Lafayette (Louisiana)

By car

Lafayette is at the intersection of Interstates 10 and 49. I-10 runs through the northern part of Lafayette, linking the city with New Orleans (2.5 hours east) and Houston (4 hours west). I-49 links Lafayette with Alexandria and Shreveport to the north.

By plane

• Lafayette Regional AirportHas nonstop flights on American to Dallas/Fort Worth, Delta to Atlanta, and United to Houston.

By train

Amtrak provides service to Lafayette via the Sunset Limited, running between Los Angeles and New Orleans.

While Lafayette does have a bus system that is accessible from most areas in town, driving by car is still the most popular way to get around the city. Most businesses have parking lots, and even in the Downtown area there is often plenty of parking on a normal day. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is usually the only area where visitors encounter parking troubles, but while school is in session a shuttle bus links the center of campus with the massive parking lot at Cajun Field (near the Cajundome and Convention Center), providing a quick commute with frequent service. Bike lanes are becoming a growing trend on some major roads as well. A expanding taxi industry has grown-up around Lafayette recently.

• Acadian Cultural Center

  phone: +1 337 232-0789
  address: 501 Fisher Road
  8AM-5PM daily. You can spend an hour or so here learning about the history of the Acadian (Cajun) people. Free, donations accepted.

• Lafayette Science Museum

  phone: +1 337 291-5544
  address: 433 Jefferson Street

• University of Louisiana at Lafayette

  address: 104 E University Ave
  A large four-year university with a great campus and a small swamp containing live alligators next to the Student Union. There is a University Art Museum on campus, and an International Film Series is screened every semester.

• Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

  phone: +1 337 265-2104
  address: 444 Cajundome Blvd (ticket office)
  Sports teams of the above university, competing in 16 NCAA Division I sports (eight for each sex) in the Sun Belt Conference. As with most major schools, the hot-button sports are typically football and men's basketball, but the most nationally competitive are baseball and softball (the latter a women-only sport in the NCAA). Most of the key sports venues are on university-owned land away from the main campus, most notably Cajun Field (football), the Cajundome (men's basketball), and Tigue Moore Field (baseball). The Cajundome also houses the central ticket office for all Ragin' Cajuns sports.

• Vermilionville

  phone: +1 337 233-4077
  address: 300 Fisher Road
  Tuesday-Sunday 10AM-4PM. $8 adults. A heritage and folk-life park depicting the way of life on the Bayou. The park has costumed French interpreters, traditional craft demos, and hosts traditional Cajun music and dance parties each Sunday.

• Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum

  phone: +1 337 482-2278
  address: 710 E. Saint Mary Blvd, 70503
  Museum collection of over 4,000 objects including 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st century American, European and Asian art works.

• Festival International de Louisiane

  address: Downtown Lafayette
  Four-day festival that brings musical acts and other performers from all over the world, with an emphasis on Francophone countries. The festival usually takes place the last weekend of April, and is usually a nice diversion from the expensive and often over-crowded New Orleans JazzFest the same time of year. The amazing food selection from local restaurants is moderately priced, and there are several shopping bazaars with everything from international vendors to local artists. Most importantly the festival is free, with a great deal of funding coming from donations made by Lafayette residents. Jefferson Street and most of Downtown Lafayette virtually shut-down to traffic from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening with around six stages of live music.

• LA ICE

  phone: +1 337 896-2040
  address: 3607 N.W. Evangeline Thruway, Carencro
  The only ice rink in Louisiana.

• Sky Zone Lafayette

  - located in Lafayette

• Breaux Bridge Crawfish FestivalLocated in the nearby town of Breaux Bridge, this annual weekend veneration of the "mud bug" brings together the best features of Cajun culture. The main centerpiece of the festival is a massive iron kettle which sees a constant flow of the festival's namesake critters throughout the day (also available in abundance in any form you could wish for.) The other centerpiece of the festival is a stage, which sees the most popular Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, and Creole musicians around. D. L. Menard himself was a regular performer there until a few years before his death in 2017. Other events include Cajun dancing contests and lessons, Cajun cooking demonstrations, crawfish races, a crawfish eating contest, a crawfish étouffée contest, and typical (if you can call anything crawfish-themed typical) carnival rides, activities, and vendors. Usually occurs in early May.

• Lafayette Pétanque Club

  address: Girard Park
  Pétanque is a deceptively simple two-player French game played with tennis-ball-sized metal orbs that is similar to bocce or horsehoes. Players score points by tossing their balls as close to a target ball as possible while trying to knock their opponent's away. It's a ubiquitous sight in parks all over France, where it is a national game of sorts, but quite rare in the U.S. Members socialize in both English and French. Visitors are encouraged.

• Mall of AcadianaDecent sized shopping mall at the corner of Ambassador Caffery Pkwy and Johnston St.

Lafayette is a center for great Cajun cuisine (see the Acadiana article for an overview), but don't think Cajun food is all there is to eat here. Many different styles of food can be found here, and many have developed a Cajun flair. Lafayette is truly a food-oriented city, with more restaurants than cities with a much larger population. We talk about what to eat a lunch over breakfast, and what to eat for dinner over lunch; and we're rarely disappointed with the outcome.

• Prejean's

  phone: +1 337 896-3247
  3480 N. I-49. Su-Th. 7AM-9:30PM; F,Sa 7AM-10:30PM. Touristy but enjoyable Cajun food. $8-20.

• Maesone Noodle House

  phone: +1 337 406-0850
  address: 4807 Johnston St
  Great noodles, mixture of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Laotian cuisine.

• Bisbano's Pizza

  phone: +1 337 233-0420
  address: 1540 Johnston St
  Good pizza; free wi-fi.

• Charley G's

  phone: +1 337 981-0108
  address: 3809 South Ambassador Caffery Pkwy
  Specialty in seafood. Excellent bar. Live piano music.
• Hub City Diner 1412 South College, +1 337 235-5683. Louisiana cooking in a diner atmosphere.

• LaFonda Restaurant

  phone: +1 337 984-5630
  address: 3809 Johnston St
  Tex-Mex menu with great margaritas.

• Randol's Restaurant

  phone: +1 337 981-7080
  address: 2320 Kaliste Saloom Road
  Popular Cajun family style restaurant with a dance floor and a bar. Live Cajun or Zydeco music every night.

• Judice Inn

  phone: +1 337 269-1653
  address: 3134 Johnston St
  Popular little joint for cheeseburgers and beer.
• Olde Tyme Grocery 218 W St Mary +1 337 235-8165. Great po-boy sandwiches. The atmosphere is basically a few tables in an old grocery building. Lots of character!

• Julien's Po-Boys

  phone: +1 337 232-5168
  address: 1900 W. University Ave
  Two other locations in Lafayette. Serves great po-boy sandwiches and spicy platters.

• Thai Cuisine

  phone: +1 337 261-0000
  address: 607 Kaliste Saloom Rd
  Fantastic Thai food, especially stir fry.

• Artmosphere

  phone: +1 337 233-3331
  address: 902 Johnston St
  Mon-Sat 11AM to 2PM, Sun 11AM to midnight. Eclectically decorated restaurant, bar and hookah bar with live music and a wide variety of great food.

• Sakura

  phone: +1 337 989-9698
  address: 3218 Johnston St
  Fantastic sushi bar and restaurant. Also has great teriyaki, tempura, and other kinds of Japanese cuisine.

• The French Press

  phone: +1 337 233-9449
  address: 214 East Vermilion St
  French food. Great lunches and breakfasts.

• Another Broken Egg

  phone: +1 337 504-3365
  112 Rue Promenade, Terrific breakfasts and brunches.

• Agave Cantina

  phone: +1 337 289-0000
  address: 200 E Vermilion St
  Mon-Wed 11AM-10PM, Thur-Sat 11AM-11PM. Great Tex-Mex with some Tex-Mex / Creole fusion dishes. Inside and outside eating.

• Tsunami

  phone: +1 337 234-3474
  address: 412 Jefferson St
  Excellent sushi and Japanese cuisine.

• Pho Tien

  phone: +1 337 456-3813
  address: 3533 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy
  Fantastic Vietnamese, especially noodles

• Cafe des Amis

  address: 140 E. Bridge St., Breaux Bridge LA
  Zydeco Breakfast every Saturda morning 8:30-11:30 AM.

Downtown Lafayette Hosts live entertainment nightly with its variety of clubs and kind of resembles New Orleans' French Quarter on a smaller scale. The Strip on McKinley Street with its row of bars right next to The University of Louisiana is another popular venue. From The Keg to the McKinley Street Pub there is a bar for every college niche.
Most visitors to Lafayette are often surprised by another feature of the local drinking scene: drive-thru daiquiri stores. Open-container laws are seemingly disregarded as customers can purchase potent frozen drinks without leaving their car, and then simply drive-off. Exercise caution, though, as cops still consider these drinks to be open alcohol containers, as evident by the styrofoam-cupped drinks are often handed to customers with a piece of tape over the lid opening.
For you bar and club patrons, last call in Lafayette is a 2AM Monday through Saturday, and at 12 midnite on Sunday nights.

• The Greenroom

  phone: +1 337 233-4255
  address: 229 Jefferson St.
  Great local bar in Downtown Lafayette with a easygoing vibe. Several local and imported beers on tap, with the widest bottled beer selection in town. Nightly drink specials, pool tables, shuffleboard, foosball, and plenty of good people.

• Hampton Inn Lafayette

  phone: +1 765 447-1600
  address: 3941 State Road
  26 East. $100 (for an extra $20 get the jacuzzi suite).

• Lafayette Microtel Inn & Suites

  phone: +1 337 235-9010
  address: 301 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy

• Blue Moon Guesthouse

  phone: +1 337 234-2422
  address: 215 E Convent St
  A clean, safe, and very hospitable hostel located in downtown Lafeyette.

• The Juliet

  phone: +1 337 261-2225
  address: 800 Jefferson St