This Scenic Drive Runs Straight Through Louisiana’s Cajun Country, And It’s A Breathtaking Journey
The Bayou Teche National Byway is one of the most historic and scenic drives in Louisiana. This winding path will weave you all through the heartbeat of Cajun Country, hugging the iconic Bayou Teche for most of the drive, and putting you at the front door of some of Louisiana’s most historic attractions along the way. All in all, the full drive clocks in at 183 miles, and do to it justice, you’d want to spread the drive over a couple of days so you can have ample time to see the sights. Here are just a few of the iconic attractions you can look forward to along this self-drive tour in Louisiana.
Arnaudville and Morgan City are the endpoints along this scenic drive in Louisiana, and you can pick your starting point based on which direction you're coming from.
Depending on if you drive from north to south or vice versa, you’ll either start or end your journey here. Arnaudville is a tiny little town in both St. Landry and St. Martin parishes that’s one of those old-school towns where you could easily hear folks speaking Cajun French while they’re out and about. Here, Bayou Teche meets up with Bayou Fusilier, making this a perfect town to explore by swamp tour or kayaking around.
The Little Big Cup is a beautiful waterfront restaurant in Arnaudille that’s worth a pit stop for. Known for its delicious authentic Cajun fare and beautiful bayou views, The Little Big Cup never disappoints.
You can’t drive through Cajun Country and not swing by Breaux Bridge. The Crawfish Capital of the World is full of small-town charm and local restaurants you’ll want to try. Once you’ve explored the town, head over to Lake Martin to enjoy a little slice of the Atchafalaya. This is an ideal spot for wildlife viewing, especially alligators, and you can drive along the water’s edge, take the walking trail, or take a swamp boat tour from Champagne’s Swamp Boat Tours to see the swamps from an entirely different perspective.
As you explore New Iberia, you may find that you need more hours in the day to really see all the sights! This charming city is overflowing with things to do, including some of the most popular attractions like Shadows-on-the-Teche, a historic former plantation in Louisiana, and the Conrad Rice Mill, the oldest rice mill in America. From here, you may be inspired to detour slightly to the west to check out Avery Island, the home of Tabasco, or take a stroll through the Rip Van Winkle Gardens. Taking a tour of all four in one day can be a little tricky, but this charming vacation rental is the perfect stopping point if you want to spread this road trip across multiple days, and it's located right on the bayou!
In Morgan City, you can learn all about the history of Louisiana’s oil industry at the International Petroleum Museum and Exposition. This unique museum also gives you the opportunity to step on board “Mr. Charlie,” an authentic oil rig! This is the only place in the world where you can walk onto an oil rig, and Mr. Charlie has a fascinating history. The rig was in operation from 1954-1986 and made history as the first oil rig to be transportable and submersible and became a launching pad for future offshore oil rig technology.
Morgan City, LA 70380, USA
We know this is just a brief toe dip into what you can expect along this drive. For more information, check out Louisiana’s official byway website to learn about this scenic drive and all of the other beautiful scenic byways in Louisiana.
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