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158<br />
CHAPTER 5 . SIGHTS TO SEE & PLACES TO BE<br />
Overnight accommodations are available in five really nice century-old<br />
Creole cottages (complete with sitting rooms, porches, and<br />
air-conditioning). Rates are $125 to $165 and include breakfast but<br />
not a tour. The overpriced restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch<br />
daily from 8:30am to 3pm.<br />
3645 La. 18 (60 miles from <strong>New</strong> <strong>Orleans</strong>), Vacherie, LA 70090. & 800/44-ALLEY<br />
or 225/265-2151. www.oakalleyplantation.com. Admission $10 adults, $5 students<br />
13–18, $3 children 6–12, free for children under 6. Daily 10am–4pm. Closed <strong>New</strong><br />
Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.<br />
9 A Side Trip to Cajun County<br />
The official name of this area is Acadiana, and it consists of a rough<br />
triangle of Louisiana made up of 22 parishes (counties), from St.<br />
Landry Parish at the top of the triangle to the Gulf of Mexico at its<br />
base. Lafayette is Acadiana’s “capital,” and it’s dotted with such<br />
towns as St. Martinville, <strong>New</strong> Iberia, Abbeville, and Eunice. You<br />
won’t find its boundaries on any map, nor the name “Acadiana”<br />
stamped across it. But those 22 parishes are Cajun Country, and its<br />
history and culture are unique in America.<br />
Contact the excellent Lafayette Parish Convention and Visitors<br />
Commission, 1400 NW Evangeline Thruway (P.O. Box 52066),<br />
Lafayette, LA 70505 (& 800/346-1958 in the U.S., 800/543-5340<br />
in Canada, or 337/232-3737; fax 337/232-0161; www.lafayettetravel.<br />
com). The office is open weekdays from 8:30am to 5pm and weekends<br />
from 9am to 5pm.<br />
EUNICE<br />
Founded in 1894 by C. C. Duson, who named the town for his wife,<br />
Eunice is a prairie town, not as picturesque as, say, Opelousas or<br />
Washington. But some of the most significant Cajun cultural happenings<br />
come out of this friendly town, including the Saturday-morning<br />
jam sessions at the Savoy Music Center, the Liberty Theater’s live<br />
radio broadcasts, and the exhibits and crafts demonstrations at the<br />
Prairie Acadian Cultural Center, all of which will greatly enrich your<br />
understanding of Cajun traditions and modern life.<br />
Liberty Theater Moments This classic 1927 theater has<br />
been lovingly restored and turned into a showcase for Cajun music.<br />
There’s live music most nights, but Saturday attracts the big crowds<br />
for the Rendezvous des Cajuns radio show. From 6 to 8pm, Cajun<br />
historian and folklorist Barry Ancelet hosts a live program—simulcast<br />
on local radio—that features Cajun and zydeco bands. It
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