Experience Downtown Lafayette, LA, on Foot
Lafayette, LA, boasts an ideal location in the center of southern Louisiana and the heart of Cajun and Creole country. Plus, within its borders, you’ll find fabulous festivals, diverse restaurants, quaint shops and interesting museums. At the center of it all is downtown, Lafayette, LA, which has seen a lot of momentum over the years in terms of growth and development. New residential apartments are opening, and in a couple of years, the four-story, 83-room Hotel Lafayette will welcome downtown guests. Additionally, downtown is highly walkable, safe and clean.
“All of the pieces are coming together,” says Kevin Blanchard, CEO of Downtown Lafayette Unlimited and Downtown Development Authority. “We’re seeing that beneficial street-level economic development. When you hang out more downtown, you tell your friends to hang out more downtown. As you get more of that vibe, that’s how you attract more people.”
Ahead, learn more about downtown Lafayette, LA, and what you can walk to in this thriving section of the city.
Green Spaces and Events
When experiencing downtown on foot, one of your first stops should be the unique former parking lots that have been transformed into green spaces. Parc Sans Souci is the largest, and it recently opened a new $1 million, privately funded children’s playground, which is located next to The Children’s Museum of Acadiana (but more on that later). Nearby, Parc International features a renovated state-of-the-art stage. Both Parc Sans Souci and Parc International are major event venues.
“We get 2.3 million visitors a year just to our downtown core,” Blanchard says.
Many of these visitors come to experience downtown Lafayette’s year-round events, all of which are easy to get to on foot. Examples include:
- Downtown Alive!, Lafayette’s longest-running free outdoor concert series
- Gulf Brew, a craft beer festival held in October that is presented by the Acadiana Center for the Arts
Lafayette also throws a big Christmas celebration, and it wouldn’t be Louisiana without Mardi Gras, when all of downtown Lafayette, LA, joins in the revelry. The city is particularly well-known for Festival International de Louisiane, the largest international music festival in the U.S. The event is free and held downtown in April.
Another must-attend event in downtown Lafayette, LA, is the monthly ArtWalk, when galleries, studios, craft stores, art houses and museums host exhibits, live music, theatrical performances and immersive art experiences.
Must-See Museums
Outside of events, downtown is filled with several excellent museums, all of which are within walking distance.
From Earth-based exhibits on bugs and biology to those centered on aviation and spacecraft, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Science Museum offers educational fun for people of all ages.
Across the street, The Children’s Museum of Acadiana also makes learning fun, offering games, hands-on exhibits and a variety of programs.
The Acadiana Center for the Arts hosts exhibits, concerts, summer camps and art lessons. Plus, plans are underway for the center to open the Louisiana Music Museum, which will celebrate the stories of Louisiana’s musical legacy through its people, places and cultures, in a nearby building.
More of the community’s history is preserved at The Lafayette Museum, a restored mansion and gardens dating to the early 1800s.
Food, Drinks and Live Music
In addition to its outdoor spaces and cultural amenities, downtown has great food and drink options that you can get to on foot – and some even come with live music.
Don’t be fooled by Vestal’s unassuming exterior. Inside, the restaurant serves designer cocktails and memorable dishes, like crawfish bisque, blackened redfish and ribeye steak.
Set in an old Conoco filling station, Spoonbill Watering Hole & Restaurant is a relaxed, retro-style eatery that serves up dishes like duck tacos, barbecue gulf shrimp and a cookie skillet (chocolate chip pecan cookie dough baked in cast iron and topped with ice cream).
For a century, Dwyer’s Cafe has been dishing up pancakes, omelets and fried catfish, but it’s best known for plate lunches with menu items like roast beef, shrimp etouffee, black-eyed peas and okra.
Pop’s Poboys makes many variations of Louisiana’s most notable sandwich, along with smothered greens, mac and cheese, and fried pickles.
Located in an old house that’s now a restaurant, bar and music venue, Hideaway on Lee serves fancy burgers and fries as well as signature cocktails, like Lonesome Paloma (Bruxo mezcal, rosemary and grapefruit shrub, simple syrup and soda). It’s a great place to hear local Cajun and zydeco bands.
Rock’n’Bowl de Lafayette is another easy-to-walk-to location worth experiencing, offering both bowling and live music. While you’re there, make sure to order some of the beer, burgers and flatbreads they have on their menu.
No matter what you’re in the mood for when you come to downtown Lafayette, LA, food, music, outdoor fun and more are all just steps away.
This article is sponsored by the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, Lafayette Economic Development Authority and One Acadiana.