This post has been compensated by Extended Stay America – All opinions are mine alone. Are you visiting Lafayette, LA and wanting to find things to do with kids? We are sharing our favorite things to do with kids in Lafayette LA – sharing things to do near Lafayette LA, fun things to do and free things to do!
At the end of 2018 we decided to take a quick trip over to Lafayette Louisiana where it’s cajun and french country…where the alligators live and the seafood is delicious. We took three days and crammed in as much as we possibly could all at the same time relaxing, sleeping in, not counting calories and enjoying our family time.
Friday we did everything we could do outside, because the weather was divine and beautiful…we watched the forecast and the rest of our trip was cloudy, rainy and dreary. Those days made for good days to eat and shop…I must admit it wasn’t spent doing nothing…this mama enjoyed hopping in and out of stores while I had an extra two hands (Daddy) with me to juggle the little one!!!
First I’ll talk about where to stay! We love staying at Extended Stay America because for me as a mom it offers me a full size kitchen – hallelujah – we can eat in some as well as keep lots in the fridge for packing picnic lunches and snacks during the day. Not to mention they also have onsite laundry…a grab and go breakfast and Extended Stay America has been doing a $1 Billion investment in renovations across the nation and if you are looking for a vacation in the future they have so many great locations to choose from!
Things to do near Lafayette LA
1- As we drove into the area we stopped at the Welcome/ Visitor Center in the Atchafalaya Basin. This was a fun stop not to mention very helpful stop! We were able to get our “ducks in a row” and figure out exactly our plan of action with the guidance of one of the workers there at the Welcome Center.
2- Drive down to Avery Island and New Iberia via LA 31 through Breaux Bridge, Saint Martinville and then into New Iberia. This is a true cajun country scenic view with some quaint towns to drive through. We didn’t stop at all of the quaint towns but if you had time to poke around I bet you could find some pretty neat shops and eats! 
You will see a lot of the farming which is sugar cane – very eat and you feel like you truly get to see what life is like in the bayou!
3- Visit Longfellow Evangeline historical site – it’s a mere $4 entry fee, a beautiful grounds to walk around and explore…a great history guided tour about the area, French, Creole and Acadians not to mention there along Bayou Teche. A neat historical inside museum, movie and then you are outside on the gorgeous ground – where you’ll see the oldes living Live Oak in Louisiana.
4- Main Street – Continue driving on into New Iberia and visit the downtown area if you have time.
5- Avery Island is a must! Visiting the Tabasco Pepper Sauce factory along with Jungle Gardens. They have a great restaurant, country store to find all things tabasco…and if you take the self guided tour it’s not very long but very interesting and informative – we walked through in about 40 minutes.
6- Stop at Bass Pro Shop outside of Baton Rouge – it’s like a field trip in and of itself and a great place to stretch your legs and the kids to have some great fun.
Things to do with Kids in Lafayette La
7- Eat at Raising Cane’s – one of the best fried chicken finger places in Louisiana (these are quickly spreading over the country). A very neat place, yummy food and a place that started in Baton Rouge – so close to Lafayette.
8- Grab a lemon filled doughnut at Meche’s Donuts (several locations in the Lafayette area)
9- A pastry from Pouparts any time of the day is always a grand idea – everything looked amazing and I wish I could have gotten one of everything but I heard several locals say that their favorite was the black and white…we tried that one and wow!
10- Lunch at Pouparts – their brisket poboy and corn and crab bisque was to die for.
11- Coffee at Reve Coffee Lab is never a bad idea…I wish I had discovered this spot the first minute we landed in Lafayette Louisiana!!!! They roast their own coffee beans, their latte was amazing and their homemade savory and sweet pop tarts are – well – amazing.
12- Ice Cream at the one and only Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe in the country…hands down a fun place as you step back into the 50’s.
Some spots that were on our to do list but just didn’t happen were:
13 – Children’s Museum of Acadiana
14- Zoosiana – what kiddos don’t like the zoo on a gorgeous day – they were still hosting their Christmas light extravaganza but both nights it was raining so we opted out of it!
15 – Vermillionville
16- Lake Martin
This was truly a highlight trip for us as you feel like you step into a different culture and a different world!
Our other highlighted places we’ve visited with kids:
19 Family Friendly Things to do in Nashville TN
Family Friendly things to do in Portland, Maine
A family travel guide to Asheville North Carolina
14 Things to do with Kids in Baton Rouge Louisiana
Hi I’m Erin a Southern mama from South Mississippi, owner and chief editor of Sixth Bloom a blog helping mom-tographers capture their kiddos and life, as well as talking all things home, parenting and how we navigate through life. You will find me living life to the fullest with my mister (aka husband) and our little three year old preschooler, Miss E, in our 500+ sq foot cottage as we build our dream house on our two acres! We are blessed beyond measure… we love to travel and love being involved in ministry opportunities at our church.
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