
Audubon Zoo, 6500 Magazine St.
[504/861-2537]
Aquarium of the Americas, One Canal St.
[504/861-2538]
French Quarter, Downtown New Orleans
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, 916 N.
Saint Peter St. [504/589-2636]
Riverboat rides [504/586-8777]
LA Nature & Science Center, 11000 Lake Forest
Blvd. [504/246-5672]
LA Confederate Museum, 929 Camp St.
[504/523-4522] |
| Shopping Malls |
Plaza Lake Forest (east N.O.), 5700 Read
Riverwalk (downtown), One Poydras St.
Esplanade (west of N.O., in Kenner), West Esplanade
Lakeside, Veterans Memorial Blvd. and Severn Ave. |
| Baton Rouge |
Sites |
| Acadian-Cajun Culture |
Rural
Life Museum, 6200 Burden Lane [ 225/765-2437]
There are a number of homes
from the 19th century, including a Cajun house. There is also a large
barn full of implements used in 19th century life by Louisianaians. |
| Genealogical Information |
Louisiana State Library, 760 Riverside Dr.
[225/342-4914]
Centroplex Library, 120 St. Louis St.
[ 225/389-4960]
LSU Libraries, LSU
Louisiana State Archives, 3857 Essen Lane
[225/922-1207]
East Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse
Division of State Lands, Riverside Dr.
[225/342-4586] |
Tourist Attractions
[not related to the culture] |
Baton Rouge Zoo, Thomas Road
[225/775-3877]
U.S.S. Kidd, South River Road
[225/342-1942]
LSU Museums, LSU |
| Shopping Malls |
Cortana (Airline Hwy. and Florida Blvd.)
Bon Marche (Florida Blvd.) |
| Houma |
Sites |
| Genealogical Information |
North Branch - Terrebonne Parish Library |
Tourist Attractions
[not related to the culture] |
Southdown Museum
Wildlife Gardens
Swamp Tours |
| Thibodaux |
Sites |
| Acadian-Cajun Culture |
Acadian Cultural Center - Wetlands - Jean Lafitte
National Park
315 St. Mary St. (Hwy
1) |
| Genealogical Information |
Ellender Library, NSU [504/448-4646]
Lafourche Parish Library, 314 St. Mary St.
[504/447-4119]
Lafourche Parish Courthouse |
|
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West
of the Atchafalaya River
|
|
| Lafayette |
Sites |
| Acadian-Cajun Culture |
Vermilionville,
1600 Surrey St. [318/233-4077 or 1-800-99-BAYOU]
Acadian Village, 200 Greenleaf Dr.
[318/981-2364]
Acadian Cultural Center - HQ - Jean Lafitte National
Park
Surrey St. @ Beaver Park
Alexandre Mouton House/Lafayette Museum |
| Genealogical Information |
Dupre Library, USL [318/231-6031]
Lafayette Library, 301 West Congress St.
[318/232-7567]
Lafayette Parish Courthouse |
| Shopping Malls |
Acadiana (west Lafayette)
Northgate (north Lafayette) |
| St. Martinville |
Sites |
| Acadian-Cajun Culture |
ST. MARTIN SQUARE area
St. Martin de Tours Catholic
Church
Evangeline Oak
Evangeline Monument
Acadian Memorial
Evangeline State Park |
| Genealogical Information |
St. Martin Parish Library |
|
|
| Opelousas |
Sites |
|
Opelousas Museum & Interpretive Center |
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| Eunice |
Sites |
| Acadian-Cajun Culture |
Acadian Culture Center - Prairie - Jean Lafitte National
Park
250 W. Park Ave. @ 3rd St.
The Eunice Museum, 220 C. C. Duson Dr. (Rt. 13)
Liberty Theater, 2nd St. & Park Ave.
Cajun Music Hall of Fame & Museum |
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| Abbeville |
Sites |
| Acadian-Cajun Culture |
Abbeville Cultural Center |
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| Crowley |
Sites |
| Food |
Belizaire's Cajun Restaurant, 2307 N. Parkerson
Ave.
Dining and dancing |
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Copyright © 1997-09 Tim Hebert