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Free Traveling Guides » States » Louisiana » Greater LouisianaLafayette
Lafayette, the parish seat in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, is situated on the spectacular Vermilion River. This incorporated city is the fourth largest in the state and is best known for its rich culture and heritage. It was first established as Vermilionville in 1821 by a French-speaking Acadian, Jean Mouton. In 1884, the city was renamed as Lafayette, after Marquis de Lafayette.
Today, Lafayette has the strongest tourism industry, attracted by the Creole and Cajun cultures of the region surrounding the city. The city is also home to the largest number of restaurants in the United States. The main points of tourist interest in the city include the Acadian Village, the Acadian Center for the Arts, Alexandre Mouton House Museum, Cajundome, the Cajun Field, Cypress Lake, Children’s Museum of Acadiana, Jean Lafitte National Park Acadian Cultural Center, and the Heymann Center for performing arts. The Jefferson Street Market features as many as 65 shops under a single roof, offering a wide variety of items, ranging from fine art by regional artists to fine French antiques.
Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium, featuring more than 1000 prints, paintings, and sculptures of Louisiana artists, is also worth a visit. Other attractions in the city include the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise, a world-class resource center encompassing the world’s largest digital 3D auditorium; Mall of Acadiana, featuring more than 120 specialty stores and services; Paul and Lulu Hillard University Art Museum; University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Vermilionville, a reconstruction of the Cajun-Creole settlement from the 1765-to-1890 era; Zoo of Acadiana; River Ranch; and the National Wetlands Research Center. The major annual cultural events hosted by the city of Lafayette include Festival de Musique Acadienne, Festival International, and Festivals Acadiens. Lafayette has a lot to offer and is certainly a great tourist destination.
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