🎭 Your Next Stop in Louisiana

There’s no better way to begin a week in St. Martin Parish than with a little history, a lot of music, and the people who live and breathe Cajun culture. Cajun music has deep roots in the story of French-speaking Acadian settlers who were exiled from Nova Scotia in the 18th century and eventually made their way to southwest Louisiana. Along the way, their French ballads and fiddle traditions blended with Spanish, German, Caribbean, and African influences to create the vibrant musical tradition we know today. We had the incredible opportunity to hear that history come alive through two extraordinary Louisiana musicians: Yvette Landry and Jourdan Thibodeaux. Yvette Landry, a Breaux Bridge native, has shared Cajun music around the world - from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Nashville’s Bluebird Café to Russia, the Library of Congress, and the John F. Kennedy Center. She has even served as a Cultural Ambassador for the Library of Congress. Jourdan Thibodeaux, a St. Martin Parish native, is a celebrated Cajun musician, singer-songwriter, cultural activist, and advocate for the preservation of the Cajun French language and culture. Together, they were the perfect introduction to St. Martin Parish - welcoming us with warm smiles, a little Cajun French, and music that set the tone for an unforgettable visit.

There are places in America that feel almost otherworldly - and the Atchafalaya Basin is one of them. During our visit to St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, we explored the largest wetland and river swamp in the United States: nearly one million acres of cypress-tupelo forests, bayous, backwater lakes, and the largest contiguous bottomland hardwood forest in North America. But the Atchafalaya is more than an incredible landscape. Its mysterious beauty, history, and wildness are woven into the identity of Acadiana - from its food and music to its language, traditions, and culture. We were fortunate to experience the basin with the wonderful team at Atchafalaya Basin Landing & Swamp Tours. Cal Guidry and camera boat operator Mitch Mequet shared their deep knowledge of the basin, pointing out hidden gems and bringing the landscape to life with their unmistakable Cajun accents. It was an unforgettable day. And after seeing this episode, we have a feeling the Atchafalaya Basin will be going on your road-trip list, too.

Zydeco is a fast-paced and energetic style of dance music created by French-speaking Black Creoles in rural southwest Louisiana. It blends rhythm and blues, blues, and traditional Afro-Caribbean Creole folk music. In the early 20th century, rural Creoles gathered at house parties called "la la" parties, where they played music and danced. By the 1940s and 1950s, musicians began mixing these traditional sounds with urban rhythm and blues, and as a result, Zydeco grew in popularity and eventually reached mainstream audiences, leaving a lasting and unique impact on American music. The Zydeco Breakfast at Buck & Johnny's is world famous and a spectacular, one-of-a-kind way to experience St. Martin Parish! We had never danced Zydeco before, and honestly, we were a little nervous. Then the music started - and we quickly realized there was nothing to be nervous about. From the moment the doors opened at 8 a.m. and the band kicked off at 8:30 a.m., that dance floor was filled with energy, smiles, and some seriously impressive moves. What we loved most? Everyone belongs on that dance floor. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, your age, size, shape, background, or even whether you say “pee-can” or “pa-cahn” (IYKYK)! You’re dancing, and you’re never dancing alone! Our faces hurt from smiling for the rest of the day. The music, the people, the dancing - and yes, the food! - gave us exactly the jumpstart we needed for an incredible week in the Crawfish Capital of the World.

If you’ve been watching RV There Yet?, then you know we LOVE to eat and drink local wherever we go! St. Martin Parish, Louisiana has an overabundance of incredible culinary experiences, but one that really stuck with us was Bayou Teche Brewing. This family-owned and operated brewery puts a funky Cajun/Creole twist on menu classics that will have your taste buds doing the Cajun two-step! I don’t think I’ve ever seen all of us devour a pizza faster than the day we arrived to film this segment. We ordered the BOBBY BOUCHERIE - mozzarella, Cajun Saucer habanero bacon jam, andouille, Tasso, smoked sausage, boudin, jalapeño bonbons and green onion. And then they brought us their incredible SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE CHARCUTERIE - smoked duck Tasso, boudin pâté, chicken cracklings, boudin egg rolls, baguette slices, cornichons, mustard caviar . . . Let’s just say if you didn’t pull your hand back fast enough, you were likely to get stabbed with a fork. Savages. All of us!! But seriously . . . it was THAT good. But wait . . . there’s more!! Wash all that flavorful food down with some of the smoothest craft-brewed beer in the South, and you’ve got the perfect combination - and exactly the kind of local joint we crave whenever we travel. Sadly, Bayou Teche Brewing was recently hit by a fire, and the vibrant place we visited just a few short months ago is facing a lot of cleanup and rebuilding. But if there’s one thing we know about the folks behind this place, it’s that they’re going to come back bigger, better and bad-asser (it’s a word

) than ever! So give them a follow now, show them some love, and when they reopen, do yourself and your taste buds a favor - Belly up to that bar and order EVERYTHING on the menu!

Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, sits along the beautiful Bayou Teche in St. Martin Parish, just east of Lafayette, in the heart of Acadiana. The town earned its famous title after local restaurants helped put crawfish on the map - and it’s also where chefs are credited with creating the beloved crawfish étouffée. In 1959, during Breaux Bridge’s centennial celebration, the Louisiana Legislature officially named it the Crawfish Capital of the World. During our week in St. Martin Parish, we headed out with Jude Mequet, owner and guide of Team Voodoo Gator Hunts and Crawfish Tours, to get an up-close look at how crawfish farmers grow one of the most unique crops in America. Our day with Jude was eye-opening, fascinating, and let’s be honest - made us pretty hungry! So where else would we go afterward than Crawfish Town USA?

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