Car Hire Lafayette - Mini guide to Lafayette

Lafayette, in the heart of French Louisiana, is famous for its authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine, original Zydeco and Cajun music, scenic swamplands, and many activities and sights. Swamplands, plantations and nearby attractions like Acadian Village and Vermilionville, add to the charm of the area.

Lafayette is the hub of the eight-parish area in the heart of Acadiana, a region known for its unique Cajun and Creole heritages, French language and cultural traditions. The eight parishes are: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St Landry, St Martin, St Mary and Vermilion. Lafayette city is a working-class city containing more than its share of notable restaurants and classic dancehalls.

The Lafayette Museum is located in a house dating from the 1800s, and has some interesting displays of carnival costumes. At Cypress Lake, located on the campus of the University of Southwestern Louisiana, you can view some wildlife, including: birds, fish and alligators.

For a more upscale experience that's still comfortably casual, head to Prejean's for inspired variations on classic local dishes that are served to the sound of live music nightly. Mulate's in Breaux Bridge is also famous for mixing food and music. Elsewhere around town, local zydeco legends play weekends at Hamilton's Club and El Sido's while eclectic local bands and road shows play Grant Street Dancehall.

To the north of Lafayette is the Cajun Prairie region, which is made up of smaller towns that retain their French Acadian heritage. This is a largely rural area where cattle graze contentedly and flooded rice fields double as crawfish farms.

Take a trip to the Acadian Cultural Center to learn more about the lives of the Acadians. Alternatively, experience Lafayette's culture and history at the Alexandre Mouton House, University Art Museum, Lafayette Natural History Museum and Children's Museum of Acadiana.

St Martin Parish, home to the world's largest freshwater river basin, the Atchafalaya Basin, provides nearly every type of outdoor recreational activity imaginable. Bayou Teche snakes through Arnaudville, Cecilia, Breaux Bridge, Parks and St Martinville.

Lafayette is easy to get to and easy to get around. Conveniently located at the intersection of I-10 and I-49, Lafayette is only 2 hours, 30 minutes from New Orleans and 3 hours, 30 minutes from Houston, Texas. Lafayette Regional Airport receives daily flights on American Airlines/American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Delta), Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlink.