Lafayette Travel and Things to Do Guide

Known as the heart of Cajun country, Lafayette has a French, Spanish, and Caribbean heritage that creates one of the most unique cultural experiences in Louisiana. Whether you're jumping in on one of the Friday afternoon fais-do-dos (street dances), kicking back to the sounds of a live Zydeco band, or dining on authentic Cajun or Creole cuisine, it's easy to see why Lafayette is the hub of entertainment in the eight-parish south Louisiana area known as Acadiana. But this city works just as hard as it plays: New Lafayette event venues include a state-of-the-art convention center. Couple that with a central location between Houston and New Orleans, and Lafayette provides the perfect opportunity to balance business with pleasure in the South.

Lafayette is served by Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT). Carriers flying into and out of LFT are Delta, American Eagle, and United. There is also easy access to the city by way of I-10 and I-49.
Convention facilities in Lafayette include the newly renovated, $16.7 million Cajundome Convention Center. Its impressive statistics include nearly 100,000 square feet of space, over 37,300 square feet of exhibition space, and a 5,000-square-foot mall area that's ideal for sports shows. Award-winning on-site caterer Artisan Catering can also craft authentic Cajun cuisine, including crawfish bisque, seafood gumbo, and stuffed catfish roulade, for seated dinners of over 2,000 people.

In addition to its convenient location near two interstates, the convention center is also adjacent the Cajundome arena. Home to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, the Cajundome can seat 4,500 to 13,000 people. It hosts an average of 140 events per year, including concerts by top acts such as Cirque de Soleil, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson.

Special event spaces in Lafayette include Vermilionville, a historic village showcasing Cajun, Creole, and Native American cultures. It has a conference room for up to 30 people and a 2,760-square-foot performance center modeled after a cotton gin. The Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium has a capacity of 2,000 people and impressive amenities, including built-in sound systems, projection screens, 16 networked laptops, and Internet access, making it perfect for presentations and seminars. Additionally, several of Lafayette's 70-plus hotels provide function space as well as comfortable accommodations.

The city's world-renowned cuisine could be a reason all on its own to plan a Lafayette meeting. Traditional Cajun and Creole cooking, along with the freshest Louisiana Gulf seafood, is served at both fine-dining and casual restaurants across the city. Named Best Food City USA by Rand McNally and USA Today, Lafayette has a variety of restaurants that can cater to groups large and small with the best the city has to offer. New-generation chefs are putting an inventive spin on time-honored recipes using the freshest local ingredients. You can be sure it's going to taste incredible. Don't forget to save room for bread pudding or a Mardi Gras-season king cake. With over 100 locally owned eateries ranging from Cajun, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, BBQ, and everything in between, you can be sure there's something for everyone's taste buds.