Louisiana--Old Spanish Trail

Originally a section of a 19th Century Spanish frontier trail, this 109-mile, three-hour trip through southern Louisiana Cajun country is best accomplished in the spring and fall, as summers are hot and humid. Begin in Houma, the seat of Terrebonne Parish and a center of Cajun culture. Feast on some of the local etouffe, jambalaya, or gumbo before heading west on Bayou Black Drive (U.S. 90), skirting the bayou. Colorful operators along the way offer tours of the Atchafalaya Basin, North America's largest river-basin swamp. Outside Houma, look for the turnoff on the right for Wildlife Gardens, which features an alligator farm, trapper's cabin, and swamp tours.

Back on the road, U.S. 90 passes through the heart of the oil industry. Entering St. Mary's Parish along Bayou Boeuf, you'll pass McDermott Shipyard and Morgan City, a major port on the Intracoastal Waterway. Attractions include the 3-1/2 acre Swamp Gardens where the 1917 Tarzan movie was filmed. Next, look for Berwick/Route 82, which crosses Berwick Bay and the Atchafalaya River and heads through the state's "sugar bowl," where sugar plantations flourished before the Civil War. Passing Garden City and Franklin, the seat of St. Mary's Parish, the road winds toward Sorrel, where one of the state's 19 active sugar mills still processes cane into raw sugar.

At New Iberia, check out Shadows-on-the-Teche, a restored 1834 plantation home and gardens, along with the Conrad Rice Mill, the oldest rice mill in the country, and the Live Oak Gardens. Next, detour 20 miles on Route 182 to Lafayette, a colorful hub of Cajun country and a great place to hear zydeco music, or continue the drive by turning right onto Route 31 to Martinville, the seat of St. Martin's Parish known as "Petit Paris." Visit the Evangeline Oak in Evangeline Town Park, made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem of the same name, and the Petit Paris Museum. Just south on Route 31 is the Longfellow-Evangeline State Commemorative Area with a plantation home, visitors' center, and recreation area. Follow Bayou Teche to the end of the route in Breaux Bridge.

Starting Point:
Houma, LA

Distance of Drive:
109 miles

Must Eat:
Old Tyme Grocery
218 W St. Mary Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70501
Phone:  337-235-8165
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.  
Good Stop For:  Great Shrimp

Best Time of Year for Drive:
Year round, but summer can be very hot and humid.

Points of Interest on Drive:
Wildlife Gardens
Evangeline Oak
Petit Paris Museum

UsedCars.biz Road Trip in the Same State:
Louisiana--The Creole Nature Trail

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