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Southwest Louisiana Information
Traveling to Louisiana? For staying up-to date on what's happening in the SW Louisiana music clubs, check out Patsy Hebert's Zydeco Report (updated 2-3x week) or one of the local weekly arts newspapers (The Independent or the Times of Acadiana). Patsy's directions to the most popular dance venues can be found here. And in Travel Tips, by Trish Ranson, a former Bay Area resident, who moved to the greater Lafayette area a few years ago, shares her tips for visitors to Southwest Louisiana interested in Cajun and zydeco music. Also don't leave home without reading Jeremy Rice's very thorough and accurate article on planning a C/z trip to SW Louisiana (go to the Louisiana Info link). For New Orleans, Rock and Bowl's calendar is also online at www.rockandbowl.com.
This page has 2 parts, contributed by residents of SW Louisiana:
- Travel Tips When visiting SW Louisiana, from Trish Ranson
- Directions to SW Louisiana Dance Related Sites, from Patsy Hebert
See Also:
- Cajun/Zydeco Music & Dance - One of the first Cajun and zydeco sites on the web, this page, maintained by Jeremy Rice, includes links to extensive C/Z information. There is also a great article here, found by going to the "Louisiana info" link, on planning a C/z trip to Southwest Louisiana. I agree with almost all of Jeremy's suggestions.
- Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byways. This website about the music, culture and history of the Louisiana Prairie area (which include Eunice, Mamou, Opelousas, Ville Platte, Crowley & Church Point). There are sections devoted to art & artisans, food, history & culture, nature & wildlife, music and festivals, plus a list of clubs and up-to-date calender for all the local events happening in each town (& there is always something going on in SW Louisiana). Additional sidebars include features on "byways", "folkways" and "real ways of life" with very informative pop-up windows.
- Louisiana Folk Roots for events: www.lafolkroots.org.
- The Patsy Report Updated several times a week by Patsy Hebert (and maintained on the web by Gary Hayman), this is a posting of an email calendar focused on mostly zydeco dance events in Southwest Lousiana.
- The Lafayette Chamber of Commerce - For a die-hard Cajun & Zydeco fan, Lafayette, Louisiana is Mecca. This Web page includes tourist information, event calendars, including a Festival information page, with dates & contact phone numbers, news releases and lots of other helpful and interesting information about the Mecca of Acadiana.
- City of Eunice Official Website. The website includes information on local festivals, Cajun culture, recipes and local dining & lodging, among other things.
- Louisiana Zydeco Tours is run by Lafayette zydeco dance enthusiast, Francis Haymark and her daughters and sponsors zydeco dance tours with an insider's viewpoint.
- Special Events & Music Venues:
 | Mardi Gras. The best place to start looking for tradional Mardi Gras events in Southwest Louisiana is at Arn's Mardi Gras page |
| Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Plaisance, LA. Labor Day Weekend. The Festival has an official research archives established at the Opelousas Museum & Interpretive Center which contains over 14 years of Creole/Zydeco music performances, recorded live on video tape and in still photographs. Located at 329 North Main Street in Opelousas, hours of operation are 9 am - 5pm Monday - Friday. |
| Festivals Acadiens In Lafayette, LA usually the 3rd weekend in September. Great music and cultural events during the day, great music in the clubs at night. |
| Crawfish Festival Breaux Bridge, LA, 1st weekend in May. |
| Grant Street Dancehall |
| Cafe Des Amis Great food and a Saturday morning zydeco brunch. |
| Angelle's Whiskey River Landing Their Sunday dances are reknown. |
| Randol's Cajun dancing every night. |
| Downtown Alive on Web!!! 2 bands in Downtown Lafayette on Friday nights most of the year. |
| Liberty Theatre in Eunice |
And don't forget, when in New Orleans:
- Mid-City Lanes-Rock N Bowl - Home Page and Schedule...THE place to dance to zydeco (and sometimes Cajun) when you're in New Orleans. Zydeco night is Thursday with zydeco occasionally booked Wednesdays and weekends too .
Tips When Visiting SW Louisiana for CZ Dancers
by Trish Ranson
I have now been here in Louisiana over 2 years.....and am
enjoying being here
more everyday. I thought I would send along some notes for visitors planning
on coming down for the upcoming festivals.
Lafayette now has online motel room booking capability at
http://www.lafayettetravel.com.
which links to Room Finders. Rooms really
fill up for Festivals Acadians and the Zydeco Festival over Labor Day. Opelousas
is closer to the zydeco festival site by 20 miles than
Lafayette and has both a new Holiday Inn and Days Inn as well as a Best
Western and the Opelousas Inn (formerly the Quality Inn). Richard's
Club,
Slim's Y Ki Ki and Frank Ranch are all within 10 miles of Opelousas. Most
of
the trailride sites are close to Opelousas, except for King Ranch which is in
Carencro. For those of you wanting to dance at either Hamilton's or
El
Sido's in Lafayette, it is better to stay in Lafayette to avoid a long
drive
home from a club at 2 am!!!!! The Plantation Inn, Motel 6,
Shoney's,
Holidome (Holiday Inn North), La Quinta, The Red Roof Inn, The Fairfield Inn,
The Super 8, The Jaimeson Inn are all on the north side of town with easy
access to I49 North toward Opelousas and Plaisance.
Also remember that it is really hot here........dancers need to intake extra
salt and drink lots of water to avoid heat exhaustion. Many of us get
Emergen-C packets and prepare them with water ahead of time. The festivals
usually sell PowerAde or GatorAde as well. And if you are really worried,
you can get ThermoTabs or other salt tablets at a pharmacy and use as directed.
This is REALLY important...if any of you have ever had a heat exhaustion head
ache....you know prevention is the best thing to do!!!! Watch for signs of
dizziness, nausea, headache and cessation of sweating.....these are all
warning signs. DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!!!!
The best way to find out what is happening in the clubs is to listen to the
radio. The Saturday morning and Sunday morning shows are also
great at
announcing trailride schedules. Trailrides have dances Saturday evenings
and
then again on Sunday afternoon following the ride itself. Here are the
stations I like to listen to for Zydeco:
770 AM Thursday nights 7-9 PM (105.5 FM)
1230 AM (KSLO)Friday and Saturday afternoons 3-5 PM (Luke Collins)
88.7 FM Saturday morning 6 AM until noon (John Broussard and MC) This is
KRVS from Ul Lafayette and may be on-line as well.
104.7 FM Sunday morning 10 AM until noon (Don and Charles Cravins)
770 AM Sunday afternoon 12-3 PM
92.5 FM (1090 AM) Sunday afternoon 3-6 PM (Front Porch Zydeco) This is my
favorite!
KBON 101.1 FM is on round the clock with all Louisiana music.
For those of you far away, check out www.louisianaradio
.com.
The Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival has events scheduled over
two Labor Day weekend days this year. There are two dances Friday
evening, one at the festival site in Plaisance and one at Slim's Y -Ki Ki
club in Opelousas. On Saturday, some people go all day to the festival and
some go early and leave around 5 and clean up and then go to the clubs and
others go just for the evening. Anyway you go, it is fun! On
Sunday you
can go to a zydeco festival in St. Martinville, Thomas Field's party in Mire
or to the Day on the Green at Richard's.....and then if you are still
kicking, go on over to Dog Hill in Lake Charles for a memorial BooZoo Chavez'
Labor Day party. Bring lots of clothes and plan to sweat them out!!!
( I
know folks who stop at a laundromat to wash clothes en route to the airport
to avoid opening a suitcase full of nasty damp dance clothes upon arrival
home.) Heat and humidity do wonders for soggy clothes.
There are many, many great restaurants here in Acadiana.....and several have
Zydeco music featured. Cafe des Amis in old downtown Breaux Bridge has a
Zydeco breakfast from 8:30 to 11:00 every Saturday and the owners have
followed that tradition at their new restauraant, The Grapevine Cafe in
Donaldsonville, a town on the river road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
And, of course, Randol's and Mulate's have Cajun dancing every
night. You really should try some boudin or cracklins(NOT like the ones in
the market....ours are meaty and flavorful) while you are here......watch for
signs for markets, quick stops that make them fresh.
I look forward to seeing all the visitors who will coming down to enjoy all
the upcoming events... Festivals Acadiennes is a great weekend also
with
the clubs all booked for the evenings and an accompanying crafts festival
that is great...and features Louisiana music inside an air-conditioned hall.
The Rock 'N' Bowl's zydeco weekend in November is fun, and, frankly, even a
non-festival weekend offers great dancing at the clubs and trailrides.
Geno
Delafose gives a party at his ranch in October which is open to all and
really fun.....it becomes a big huge Cajun/Creole jam session, outside in a
corral under a huge oak tree. There is always plenty (or nothing, if that is
your choice) to do during the day as well as dancing all night. This
is
such a culturally and historically interesting place, that one can be
entertained 24/7!!!!
Contact the Lafayette Convention and Tourist Bureau if you have time
before your visit......it is an excellent source of information
1(800)
346-1958.. And check Andrea's links to other sites..the Patsy Report gives
the local dance schedule for Lafayette and surrounding area......
Ya'll come on down.........and have fun!!!!
Trish
Directions to Acadiana sites (from Patsy Hebert):
(Note: All directions start in Lafayette.)
ElSido's
Lafayette
Take the Lafayette Exit #103 south to get on the Evangeline Thruway (Hwy 167).
Take a right at the first red light - Willow Street.
Take a right at the second red light - St. Antoine St
You'll travel a block down (there is a slight curve in street) and see
ElSido's to your left.
There parking right next to the building and also a vacant lot for parking
catty corner to the club.
Girard Park (Festival Acadiens)
Lafayette
Take the Lafayette Exit #103 south to get on the Evangeline Thruway (Hwy 167).
Go straight on Evangeline Thruway.
Take a right on Taft (maybe the 6th light) - large warehouse on right corner.
Cross Jefferson St and University Ave and at W. St. Mary, Taft becomes
Girard Park Drive.
The park is straight ahead but this road will be closed for the festival.
Note: This is when you start looking for a place to park. The Oil Center is
usually a good bet.
Take a left on W. St. Mary. Take any one of the first couple of streets to
the right, Wilson, Coolidge, and look in that area for parking spaces. Pay
attention to No Parking Signs and driveways.
You could also take a right on W. St. Mary and attempt to park on U of L's
campus.
Heymann Center/Frem Boustany Center
Lafayette
You can walk to this from the park (2 or so blocks from the edge of the park, a
bit further from the main stage). If you choose to try to park at or near the
Heymann Center, then:
Follow directions above to W. St. Mary.
Take a left on W. St. Mary.
Take a right at the 1st light - Coolidge.
Follow Coolidge through the Oil Center to South College Road.
Take a right on South College and the Heymann Center will be on the right,
just past the hospital.
Grant Street
Lafayette
Take Evangeline Thruway (Hwy 167) to Jefferson Street (I think it's the 5th
light from I-10).
Take right on Jefferson.
Go under underpass.
Take 1st right - Cypress St.
Grant Street will be on your right.
Hamilton's Club
Lafayette
Take Evangeline Thruway (Hwy 167) south from I-10
Turn right on Pinhook (I think it's the 7th light from 1-10).
Travel down Pinhook across Vermilion River bridge.
Travel past 3 signal lights.
Turn right @ 4th signal light - Verot School Rd.
Travel about 1.8-2 miles.
Doug Ashy Lumber Company will be on the left, then a curve.
Hamilton Club is on the right. There's a lighted sign in front.
Randol's
Lafayette
Take Evangeline Thruway South from I-10.
Turn left on Pinhook (I think it's the 7th light from 1-10).
Travel down Pinhook across Vermilion River bridge.
Travel past 2 signal lights.
Turn right @ 3rd signal light - Kaliste Saloom Rd.
Continue past 3-4 signal lights.
Randol's is on right, across from movie theater.
Pat's Atchafalaya Club
(located in Pat's Seafood Restaurant)
Henderson, LA
Take I-10 east from Lafayette to Henderson Exit # 115.
Take a right, then the first left - Hwy 352.
Continue all the way through Henderson toward the levee road.
Look to your left as you cross the bridge right before you get to the stop
sign at the levee road. There's the restaurant. Pat's Atchafalaya Club is
inside.
King's Ranch
Carencro
Travel north on Evangeline Thruway.
Once under I-10, you're on I-49 North.
Take Gloria Switch Exit.
Take left on Gloria Switch and then once under I-49 take a right on the
service road.
Take a left at the road at Delta Center.
Take first left - tree-shaded blacktop road.
You'll drive straight into King's Ranch.
Cafe des Amis
Breaux Bridge
Take I-10 east from Lafayette to Breaux Bridge Exit #109.
Take a right into Breaux Bridge (Rees St.) and continue until the T.
Take a right at the T - Bridge St.
Cross the bridge and Cafe des Amis will be on the left.
La Poussiere
Breaux Bridge
(Thanks to Ann Marie Suire and Carol & Gerald Trahan)
Take I-10 east from Lafayette to Breaux Bridge Exit #109.
Take a right into Breaux Bridge (Rees St.) and continue until the T.
Take a left at the T - Bridge St.
Take a right at the first traffic light (Poydras Street).
Take a left at the first traffic light (Chevron station on left)
onto Grand Point Highway.
La Poussiere is on the left after Hebert's Grocery Store.
*From Baton Rouge, traveling west on I-10, exit 115 (Henderson).
Turn left on LA 347 and stay on this route for approximately five miles.
Club is on your right.
Angelle's Whiskey River
Henderson
Take I-10 east from Lafayette to Henderson Exit # 115.
Take a right, then the first left - Hwy 352.
Continue all the way through Henderson to the levee road.
Take a right on the levee road.
Continue 2 1/2 - 3 mi and look for the sign.
You'll cross the levee to the left.
Slims
Opelousas
Travel north to Opelousas on I-49 North.
Take 3rd Opelousas (Hwy 190) Exit 19 south into Opelousas.
Take a right at 3rd or 4th light - Hwy 182 (You'll see the sign for Ville
Platte).
Travel north on Hwy 182.
Follow the sharp curve to the left around Catholic Church.
Turn right at light, continuing on Hwy 182 towards Ville Platte.
Slim's Y-Ki-Ki will be on your left, about a mile down.
You may have to park on the side of road or in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot
across the street.
Richard's Club
Lawtell
Travel north to Opelousas on I-49 North.
Take 3rd Opelousas (Hwy 190) Exit 19 south into Opelousas.
Travel west all the way through Opelousas towards Eunice.
Richard's Club is on your left, about 3.5 - 4 miles from Opelousas.
There is a lighted sign.
Frank's Ranch
Lawtell
Continue to the west down Hwy 190 past Richard's Club.
Go through Lawtell, continue on a little ways (1-2 miles?).
Frank's Ranch is on the left; you'll see a sign.
Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival
Plaisance
Travel north on I-49 from Lafayette.
Exit right at Ville Platte Exit #23 (4 mi north of Opelousas).
At the stop sign, turn left on Hwy 167 North.
Continue straight approximately 7.5 miles.
Look for sign on the right hand side.
Turn right on gravel road (Zydeco Road). Drive straight to the back.
Festival site is located at the end of the road.
Creole Zydeco Festival
St. Martinville
Take Hwy 90 south from Lafayette.
Take St.Martinville/Cade exit.
Take left at stop sign.
Take left on Hwy 96.
Continue down Hwy 96 to St. Martinville.
Take right at intersection of Martin Luther King (red light) and Hwy 96
(Terrace Rd).
Continue down Martin Luther King (about one mile) until you get to Adam
Carlson Dr.
Turn right and continue to the park.
Watch for signs.
Thomas Fields' Party
Mire
Take I-10 West from Lafayette
Take Mire/Duson Exit #92.
Take a right at stop sign heading north on Hwy 95.
Continue past the four-way stop.
Take the first gravel road on the left (Ozark Dr)
Continue down the gravel road until you come to a deep curve (property with
a white pipe fence).
That's It!!!!!!!!!!!
You'll see the driveway to the left after making the curve.
Dog Hill - Boozoo's Home
Lake Charles
Take I-10 west to Lake Charles.
Take the I-210 Bypass.
Take I-210 to Hwy 14/Cameron Exit #8.
Turn left on Hwy 14.
Turn right on McNeese St (approx 1 1/2 - 2 mi)
Stay on McNeese until you pass Stadium on left.
Turn left at next traffic light - Common St.
Turn right on Leger Rd (at Jimbo's Quick Stop). There may be flags on the
corner.
Make a right turn onto Leger Rd (road will veer left).
Take a right on Petah Road .
You'll see Boozoo's home and the pavilion on the left.
PS - When heading back you'll see signs pointing to the left for I-210 at
Common Street. This is a longer and more congested route. Use it only if
you're headed west.
