One Day in Lafayette Louisiana (A History Tour)

History gives us a taste of the past while teaching us more about the place, culture, or people of a specific city. We are big history buffs and love going to places to learn more. On a recent trip, we got a chance to visit Lafayette, LA. 

Here is a list of historic places to visit, as well as where to eat inside historic buildings, and where to stay while in Lafayette, LA. Hopefully this condenses the search for those of you who are looking to travel while also learning about history at the same time! 

This post is part of our Louisiana series. Read more articles here: 

• Plantations near New Orleans or Baton Rouge LA
• Things to do near New Orleans Airport (MSY) for 6 hours (or less)

Learn the History of the Acadian People at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve 

Did you know that there is a National Park in Louisiana? No? I didn’t either, until I got a chance to visit the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. It is a big outdoor park comprising different tracts of land, the most notable of which is Vermillionville. 

At the visitor center, you can watch a short movie about the Acadian people. These folks were immigrants from France to what is now known as Nova Scotia (New Scotland) in Canada. For a while, the Brits and the French lived in harmony together, until a plot from one English general forced the Acadian people back to France, the first mass deportation at the time. 

These displaced people were not feeling at home in France. They now identify as Acadian. So when there was another opportunity to create a settlement in Louisiana, these folk jumped at the chance. 

And so, this is why Louisiana has a big French culture. It is a state where French is widely spoken. A lot of the locals in Lafayette and the surrounding areas can speak and understand French fluently. 

What to see at Jean Lafitte National Park’s Acadian Cultural Center

Address: 501 Fisher Road Lafayette, LA 70508

The visitor center has a small museum which shows life as an Acadian immigrant, as well as other artifacts. There is also a visitor center shop where one can pick up history books local to the area or other souvenirs. Some of the prices in the shop are a bit high, but keep looking if you really want to bring home something special. Alternatively, there’s another shop by Vermillionville that has better priced items and they’re mostly handmade! 

Outside, there are small trails that one can take to walk around the visitor center. There’s plenty of parking available for cars and RVs. The visitor center can get busy on certain weekdays if there is a big school group visiting, so plan your trip accordingly. 

Go back in time at Vermilionville Historic Village (with one day in Lafayette)

Address: 300 Fisher Rd, Lafayette, LA 70508

A mile from the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park is Vermillionville. Lafayette’s original name was Vermillionville, after the color of the soil. Guests can go on guided tours for an additional fee of the historic houses and structures or can do self guided tours at their own pace. 

When walking around the various structures, you will meet people in period costume. They demonstrate what life was like in those days. ask them how they made clothing, where it took nearly a month to make a shirt. Ask why there are stairs that seem to climb to a landing going nowhere. These guides are a wealth of information, and would definitely recommend joining a guided tour when visiting. 

There are a lot of historic houses, barns, and other artifacts at Vermilionville that you can spend the whole day there, if you want. Sadly, we didn’t have much time so our tour just covered the highlights. We would definitely love to go back and explore more of the place. There’s even animals – a donkey and goats. As a big animal lover, I always get giddy and try to pet all the animals that would allow me! 

Expect to stay at least a few hours to see everything the museum has to offer. If you get hungry, there is a restaurant that offers plated lunch options for a reasonable price. The gift shop is great, with lots of handcrafted, reasonably priced items to purchase and bring home. 

Listen to music by Joel Martin and the Family Band at Martin Accordions

Address: 2143 W Willow St, Scott, LA 70583

Martin Accordions is an institution in the Lafayette area. If you know anyone who needs an accordion fixed or if you are looking for an all handmade accordion, this is the place for you. The Louisiana accordion is shaped differently than accordions around the world, but they will fix everything. 

If you are on a group tour – say, on a cruise ship day trip, or on a bigger tour like we are, Martin Accordions also does showcases where they perform for you! The focal instrument is the accordion, of course, but they also utilize a steel guitar, which is unique. The main accordion player is a child protege – and these guys can play almost every instrument. 

Throughout the hour long presentation of history of music in Louisiana, you will hear the different styles of music like zydeco and Cajun. Both styles of music are similar yet different in many ways. They’re an easy type of music to listen to and get to love, and nothing beats hearing it in Louisiana. 

You’ll also get to learn how the family creates the handmade accordions, how they repair stuff, and everything is family owned and operated! I love small businesses like these who try to keep traditions alive and if you have a chance, definitely give it a go!  

Where to Eat for a historic lunch in Lafayette

After all that sightseeing, surely you would want to grab a bite to eat as a break. Here’s a list of historic places that you can visit to have a decent meal and see a historic building at the same time! 

Spoonbill Cafe: budget eats in an old gas station 

Address: 900 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501

Ever thought you would eat in an old gas station? Look again! Spoonbill Cafe used to be an old Conoco gas station, where the indoors had been renovated to become a restaurant. The name comes from the spoonbill motif and drawings and paintings on the wall. 

Spoonbill offers American food and quick bites, and is surprisingly affordable. The appetizers are definitely enough to share for bigger groups. Our group’s favorite is the artichoke dip and the awesome rolls. Aside from food, Spoonbill Cafe also has a big selection of mocktails – bigger than most places we’ve been to. Perfect for those who don’t really like to drink alcohol. 

Acadian Superette: BBQ in an old convenience store 

Address: 600 Lamar St, Lafayette, LA 70501

Barbecue is always a must eat everywhere for me and my husband. So, during our history tour, I was pleasantly surprised we were stopping at a BBQ joint! Acadian Superette used to be a small general store that sells everything you could think of. Now the place is a quick service BBQ place. Going in, it reminds you of a cafeteria, where you walk up to the counter and order except it’s way better than your school’s cafeteria. 

You can order a platter and mix and match the meats you like. Our top picks are the pulled pork and the sirloin, although the sausage is also a runner up – just expect the kick in the end. Definitely try the corn macque choux – a very cajun dish that we first had when we ate in Nola’s (in Tulsa, OK of all places). 

The owner is quirky – he’s a surgeon but is also a butcher, mixing both his passions for smoking meat with his profession. The prices are great, however, you’ll have to eat between Tuesdays to Saturdays. Acadian Superette is closed Sundays and Mondays! The area is in a place called Freetown: much as the name suggests, it was a place where the free people lived. Nowadays, it is a bustling place for college kids to go out and eat and drink in the evenings! 

Borden’s Ice Cream: The last Borden’s ice cream parlor in the US

Borden’s is a brand of milk, you know, the whole, skim, or 2% one you drink. We get this milk delivered at our work, our son drinks it, you get the point. When we found out there was a Borden’s ice cream parlor in Lafayette, Louisiana, we wanted to visit it! 

Borden’s ice cream parlor is the last remaining ice cream parlor in the US. It’s been serving customers since 1940, and people from all over the US visit to eat the ice cream. Inside, the booths and the bar area bring you back in time to old school ice cream shops. Think Pop’s from Riverdale, if you’re a fan of Archie Comics. 

You can order milkshakes, sundaes, or just scoops of ice cream. They do have huge servings. Two scoops is considered a small ice cream cup, while a medium has 4 cups of ice cream. That is a lot of servings in one cup! 

Where to Stay in a historic house in Lafayette LA

If you want to stay somewhere historic in Lafayette, here are some ideas of historic BnBs and houses. These are only the ones that we managed to see/tour, so if there’s anything else that I missed, I do apologize. If you need anything else to be added on the list, let me know in the comments below! 

Stay at a paranormal spot: T’Frere’s B&B 

Available on AirBnB, booking.com, VRBO, and other home sharing websites.  The BnB is a quaint place, with 9 bedrooms with private bathrooms, a dining area and an enclosed patio. This place looks so beautiful and welcoming in a historic house. However, there is a catch – ghost hunters and people who like searching for paranormal activity have reported that T’Frere’s is the most haunted place to stay in Lafayette. 

There are many ghost sightings in the area, with one room particularly being more haunted than the rest. However, if you do not know the place is haunted, leave it be, just enjoy the historic rooms and furniture of the building. 

Blue Moon Saloon and Guest House

You have to love music in order to stay in this guest house because the Blue Moon Saloon is mostly known for its live music! The little cottage on the side can definitely hear the music playing, all the way until the early hours of the morning sometimes. The website has a schedule, which ranges from cajun, zydeco, and all other types of genres. 

The overall cajun vibe is there, as well as the relative ease of walking to downtown. Did we also mention that it is across the street from Borden’s? The location is close to a lot of restaurants, bars, and happenings in the area, so it makes sense to make it as a base for Mardi Gras festivities. See, Mardi Gras doesn’t just occur in New Orleans! They’re pretty much a staple everywhere in Louisiana! 

Looking for other places of interest in Lafayette?

Here’s a map that can help you find places to stay in Lafayette. This includes hotels, vacation rentals, and the like. Zoom in and customize as you wish. Click on the drop down to also select experiences and restaurants you can reserve through the map below!

The below map has affiliate links. When you book through the map on our site, it is of no extra cost to you and any bookings you may do on this site will generate a small commission for us. Win-win!

Are you in for a historic visit in Lafayette? 

History is not just from reading books, it is also about visiting places in real life. When traveling, it’s also great to learn about the history of the place, how the culture came about, and of course, pick up some great books as souvenirs along the way! Plenty of iconic spots are connected to history, and so, why not create your own day trip revolving around history in the place you’re visiting? This was our day of history in Lafayette, and hopefully this itinerary helped you in more ways than one! 

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Special thanks to Lafayette Travel for hosting our pre-BEX tour as part of TBEX. I signed up for a half day haunted tour and a whole day history tour and compiled both of them in this post. I loved Lafayette – I just need to find time to go back!