Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 110,257 at the 2000 census; a 2007census estimate put the metropolitan area's population at 256,494. It is the fourth largest city in the state. It is the larger principal city of the Lafayette-Acadiana, LA Combined Statistical Area, which, in 2007, had an estimated total population of 538,470.
The city was founded as Vermilionville in 1821 by a French-speaking Acadian named Jean Mouton. In 1884, it was renamed for General Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the American Army during the American Revolutionary War. The city's economy was primarily based on agriculture until the 1940s, when the petroleum and natural gas industry became dominant.
Lafayette has a strong tourism industry, attracted by the Cajun and Creole cultures of the surrounding region. Because of the Cajun culture's affinity for good food, it has one of the highest numbers of restaurants per capita of any U.S. city.
Marquis de LafayetteMarie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, (formerly Marquis de Lafayette or de La Fayette) (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834) was a French military officer born in the province of Auvergne in south central France. Lafayette was a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader of the Garde Nationale during the French Revolution.
In the American Revolution, Lafayette served in the Continental Army under George Washington. Wounded during the Battle of Brandywine, he still managed to organize a successful retreat. He served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war, he returned to France to negotiate an increased French commitment. On his return, he blocked troops led by Cornwallis at Yorktown while the armies of Washington and Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, prepared for battle against the British.
In 1788 in France, Lafayette was called to the Assembly of Notables to respond to the fiscal crisis. Lafayette proposed a meeting of the French Estates-General, where representatives from the three traditional classes of French society—the clergy, the nobility and the commoners—met. He served as vice president of the resulting body and presented a draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Lafayette was appointed commander-in-chief of the French (Garde nationale) National Guard in response to violence leading up to the French Revolution. During the Revolution, Lafayette attempted to maintain order, for which he ultimately was persecuted by the Jacobins. In 1791, as the radical factions in the Revolution grew in power, Lafayette tried to flee to the United States through the Dutch Republic. He was captured by Austrians and served nearly five years in prison.
St John's Cathedral of Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in LouisianaLafayette returned to France after Bonaparte freed him from an Austrian prison in 1797. Lafayette became a liberal member of the Chamber of Deputies in 1815, a position he held until death. In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette to the United States as the "nation's guest"; during the trip, he would visit all of the then twenty-four states. For his contributions to the American Revolution, many cities and monuments throughout the United States bear his name, and he was the first person granted honorary United States citizenship. During France's July Revolution of 1830 Lafayette declined an offer to become the French dictator; instead he supported Louis-Philippe. Lafayette died on 20 May 1834, and is buried in Picpus Cemetery in Paris, under soil from Revolutionary War battlefield Bunker Hill.
Isaac Verot CouleeEducation
University and colleges
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana. It is the largest campus within the eight-campus University of Louisiana System and is the second largest university in the state of Louisiana.
ULLAF LogoFounded in 1900 as an industrial institute, the university became known by its present name in 1999. The university is a member of the Southeastern Universities Research Association and is categorized as a Carnegie RU/H: Research University (high research activity), the only UL system campus to receive the latter doctoral distinction and among the top 5% of all U.S. colleges.
UL Lafayette is recognized for excellence in computer science and its graduate program in evolutionary and environmental biology. It offers Louisiana's only PhD in Francophone studies, only doctoral degree in cognitive science and only industrial design degree.
History
One of the numerous "Century Oaks" planted on the campus in 1900.Timeline
1898 - State approved the creation of an "industrial institute and academy."
1900 - Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute (SLII) established.
1901 - SLII opened Sept. 18 with 100 students and eight faculty members.
1903 - 18 students were the first to graduate from SLII.
1920 - Began a four-year course culminating with a bachelor of arts degree.
1921 - SLII was upgraded to the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI).
1960 - SLI became the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL).
1984 - USL attempted to change its name to the University of Louisiana, which only lasted a few days until overturned by a district court.
1999 - USL was renamed the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette).
Notable firsts
1954 - Within months of the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, SLI admitted 70 African American students, to become the first all white college in the Deep South to achieve racial desegregation.
1961 - Established the first university chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for students.
1994 - Created North America's first Francophone studies Ph.D. program.
2007 - The Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment (CAPE) successfully launches the State of Louisiana's first university student built satellite.
Campus and other facilities]
Martin Hall, named for late state Sen. Robert Martin, who passed the bill founding the institutionCampus
UL Lafayette's campus consists of 137 acres (554,000 m²) lined by live oak trees planted in 1900. Its quadrangle is encircled by a "Walk of Honor" path which contains more than 80,000 bricks bearing the names of every graduate, beginning with the first graduating class of 1903.
Also centered in the main campus is Cypress Lake, a swamp-like microcosm of the nearby Atchafalaya Basin, home to alligators, turtles, birds and fish.
Athletic complex
The athletic complex and Cajundome sit on 243 acres (983,000 m²). The complex also includes Cajun Field, Blackham Coliseum, several other athletic facilities for training and competitions, fraternity and sorority rows, and the physical education and recreational facilities.
Research park
Adjacent to the athletic complex is the University Research Park of 148 acres (599,000 m²), which is home to the National Wetlands Research Center, a NASA Regional Application Center, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nearby Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology has 51 acres (206,000 m²).
Renewable resources labs
The university has a 600-acre (2.4 km2) farm/renewable resources laboratory with a 30acre pond for crawfish and catfish culture in Cade, Louisiana. It also has a 48 acre New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, Louisiana, which is among the world's largest private non-human, primate breeding colonies. The university also has a horse farm in the center of Lafayette and several other farmlands around Acadiana.
Organization
Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum UL Lafayette has 10 colleges and schools, one of the largest honors program in Louisiana and offers 80 undergraduate degree programs, 29 master's degree programs, and 9 Doctor of Philosophy programs, which are applied language and speech sciences, biology, cognitive science, computer engineering, computer science, educational leadership, English, Francophone studies and mathematics. It is the sole Louisiana university with a separate College of the Arts.
The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum permanent collection consists of more than 1,500 works of art, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and photographs. This collection represents 18th, 19th and 20th century Louisiana, as well as the United States, Europe and Japan.
South Louisiana Community College (Lafayette campus) SLCC MISSION STATEMENT
South Louisiana Community College seeks to cultivate a learning environment in which participants develop the qualities and skills necessary to engage actively in the economy, governance, and culture of South Louisiana and in the global arena. This function is fostered in a climate which focuses upon intellectual rigor, caring, and respect for the diverse cultures of the College community.
South Louisiana Community College was created by act of the Louisiana Legislature in 1997 as a "comprehensive, multi-campus, public, two-year institution of higher education." The legislation prescribes for the College both an academic and a vocational component and stipulates that programs offered by the College be developed "to assure the delivery of coordinated and articulated educational services in each parish comprising the primary service delivery area." The primary service delivery area includes the parishes of Acadian, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion.
To fulfill its mission, South Louisiana Community College provides:
General education courses and associate degree programs that transfer to other two-year schools and to baccalaureate programs at four-year schools
Associate degrees in fields of study that prepare students for immediate employment
A developmental studies program that strengthens basic skills and prepares students for collegiate work
Specialized career training and technical skill development that provide for fuller participation by area citizens in the work place and the economy
Comprehensive support services that assist students in reaching academic, personal, career, and employment goals
Technical programs which meet the economic development needs of business and industry
A community education program which incorporates the principles of service and continuing education for area citizens.
The College’s provision of these programs and services is supported by an open-admissions policy which provides access to students from diverse racial, religious, economic, educational, and cultural backgrounds. Within this open environment, the College proposes to offer educational opportunities that will improve the quality of life and meet the lifelong educational needs of the citizens it is designed to serve.
Louisiana Technical College (Lafayette campus) Since the early 20th century, Louisiana Technical College campuses have offered hundreds of thousands of students the opportunity to make decisions about what they want to accomplish in their lives while gaining the knowledge and skills needed to bring their dreams to fruition.
The college is a complex mix of challenging academics, hands-on career programs and unique opportunities that allow you to pursue your interests both on and off campus, in Acadiana and around the world an opportunity for you to prepare for what's next and to gain experience with what matters.
In the end, defining who you are is something you'll have to do for yourself. But we can help you to explore your options, discover which ones fit and make things happen in your life. Whether you're just beginning to consider your options or you're ready to get on with life, Greater Acadiana Region 4 campuses may be just what you need to discover how you want to change your world.
Take some time now to find out what Greater Acadiana Region 4 campuses has to offer you.
If you ever have any questions, always feel free to contact us here at one of our eight campus locations.
We are excited about the success you can achieve!
The College
Originally known as trade schools, Louisiana's present day Technical College System began with the establishment of the first campus in Bogalusa in November 1930. Funding for that school was provided by local citizens in response to their desire to expand course offerings of the local school system to include training in automotive mechanics and woodworking. In 1936 a second trade school came into existence in Shreveport. The system expanded by five schools with passage of Louisiana Legislative Act 14 in 1938. Schools were constructed in Winnfield, Crowley (Acadian Campus), Lake Charles, Opelousas (T. H. Harris Campus), and Natchitoches. Two schools in Monroe were added in the early 1940s as a result of the War Production Training Program. Louisiana Legislative Act 109, passed in 1942, authorized a tenth school in the statewide system to be built in Cottonport; it was completed after World War II in 1947.
The system expanded in the early 1950s as the result of passing the Vocational Education Act of 1946. From 1950 to 1957, 17 additional schools were constructed (including the Teche Area Campus), bringing the cumulative total of state operated post-secondary technical schools to 27.
Between 1958 and 1973, system expansion slowed considerably with only six additional schools constructed. However, expansion increased with passage of Acts 208 and 209 of the Louisiana Legislature in 1973. Act 208 provided for a comprehensive statewide system of career education from elementary through post-secondary levels of education. From 1974 to 1987, the system added 22 additional campuses (including Lafayette Campus, Charles B. Coreil Campus, Evangeline Campus, and Gulf Area Campus). This legislation also led to consolidation of historically black technical schools with other technical institutions in Opelousas, Monroe, and Natchitoches. The net effect of changes was a statewide system of post-secondary technical training involving 53 campuses.
Since the late 1980s, there has been a decrease in the number of post-secondary state-operated technical institutions; currently there are 38 campuses in the system. The number of occupational program offerings grew from 10 in the 1940s to approximately 75 today, comprised of Certificate, Technical Diploma, and Associate Degree levels of completion. Enrollment grew from 60 students in 1931 to 932 students in 1943. By 1973, enrollment had increased to 12,543 for the 23 schools built between 1950 and 1973, with an estimated total enrollment for the 33 schools in the system of 15,000. In the 1997-98 fiscal year, Louisiana Technical College (LTC) served over 49,000 daytime, extension (evening), and industry students.
The technical college campuses are governed by the fifteen members of the Louisiana Community and Technical College Systems (LCTCS) Board of Supervisors as created in 1998 by Section 7 of Act 170, which in turn comes under regulations set forth by the Louisiana Board of Regents for Higher Education. Act 506 of the 2005 Legislative session required reorganization of the LTC. Today, the Technical College System of Louisiana is a statewide technical education system composed of eight (8) regions with 38 technical college campuses, each consisting of multicultural population encompassing much diversification in the way of ideas, traditions, values, skills, and arts.
Desiree Huggins, Assistant DeanGreetings,
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the Louisiana Technical College, Lafayette campus website. We are confident that as you view this site you will become impressed with all that our Region and the eight campuses have to offer. Be it an Associate Degree in Accounting Technology, tailored Customized Trainings to suit your company's needs, or any of our dozens of other offerings, we are confident that you will find that we are indeed 21st Century - World-Class Technology In Your Own Backyard.'
For decades our mission has been, and still is, focused on providing outstanding training and education that enhances the quality of life of those in our region, across our state, and beyond.
We invite you to visit any of our campuses and join with us towards a partnership in training and continuing education.
Phyllis Dupuis, Regional DirectorLafayette Regional Institute was chartered and authorized by ACT 208 of June 30, 1973. The name of the school was changed to Lafayette Regional Vocational Technical School on July 15, 1982 and to Lafayette Regional Vocational Technical Institute in July 1983. In February 1990, the name was changed to Lafayette Regional Technical Institute. It received its present name of Louisiana Technical College, Lafayette Campus July 1995, when Louisiana State Department of Education and Vocational Education placed all postsecondary technical schools under the Louisiana Technical College System. On July 1, 1999, the college was placed under the governing auspices of the Board of Supervisors for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.
Although Louisiana Technical College, Lafayette Campus operates as one campus, the Aviation Maintenance Technology program is housed in a hangar at the Lafayette Regional Airport at 205 Shepard Drive, Lafayette, LA 70508. The main campus is situated on a 20.9 acre site and was constructed at a cost of five (5) million dollars. It is located at 1101 Bertrand Drive in the parish of Lafayette, but serves citizens of parishes throughout the state.
Students were first enrolled in the college on November 27, 1978, in the Office Occupations program. These were followed by other programs as they were approved.
Initially, only certificates and technical diplomas were issued as exit points for the programs offered. In 1998, the governing board approved the Associate of Applied Technology exit. Lafayette Campus offered this degree in Accounting Technology, Computer Specialist (Support), Early Childhood Education, Graphic Communications/Desktop Publishing, Hotel/Hospitality, Industrial Electronics Technology, Medical Laboratory Technician, Office Systems Technology and Network Specialist. The AAT degree was discontinued by the system at the end of the Spring Semester, 2004, with those programs offering this exit reverting back to a technical diploma exit.
In the fall of 2005, the Associate of Applied Science Degree was approved for the Technical College System and included general education courses that were articulated with all other colleges and universities in the state. This time, the campus began offering the AAS degree in Accounting Technology, Automotive Technology (Pending), Aviation Maintenance Technology, Clinical Laboratory Technician (formerly Medical Laboratory Technician), Care and Development of Young Children, Culinary Arts and Occupations, Drafting and Design Technology, Graphic Communications/Desktop Publishing, Hospitality/Tourism-Guest Services Agent, Information and Communication Technology: Computer Network Specialist, Information and Communication Technology: Computer/Networking Support, Office Systems Technology, Network Specialist, and Surgical Technology.
Remington College (Lafayette campus) Remington College - Lafayette
Location: 303 Rue Louis XIV
Lafayette, LA 70508
Phone toll-free: 1-800-560-6192
Remington College - Lafayette Campus is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).
Remington College – Lafayette Campus is a Louisiana career college dedicated to providing students with the practical, transferable skills that are in demand by employers. To help us achieve this goal, we stay in touch with local employers to ensure that the training we provide is effective and remains up-to-date and relevant to students and to the area’s needs. We appreciate the assistance we receive from local businesses, as they often visit our Campus to review and offer feedback on our classrooms, labs, teaching methods, and support services.
Active Learning Environment
Not surprisingly, even a short walk through our Campus may yield some interesting observations, including Criminal Justice students in a practice trial, Medical Insurance and Coding students filing simulated electronic claims, Electronics Technology students soldering circuit boards, and Computer and Network Administration students creating local area networks.
Our unwavering commitment to students is evident throughout our Campus: in our study areas, in our classrooms and labs, and even in our breakrooms. In fact, our students often comment that this level of dedication is what helps us to stand out as a Lafayette career college.
Active Role in the Community
Remington College - Lafayette Campus also plays an active role in the life of our surrounding community. Our beautiful campus has won the city's Cleanest Campus Award three times. In times of need, our students and faculty donate their time and resources to those affected by natural disasters. For the benefit of the community, we also participate in blood and food drives and in charitable activities for those who have suffered unforeseen catastrophic events. Remington College – Lafayette Campus also actively participates in various community-based civic organizations.
Why not plan a visit to our Campus to discover what we’re all about! We look forward to seeing you here soon.
Sports
Lafayette is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, the athletic teams of The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It is also home to the Lafayette Bayou Bulls semi-pro football program which started in 2003. It is home to the Louisiana Hurricanes, a semi-pro football team that plays at STM stadium. Check them out at www.lafayettehurricanes.com Between the years of 1995 and 2005, Lafayette was home to the Louisiana IceGators ECHL hockey team. In 2009 it will be home to the Acadiana Mudbugs of the Southern Indoor Football League. Lafayette is home to three large sports venues: the Cajundome, Cajun Field and Blackham Coliseum.
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns is the trademarked nickname of the athletic teams of The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. UL Lafayette, at that time known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana, was the first to adopt the nickname Ragin' Cajuns, using it initially in the 1960s to refer to its football team.
Prior to the 1960s, the team nickname was the "Bulldogs." In 1963 then football coach Russ Faulkinberry changed the nickname of the football team "Bulldogs" to "Ragin' Cajuns." By the 1970s, the athletic department, the sports information director Bob Henderson and the student body picked up on the nickname. As published in the 1974 football guide, the nickname became official that year. Until the 2006-07 academic year, women's teams were referred to as the Lady Cajuns, but they now use the same "Ragin' Cajuns" nickname as the men's teams.
The Louisiana IceGators were an ECHL team based in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1995 until the end of the 2005 season. The team played its home games at the Cajundome and were last an affiliate of the NHL Minnesota Wild. It was, at its peak, one of the most successful minor league hockey teams in the sport's history, with attendance numbers that rivaled NHL franchises.Bill Verret was a winner in the name the team contest.
The Acadiana Mudbugs are a professional indoor football team and a charter member of the Southern Indoor Football League set to begin play for the SIFL's inaugural 2009 season. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana the Mudbugs will play their home games at the Blackham Coliseum. This will be Lafayette's second attempt at an indoor/arena football team following the af2's Lafayette Roughnecks; playing at the Cajundome, the Roughnecks folded after their only season of 2001.
The Cajundome is a 12,068 seat multi-purpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. The arena was completed in 1985, during the administration of Mayor William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr., at a cost of $64 million. It is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Louisiana high school basketball state championship.
The arena also hosts many regional concerts (seating for concerts 8,481 to 13,500) and special events, such as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events and the annual outdoor Cajun Heartland State Fair, an eleven day state fair that attracts over 175,000. The arena is a recognizable landmark of the city of Lafayette.
In 2002 a new convention center addition to the arena was built. The new addition added 37,301 square feet (3,465 m²) of exhibit hall space to the Cajundome's 40,000 square feet (3,716 m²) of arena floor space plus 39,685 square feet (3687 m²) of meeting space including a 15,682 square foot (1457 m²) ballroom, 12,159 square feet (1130 m²) of prefunction space and a 17,590 square foot (1630 m²) outdoor mall holding up to 2,118 for outdoor events.
From the mid 1990s through the mid 2000s it was home to the ECHL's now-defunct Louisiana IceGators. During that time, the arena earned the nickname 'The Frozen Swamp'. It also hosted the 1998, 1999, and 2007 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournaments. The Cajundome also hosts the annual Beta Club Louisiana state conventions.
The Cajundome Commission manages the facility. From 1994-1996, the commission was chaired by Lafayette businessman Patrick LeBlanc (1954-2008).
Cajun Field is a stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Nicknamed The Swamp, it is the home field of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette stadium is primarily used for its American football and women's soccer athletic teams.
Cajun Field boasts 2,577 chairback seats and bleacher seating to the capacity of another 28,423, giving the stadium an official seating capacity of 31,000. In planning since at least 1967 (when a rendition was featured on the football media guide), it was built in 1970 as a replacement for McNaspy Stadium, opening on September 25, 1971 with a shutout of Santa Clara University. The stadium consists of a bowl with seating on the sidelines, with a second deck on the east sideline. The largest crowd at the stadium was 38,783 fans on September 14, 1996, with the Cajuns upsetting 25th-ranked Texas A&M, 29-22. It was also the first victory ever for the team over a ranked opponent.
Because of Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 New Orleans Bowl was played here instead of in New Orleans, with Southern Miss defeating Arkansas State, 31-19. Also the Tulane Green Wave football team used it for a home game in 2005 after being displaced by the hurricane.
"The Swamp"
In 1988, when the school was known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana, the stadium was nicknamed "The Swamp," with the notation going on stadium signage, the school yearbook and, a year later, in the 1989 official Southwestern Louisiana sports media guide. The characteristics which helped create the tradition of the swamp-referenced nickname are tied to the field's early 1970s construction and even refer back to the original football field for what was then the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute in the early 1900s. The university's first football field was on the main campus adjacent to a small cypress pond, which later became Cypress Lake, also nicknamed The Swamp.
A view of the front stands of Cajun Field with the Pride of Acadiana playing a pregame show on the field.Today, Cajun Field's surface is set two feet below sea level in a natural bowl. With the below-sea level playing surface, a total of four 60horsepower (45 kW) pumps and a sophisticated drainage system help keep the field in solid playing condition even during the frequent south Louisiana rainstorms. The subsurface stadium requires many fans to walk down to their seats. Ragin' Cajuns football players and their opponents enter Cajun Field through an underground tunnel from the Louisiana-Lafayette athletics complex.
The Swamp nickname also fits with the area's geography, comprising many bayous and wetlands, including the Atchafalaya Basin and the nearby Gulf of Mexico marshlands. The National Wetlands Research Center, a renowned United States Geological Survey research facility at Louisiana-Lafayette, is located less than a half-mile away from Cajun Field.
The other Division I-A stadium nicknamed "The Swamp," Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida, did not adopt the nickname until 1991 when Steve Spurrier bestowed the nickname on the stadium.
Blackham Coliseum
Blackham Coliseum is a multipurpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was built on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus in 1950 as the home to the then named USL Bulldogs, now called the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams. It remained their home until the Cajundome was completed in 1984. It hosted the Southland Conference men's basketball tournament in 1982.
Today it is still in use, seating 5,500 for basketball and up to 9,800 for concerts. It also features 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²) of space at the main arena with two barns adding an additional 46,500 square feet (4,300 m²) of space. Altogether, the three buildings can also be used for trade shows, rodeos and conventions. In 2009, the Acadiana Mudbugs of the Southern Indoor Football League will call Blackham Coliseum home.
The venue serves as home to the Grammy-styled, annual Le Cajun Music Awards Festival held every August by the Cajun French Music Association, an association of Cajun music enthusiasts for the preservation of the Cajun music, language, its heritage and culture.
Military
Lafayette is the home of the National Guard headquarters of the 256th Infantry Brigade, a military unit of over 3,000 soldiers that served in Iraq in the years of 2004-2005.
256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team shoulder sleeve insigniaLafayette is also home to the United States Marine Corps Reserve Unit, D. Co. AT Battalion. This unit has been on several deployments and currently have assets in Iraq.
Points of interest
Acadian Village is a reconstructed Cajun bayou community (of moved and reassembled authentic buildings) and has a representative collection of Cajun furnishings.
Acadian Village is located on the 32 acres (130,000 m2) of LARC (Lafayette Association for Retarded Citizens). In the early 1970s, officials with the facility were looking for an opportunity to improve tourism in Lafayette, Louisiana. However, the idea was to serve a dual purpose: to generate revenue for the facility and to serve as an employment opportunity for those persons with developmental disabilities that were fully capable of working. Dr. Norman Heard, Bob Lowe and Glen Conrad are credited with the idea, which soon after became a reality. Of course, the visionary team wanted to use authentic homes. Most of the homes that are on the Village grounds had long been abandoned and were being used for hay storage or just not used at all. Families were immediately contacted, and the negotiations began. In some cases, grants were used for the purchase and movement, and in some cases the houses were free - only the cost of moving them was incurred.
In order to recreate a typical 1800 Cajun village, the design team would have to transform 10 acres (40,000 m2) of farmland into a shaded-lived in community with a waterway running through it. The massive undertaking of reconstruction, dredging of bayous and such was accomplished through local carpenters, businessmen, civic organizations and community volunteers. Even the Army Reservists of the Lafayette area pitched in by building an information center. The end result was a moment captured in time. Perhaps the 1978 Village Director Mrs. Marti Gutierrez said it best in a Times Picayune special section “The old ways are worth keeping alive, worth handing down, worth remembering.”
Seven of the 11 buildings are authentic homes of the 19th century donated by the families whose ancestors once occupied them. All homes show the passing of time and are remarkable examples of the ingenuity of the early Acadian homebuilders, complete with wooden pegs, mud walls, hand-hewn cypress timbers and high-peaked roofs. Each was moved piece by piece and carefully restored.
Today, the Acadian Village has served as the backdrop for many Cajun festivals, weddings, special events, corporate functions, Noel Acadien auVillage (Christmas Lighting Program) and the best example around of 19th century Cajun lifestyle.
Art GalleryThe "Art Gallery" as it is known today, was once the private home of Dr. Hypolite Salles, the first resident dentist in Lafayette, Louisiana. If the name sounds famililar, he also owned the "Doctor's Museum," located next door to the Art Gallery in Acadian Village. Just as it is set up today, is the way the good doctor practiced in the late 1890s.
Today, the Art Gallery houses some of the finest examples of southwest Louisiana landscape paintings, stills, florals and much more from Acadian Village Resident Artists, who can be found throughout regular business hours. Often, the resident artists will be working on original paintings in the Art Gallery. All items in the Art Gallery are original art works and are for sale.
The "Art Gallery" as it is known today, was once the private home of Dr. Hypolite Salles, the first resident dentist in Lafayette, Louisiana. If the name sounds familiar, he also owned the "Doctor's Museum," located next door to the Art Gallery in Acadian Village. Just as it is set up today, is the way the good doctor practiced in the late 1890s.
Today, the Art Gallery houses some of the finest examples of southwest Louisiana landscape paintings, stills, florals and much more from Acadian Village Resident Artists, who can be found throughout regular business hours. Oftentimes, the resident artists will be working on original paintings in the Art Gallery...stop by for a sneak peek at the next, great masterpiece! All items in the Art Gallery are original art works and are for sale. The Art Gallery is open during regular Village hours unless otherwise noted. For more information, call 337-981-1535.
BlacksmithThere is a replica of a blacksmith shop, built on site with weather-beaten, aged cypress boards. The blacksmith was a very important person in a community; he was the one who made tools, horseshoes, nails, hinges, etc., out of iron.
The anvil, forge and bellows are much like those used long ago. The tongs, pincers, hammers, etc. on the wall are part of the smitty's collection. Also scattered about are tools that have been the mainstay of farmers throughout the years here in the southwest prairies.
This is a replica of a blacksmith shop, built on site with weather-beaten, aged cypress boards. The blacksmith was a very important person in a community; he was the one who made tools, horseshoes, nails, hinges, etc., out of iron.
The anvil, forge and bellows are much like those used long ago. The tongs, pincers, hammers, etc. on the wall are part of the smitty's collection. Also scattered about are tools that have been the mainstay of farmers throughout the years here in the southwest prairies.
Acadian Village's resident Blacksmith is Charles Goulas. Charles can be found in his Shop during special events such as concerts, cook-offs and Noel Acadien au Village - The Village's spectacular Christmas Lighting Program. During these events, Charles will demonstrate century-old techniques of blacksmithing and often sell his crafts.
The Houses
The Thibodeaux House was constructed of cypress, the "wood eternal," that is rot and insect resistant. Each pre-cut beam and post was marked with Roman numerals for ease in assembling. The house dates to circa 1820 and came to the Village from the Breaux Bridge, Louisiana area. The small rear "cabinet" room, the daughter's room, was accessible only through the parent's room. The boys slept in the attic/loft or "garconnier," reached by way of an outside staircase.
The small rear "cabinet" room, the daughter's room, was accessible only through the parent's room. The boys slept in the attic/loft or "garconnier," reached by way of an outside staircase.
Constructed in St. Martinville, Louisiana the Bernard House is the oldest structure in the Village. The section on the left was built first (circa 1800) while that on the right is an addition, (1840). Upon entry into the addition one will see a large painting of the exile of the Acadians from Nova Scotia (Canada) in 1755. The painting in the small rear room depicts their arrival and settling along the bayous of Louisiana in 1764-1765. These paintings were painted by Louisiana artist Robert Dafford and was commissioned by one of the Acadian Village founders, Bob Lowe. The oldest section of the home contains an exhibit on Cajun music. Here, also, is the best example of the type of insulation used within the homes. It is called bousillage entre poteaux (mud between posts).
The Billeaud House comes from the Billeaud Sugar Plantation in Broussard, Louisiana; it was built prior to the Civil War. Today it is used as a spinning and weaving cottage. One of the looms is an original being 150 years old. The other is a replica, built locally by 72-year old Mr. Whitney Breaux for the Bicentennial. Homespun blankets and clothes were woven from white cotton, native to Louisiana, and brown cotton introduced from Mexico to the Acadians by the Spaniards.
The Castille House was built for Dorsene Castille (circa 1860) in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana by a European of whom little is known except that it took him over a year to complete since he did the entire job by himself. During the Civil War the house was pillaged by Yankee soldiers, but somehow survived the ravages of time. The cypress mantels in the home are of interest. Each has a carved emblem on the front. The outside figure looks like a Christian fish and symbolizes a long and happy life; the center emblem looks like a rosette and is called progression. It signifies a large and prosperous family.
Built between 1821 and 1856 near Youngsville, Louisiana, the LeBlanc house is the birthplace of Acadian Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc. Cajun politician and entrepreneur Dudley J. "Couzin Dud" LeBlanc was born on August 16, 1894. He attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute, and during World War I served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army. In 1924 LeBlanc was elected a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and in 1926 became Public Service Commissioner. He served as State Senator from 1940 to 1944, 1948 to1952, and in 1964.
The St. John house dates to circa 1840 and was donated to the Village by a local dentist. It was located on St. John Street near downtown Lafayette - thus its name. It was built of salvaged cypress timbers from another building. The house is currently being used as a schoolhouse. Among the desks is a three-seater which came to the Village from an old schoolhouse near Sunset, Louisiana. Old books, inkwells, lunch pails and the wooden stove round out the exhibit.
Noel Acadien au VillageAcadian Village comes alive the first three weeks of December for Noel Acadien au Village. Entertainment includes area musicians, choirs, choruses, bands and much more. Every night kids of all ages can have their photo taken with Santa - and receive it on the spot for a nominal charge.
Christmas Depot, the New Orleans Company responsible for lighting the entire Village, said that it takes 10-12 people, nearly 2,000 man-hours, to complete the job. Tim Fitzpatrick of Christmas Depot starts in September strategizing for the massive undertaking. They’ll come back in October and November to actually light the Village. By mid-November, the job is pretty much done - just a few nips and tucks.
Acadian Village is located on the 32-acres of LARC (Lafayette Association for Retarded Citizens). In the early 1970s, officials with the facility were looking for an opportunity to improve tourism in Lafayette, Louisiana. However, the idea was to serve a dual purpose: to generate revenue for the facility and to serve as an employment opportunity for those persons with developmental disabilities that were fully capable of working. Dr. Norman Heard, Bob Lowe and Glen Conrad are credited with the idea, which soon after became a reality. Of course, the visionary team wanted to use authentic homes. Most of the homes that are on the Village grounds had long been abandoned and were being used for hay storage or just not used at all. Families were immediately contacted, and the negotiations began. In some cases, grants were used for the purchase and movement, and in some cases the houses were free - only the cost of moving them was incurred.
In order to recreate a typical 1800 Cajun village, the design team would have to transform 10 acres of farmland into a shaded-lived in community with a waterway running through it. The massive undertaking of reconstruction, dredging of bayous and such was accomplished through local carpenters, businessmen, civic organizations and community volunteers. Even the Army Reservists of the Lafayette area pitched in by building an information center. The end result was a moment captured in time. Perhaps the 1978 Village Director Mrs. Marti Gutierrez said it best in a Times Picayune special section “The old ways are worth keeping alive, worth handing down, worth remembering.”
Seven of the 11 buildings are authentic homes of the 19th century donated by the families whose ancestors once occupied them. All homes show the passing of time and are remarkable examples of the ingenuity of the early Acadian homebuilders, complete with wooden pegs, mud walls, hand-hewn cypress timbers and high-peaked roofs. Each was moved piece by piece and carefully restored.
Acadiana Center for the Arts Alexandre Mouton House Museum was home to Louisiana's first Democratic governor, Alexandre Mouton, who once lived in this antebellum town house. It is now a museum and contain collection of antiques, historical documents, and old mardi gras costumes.
Cajundome, home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams, serves as a convention space.
Cajun Field also nicknamed "the Swamp" is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team.
Children's Museum of Acadiana Exhibits
The Children's Museum of Acadiana, Inc. (CMA) invites you to open up new worlds of discovery. Our exhibits are geared for toddler to 12 years of age.
Name Introduction
201 E. Congress, A Site History A historical exhibit made possible through the Acadiana Arts Council and the LA Division of the Arts.
Ami An Acadian Ambulance.
Architecture Alley CMA's activity centers.
Bubble Factory A bubble exhibit sponsored and devoloped by Kiwanis of Lafayette.
Cafe des Enfants A hands-on restaurant exhibit developed by the Acadiana Chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Sponsored by Sonic Restaurants.
Food Pyramid A healthy eating guide developed by De Bon Coeur, L.A.F.C.E., INC. and les Femmes du Sud Homemakers.
Ham Radio Station A communication station sponsored and developed by the Acadiana Amateur Radio Association.
Kid Care A role playing Health Gallery developed by Lafayette General Medical Center
Kids Cash A banking exhibit developed and sponsored by Home Bank.
Kids' Kondo A toddler playhouse developed by Van Eaton & Romero.
Le TV des Enfants KLFY-TV Television Studio developed and sponsored by TV-10.
Motivation Station An amphitheater developed by all Lafayette Rotary Clubs.
Petit Magasin A grocery store sponsored by Winn Dixie.
Reuseum A recycled arts studio sponsored by Bizzuka.
Speak Your Mind A creative writing exhibit developed by Design Graphics.
Stuffee An anatomical doll donated by the Lafayette Parish Medical Society Alliance.
The Cypress Gallery The Charles Armstrong Moody exhibit area, was developed through the generousity of the Moody Family. This exhibit area provides the museum the opportunity to bring exciting educational exhibits to the children of Acadiana.
To Tell the Tooth A hands-on dental exhibit developed by the Acadiana Dental Association. Sponsored by numerous area dentists and the Acadiana Dental Hygienist's Association.
Wee Acres A pre-school area developed by the Junior League of Lafayette.
Cite des Arts 
Acadiana Center for the Arts
Cypress LakeCypress Lake is a 2 acres (0 ha) swamp-like lake in the heart of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus that started as a buffalo wallow. Today it is a unique university landmark that is a habitat for native irises, alligators, turtles, birds and fish, as well as a hangout for students and a point of interest for tourists visiting Lafayette, Louisiana.
Heymann Center A performing arts center. 
Jean Lafitte National Park Acadian Cultural Center
Jefferson Street Market has 65 shops under one roof, offering everything from fine French antiques to fine art by regional artists.
Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium is a combination museum and planetarium, which houses over 1,000 paintings, prints and sculpture of Louisiana artists and regularly changing exhibits and planetarium programs.
Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) is a state-of-the-art resource center encompassing the world's first six-sided, digital virtual reality cube as well as the world's largest digital 3-D auditorium. 
Mall of Acadiana - Contains a Dillards, Sears, JCPenny, Macy's, and over 120 specialty stores and services.The Mall of Acadiana, originally called Acadiana Mall, is an enclosed regional shopping mall in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, and is located at the intersection of Johnston Street and Ambassador Caffery Parkway. It opened in 1979 and was developed by Robert B. Aikens & Associates, and is now owned by CBL & Associates Properties. Today, the Mall of Acadiana houses four department store anchors (Macy's, J.C. Penney, Sears, and Dillard's), a 460-seat food court, and over 120 smaller stores including Victoria's Secret, Chico's, Talbot's, Eddie Bauer, Nine West, Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Banana Republic, Hollister, American Eagle, and Coldwater Creek.
The original look of the mall had an intimate, "French Quarter" type feel, with brick pavers, gas lamps, wrought iron, and no backlit signs. Although the front entrance of the mall faces Johnston Street, many people over time have found it easier to access the property via Ambassador Caffery Parkway. As a result, most mall customers consider the food court to be the front entrance.
Acadiana Mall Cinemas, operated by General Cinema Corporation, was located in the food court from 1979 until 1995, when a more modern Carmike Cinema opened on an outparcel of the mall.
The mall received a minor facelift in the early 1990s and a major renovation in 2004, bringing in a more contemporary look. It was at this time that the mall's name changed from Acadiana Mall to The Mall of Acadiana.
Paul and Lulu Hillard University Art Museum has a Permanent Collection consisting of more than 2000 works of art, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and photographs that represent 18th, 19th and 20th century Louisiana, in addition to works from around the world.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette National Wetlands Research Center is a research facility operated by the U.S. Geological Survey that focuses on estuarine, marine, and freshwater wetlands.
The National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) was founded in 1975 as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Office of Biological Services. Its headquarters are located in Lafayette, Louisiana.
The NWRC is one of 16 science centers of the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. The mission of the National Wetlands Research Center is to develop and disseminate scientific information needed for understanding the ecology and values of U.S. wetlands and for managing and restoring wetland habitats and associated plant and animal communities. Its mission's primary goal is to bridge the gap between researchers and decision makers, mostly by using geographic information systems and producing reports such as coastal characterizations, community and estuarine profiles, and species profiles.
Vermillionville is a reconstruction of a Cajun-Creole settlement from the 1765-to-1890 era
Zoo of Acadiana is located nearby in Broussard. 
Lafayette Public Library System Events
Festivals Acadiens,
Festivals Acadiens is the collective name for a combination of festivals in Lafayette, Louisiana that pay tribute to the Cajun culture. The celebration is a cooperative of independent festivals that merged in 1977.
The oldest single component of this cooperative is the Louisiana Native and Contemporary Crafts Festival (then named the Louisiana Native Crafts Festival), first presented October 28, 1972. In 1976, CODOFIL moved its Tribute to Cajun Music to Parc Girard on the same weekend, and in 1977, the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission added their Bayou Food Festival. These three events combined the crafts, music and food of South Louisiana to form the basis of the Festivals Acadiens.
Festival de Musique Acadienne - A Historical Perspective
Acadians, or Cajuns as they are now called, were exiled from Nova Scotia in 1755. They took with them few possessions but did carry away a rich cultural heritage, which included a blend of French, Celtic, Scots-Irish and Native American influences. This mixture is evident in a rich oral tradition and repertoire of songs and dances. By the turn of the twentieth century, increasing homogenization of the United States threatened to doom the French language to obscurity. Early versions of the Louisiana constitution made valiant attempts to legitimize the use of French, but America charged on with the nationalism movement. The approach of World War I induced a quest for national unity, which suppressed regional diversity.
In 1916, mandatory English language education was made available to the rest of Louisiana and was imposed in the South. French was trampled in a frontal assault on illiteracy. Several generations of Cajuns and Créoles were eventually convinced that speaking french was a sign of cultural illegitimacy. In the late 1940's the tide seemed to turn. Soldiers in France during World War II discovered that the language and culture they had been told to forget made them invaluable as interpreters and made surviving generally easier. After the war, returning GI's immersed themselves in their own culture. Dance halls throughout South Louisiana once again blared the familiar and comforting sounds of homemade music.
In the 1950s and 1960s, South Louisiana like the rest of the nation and much of the world was affected by the emergence of rock and roll. The sons and daughters of Cajun musicians followed the musical lead of fellow Louisiana musicians Jerry Lee Lewis and Anton "Fats" Domino to produce what was called swamp pop. Country music and swamp pop were tempting alternatives and Cajun music was again strained "to water the roots so that the tree would not die." The needed impulse came from the national level.
Alan Lomax, a member of the Newport Folk Foundation, had become interested in Cajun and Creole music in the 1930s while collecting traditional music across the country for the Library of Congress. Harry Oster, a professor of English at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, recorded music, which stressed the evolution of Cajun music ranging from unaccompanied ballads to contemporary dance tunes.
The work of Oster and Lomax caught the imagination of the Newport group and resulted in invitations to Cajun musicians Gladius Thibodeaux, Louis "Vinesse" LeJeune and Dewey Balfa to represent Louisiana at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. They played alongside nationally known folk revivalist like Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Bob Dylan. Despite poor reviews by the press, Newport organizers were intent on showing the beauty and impact of root music.
Their instinct proved well-founded as huge crowds gave the old-time music standing ovations. Balfa was so moved by the experience that he vowed to "bring home the echo of the standing ovation" they had received in Newport. With the help of the Newport Folk Festival Foundation, special concerts were presented so that people would have an opportunity to listen to their music without the distraction of smoke-filled dance halls.
In 1968, the State of Louisiana officially recognized the Cajun cultural revival by creating the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL). Under the chairmanship of James Domengeaux, CODOFIL began its efforts on political, psychological and educational fronts to erase the stigma Louisianans had long attached to the French language and culture. In addition to creating French classes in elementary schools, CODOFIL organized the first Tribute to Cajun Music Festival in 1974. This three-hour concert was the catalyst needed to attract and educate the younger generation to the traditional values of the Cajun culture. Festivals Acadiens is a cooperative of independent festivals that began in 1977. The oldest single component of this group was the Louisiana Native Crafts Festival (later to become the Louisiana Native and Contemporary Crafts Festival), first presented Saturday, Oct. 28, 1972, on the grounds of the Lafayette Natural History Museum near Girard Park.
On March 26, 1974, CODOFIL presented the first Tribute to Cajun Music concert in Lafayette's Blackham Coliseum. In 1976, CODOFIL moved its Tribute to Cajun Music to Girard Park near the lake and to the fall. The Natural History Museum and CODOFIL agreed to hold their respective events on the same weekend. In 1977, the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission broadened the range, joining their own Bayou food Festival, then held in the Lafayette Municipal Auditorium near the Natural History Museum. The combination of these three events focusing on the crafts, music and food of South Louisiana served as the basis for a co-op called Festivals Acadiens.
Since then, the Festivals Acadiens events have continued to evolve, both on their own and together. The three have grown to become two-day events. In 1980, CODOFIL's annual Tribute to Cajun Music, which had already moved to the other side of Girard Park to accommodate growing crowds, was renamed the Festival de Musique Acadienne/Cajun Music Festival. Sponsorship of the music festival passed on to the Lafayette Jaycees who had already become involved in Festivals Acadiens through the Bayou Food Festival and the Acadiana Fair & Trade Show. The Bayou Food Festival moved outdoors to make dancing and eating available in the same place. The Natural History Museum added a contemporary crafts component to their festival. The City of Lafayette's Downtown Alive celebration joined the party with a Friday night opening concert. More recently, the Heritage Pavilion and Louisiana Folkroots Presents Cajun & Creole Music Jam have been added. The Louisiana Crafts Guild now produces the Louisiana Craft Fair in Girard Park.
Festival International,
The Festival International de Louisiane is an annual music and arts festival held in Lafayette, Louisiana celebrating the French heritage of the region. The festival was first held in 1987 and has become very popular, attracting musicians, artists, and craftsmen from around the world. The festival is held outdoors in the spring, usually in April, and is free to the public, drawing about 300,000 attendees.
The main stage at the 2006 festival; Buckwheat Zydeco is playing.The stated mission of the festival is to:
Enrich the community by celebrating its native culture; educate the public to the historical achievements and artistic expressions of related global cultures; encourage an appreciation for the arts; enhance the economic development of the Acadiana region through the presentation of an internationally recognized arts event; promote cultural exchange on a national and international level.
Festival de Musique Acadienne
MechaCon (Louisiana's longest running Anime and Japanese Cultural Convention) Mardi Gras (the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana)
The terms "Mardi Gras" (mär`dē grä) and "Mardi Gras season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. From the French term "Mardi Gras" (literally "Fat Tuesday"), the term has come to mean the whole period of activity related to those events, beyond just the single day, often called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. The season can be designated by the year, as in "Mardi Gras 2008".
The time period varies from city to city, as some traditions consider Mardi Gras as the Carnival period between Epiphany or Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. Others treat the final three-day period as being Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras events begin in November, followed by mystic society balls on Thanksgiving, then New Year's Eve, formerly with parades on New Year's Day, followed by parades and balls in January & February, celebrating up to midnight before Ash Wednesday.
Other cities most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations include Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Many other places have important Mardi Gras celebrations as well.
Carnival is an important celebration in most of Europe, except in Ireland and the United Kingdom where the festival is called "shrovetide" ending on Shrove Tuesday, and pancakes are the tradition, and also in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Visit Downtown
More than a business center, Downtown Lafayette is the living center of our unique cultural fabric. Long the historic heart of our community, downtown has redefined itself as the civic, cultural and economic heart as well. Key public facilities and visionary urban design are incorporated in a vibrant palette of public art, festivals and events celebrating the Acadiana of yesterday, today and tomorrow, all within easy walking distance in our pedestrian-friendly urban center.
The history of Lafayette is tied to the Acadians, French descendants from Nova Scotia who migrated to Louisiana in the 1760s after being driven from their New World home by the British. That French heritage has created a unique culture for you to enjoy here in the heart of Lafayette . This site will help you explore its many facets during your visit.
Explore our art, culture, history, festivals, music and food, all conveniently located right here in downtown. We hope you enjoy your visit to the heart and soul of Lafayette.
For a complete visitors' guide for exploring downtown art, events, architecture, cultural facilities and services, visit www.downtownalive.org.
Downtown contemporary. Historically the heart of our great community, downtown has redefined itself as the civic, cultural and economic center that is still relevant and vibrant today. Key public facilities meld with visionary urban designs. Introduce a palette of public art, festivals and community events to celebrate Acadiana's past, present and future, and the result is our pedestrian-friendly urban center. Welcome.