At Rathbone Mansions we appreciate the beauty, charm and diversity found in New Orleans, Louisiana and all over the South. Many of our guests enjoy exploring the city of New Orleans from the comfort of our historic hotel as well as areas all over the south to experience what each unique spot has to offer. Our blog highlights many of these stunning places so you can design the best trip to suit your needs.

Most travelers come to this part of the state expecting to find gumbo, accordions and perhaps – a few gators. But author/journalist, Eleni Gage, made even more discoveries when she took a road trip, with her good friend, Katherine, to a region called “Acadiana.”

“WE’RE GOING TO CAJUN COUNTRY,” she said when asked about their trip. “We hope to listen to zydeco, sample tasty local dishes and head out on a swamp.” But they were in for a bit of a surprise. Or, as she writes in her article that appeared in Travel & Leisure, April 2020, “We didn’t expect soul-stirring natural beauty and a unique community, with a layered history that continues to thrive.”

THEY SET OFF ON A THREE-HOUR DRIVE to Lafayette Parish, that welcomes roughly three million people a year. It’s interesting to note that Canadians make up the largest group of international visitors. This makes sense because the word “Cajun” is an anglicization of “Acadien,” which is the French Catholic group that was expelled from Canada by the Brits in the 18th century.

THEIR FIRST STOP IS VERMILIONVILLE, on the outskirts of Lafayette, a city of 126,000 residents. In an old schoolhouse, they see a blackboard filled with this line, “I will not speak French on the school grounds.” Wow! That’s a bit of a shock. Apparently English was mandatory in Louisiana public schools until 1974. Today, there’s a move to bring back the language and culture of the Acadian. Vermilionville is only about a 2-hour drive from Rathbone Mansions.

THE TWOSOME TAKE AN AIRBOAT ride on the Bayou and, in order to do so, have to sign a waiver absolving their guides of the responsibility for the actions of mosquitoes, alligators and Asian carp, who tend to jump out of the water into your lap. Yikes!

My husband and I took an airboat ride in New Orleans and we thought it was one of the highlights of our entire trip. We never signed a waiver and never saw jumping fish BUT we had a lot of fun as we whizzed around at a hair-raising speed. CLICK HERE to read about our swamp tour.

THE SERENE BEAUTY OF THE ATCHAFALAYA Swamp – situated between Lafayette and Baton Rouge really impressed the two travelers. Yes, I totally agree: the dark waters and trees dripping with Spanish moss is breathtaking and dramatic. Gage writes that, “the sound of flapping alerted us to the presence of egrets, their flight rippling the reflection of cypress trees in the water.”

Oh yes, those cypress trees that seem to live forever really fascinated us. CLICK HERE to see and read more about these toughies – who can stick around for 600 years.

Later the two adventurers moved on to the Rip Van Winkle Gardens, a park on the banks of Lake Peigneur, that’s a half hour south of Lafayette. This was followed by a fun night at the Blue Moon Saloon where fiddlers and accordionists accompanied a young lady singing in French.

ON THEIR LAST DAY THEY WENT KAYAKING on Lake Martin where their guide explained the healing power of the outdoors. “When people observe all this -- you see them relax and rest,” she said.

Yes, the beauty of nature is definitely good for the soul.

Shaun Nelson-Henrick