Weekends Away

Lafayette: A Cajun Haven In a New Light

Young musicians in a traditional genre, progressive art in a forty-year-old museum, fresh retreats in historic buildings, and more on the new horizon in good old Lafayette this weekend.
Le Cajun French Music Awards and Festival will feature the Pine Leaf Boys, one of Cajun music's
most celebrated young pioneers. The Cajun French Music Association has nominated them for the Band of the Year Award; the winner of the award will be determined during the three-day music event.
Spend the weekend awash in Lafayette’s warmth, laid-back pace and lively growth, and you might be surprised to find what’s new in the historic town. And this weekend, Le Cajun French Music Awards and Festival, some unique art exhibits and a couple of highly celebrated B&Bs deliver sights to see, sounds to hear, and a soothing retreat.

Le Cajun French Music Awards and Festival is a three-day celebration to honor the best in Cajun music.

The Cajun French Music Association holds an awards ceremony the first day. Then, for the next two days audiences two-step their way through the dance festival, while the award winning Cajun bands provide the music. Festival-goers will also find Cajun arts, crafts and food at every turn.
The Cajun Awards Ceremony takes place 7 pm Thursday at Vermillionville, 300 Fisher Road; entry is $5. The festival follows Friday and Saturday from 8 am well into the night at Blackum coliseum, 2330 Johnston Street; entry is $10. (337) 367-1526 or www.cajunfrenchmusic.org.

The art on display at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum has much to offer during its fortieth summer. There are four exhibits, one of which is To Form a More Perfect Union: the Promise, the Challenge, which explores and manifests contemporary meanings of “perfect” and “union” within the US constitution.

Another exhibit to discover is Long Overdue: Book Renewal, a collaboration between the Portland Public Library and Maine College of Art, in which artists explore modern society’s relationship to both books and art. Artists selected their “canvases” from books no longer usable at the Portland Library and turned them into altered books.  They’ve been “checked out” by the ULL Museum and are on view.

Museum hours are 10 am–5 pm Tuesday—Saturday. University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 710 E. St. Mary Boulevard. (337) 482-2278 or museum.louisiana.edu.

For even more goings on, visit the Lafayette CVB website. Plus, for ways to get into the great outdoors around the area, visit Pack and Paddle’s website. And for some late-night libations and intimate yet energetic performances at one of the most popular live music venues in South Louisiana, visit The Blue Moon Saloon & Guesthouse.

If you’re getting away to take in Lafayette for the weekend, there are plenty of places to rest your head for the night. Two of the most popular B&Bs are Bois des Chênes and T’Freres.

At Bois des Chênes, each room, whether in the 1820 Acadian plantation or 1890 carriage house, has a private entrance, private baths, indigenous antiques, a full breakfast, and a city setting with off-street parking. It’s been in Frommer’s top 100 B&Bs in North America and in National Geographic Traveler as one of the 25 best Southern inns. Bois des Chênes 338 North Sterling. $100 – $150 per night. (337) 233-7816 or boisdchene@aol.com.

T’Freres, which was built in 1880 from Louisiana red cypress hauled from the nearby Vermilion Bayou, features six guest bedrooms, a garden with a gazebo, and a glass-enclosed porch. T’Freres has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens Food Network, Chef John Folse’s A Taste of Louisiana on PBS, and Southern Living. 1905 Verot School Road. $100–$125. (337) 984-9347 or www.tfreres.com.

These B&Bs, along with all of the performances, dancing, art exhibits, activities, and dining to take in, make Lafayette whatever sort of getaway you need it to be - sleepy South Louisiana, Cajun celebration, or a little bit of both.