4. ACADIANA AT VERMILIONVILLE & THE BAYOUS Today, we’ll immerse you in the culture of the French-speaking Acadians from Canada who settled “Cajun” Louisiana in the 1760s, as you head out of New Orleans and along a stretch of the Mississippi River through rural Louisiana to the heart of “Cajun Country.” In a Tauck Exclusive experience, “get your enjoys” with a traditional home-cooked Cajun porch lunch – served along with a hearty helping of Acadian music, storytelling and fun – at a private “Bal de Maison” house party. Then you’ll have an opportunity to step a few centuries back in time with a visit to Vermilionville. Set along the banks of Bayou Vermilion, this Cajun and Creole folklife and heritage park recreates Acadian life in Louisiana between 1765 and 1890, with a “village” whose 18 historic structures include six restored original dwellings; meet costumed living historians who illustrate the daily life of the period and demonstrate traditional Cajun and Creole arts, crafts and music. Cruise Bayou Vermilion with a National Park Service guide prior to digging into a traditional Cajun dinner tonight – complete with musical accompaniment – in Breaux Bridge, proudly proclaiming itself the “Crawfish Capital of the World.” Spend the next two nights in the heart of French Louisiana. Meals BLD
5. SHADOWS-ON-THE-TECHE / AVERY ISLAND Laissez les bon temps rouler... “let the good times roll”... as you continue your discovery of Cajun culture with a stop at the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette, part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, where a film and exhibits tell the story of the Acadians’ migration in the 1750s from what is now Nova Scotia, and their eventual settlement in the bayou country of the Mississippi Delta in rural Louisiana. Travel to Shadows-on- the-Teche, a pre-Civil War home on the banks of Bayou Teche in New Iberia, once the center of a thriving sugar cane plantation, now restored and maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Your visit reveals some of the mysteries of the bayou – as well as the unique history of this white-columned brick mansion, its gardens and grounds, and the successive generations of the families who called it home from the 1830s through the 1920s. Continue across marshy landscapes dominated by five wooded “islands” – which are actually salt domes – rising from the surface. After enjoying lunch in this unique environment, visit one of these salt domes, Avery Island, home to wildlife-rich gardens and lagoons – and the famous McIlhenny TABASCO® Sauce plant, where you’ll take a tour and taste some TABASCO®-flavored ice cream! Meals BLD
Experience New Orleans’ and Cajun Country’s history, mystery & magic on a private streetcar tour, in the Garden District, at Vermilionville and the National WWII Museum – as well as in their unique cuisine!
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6. ATCHAFALAYA SWAMP & BACK TO “NAWLINS” Filled with bayous, marshes and bald cypress swamps, the Atchafalaya Basin is the largest swamp in the United States, and extends from the delta of the Atchafalaya River to the Gulf of Mexico. Today, you’ll venture into this vast network of incredibly dense wetlands to observe its abundant waterfowl and other wildlife on a guided boat tour from Breaux Bridge. Following lunch, you’ll embark on a pleasant drive along a scenic stretch of historic Highway 90 that takes you back to the “Big Easy” for a final two-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans. Meals BL
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