Things To Do
Gator Chateau
FREE admission! Complementary coffee. Hold a baby gator! The staff here are plenty knowledgeable and friendly, and can tell you all about the gators of various ages which they keep. The building is shared with the Jeff Davis Parish Visitor Center, which is a cute place to grab some brochures and gator-themed souvenirs! Both are nestled within the Jennings Oil & Gas Park, a pretty, peaceful place to fish, take a walk, feed the ducks, and unleash your children onto the playground.
W. H. Tupper General Merchandise Museum
$3 admission. Tours available. Plenty of vintage general store merchandise to peruse, with a section of the museum in the back dedicated to the history of the telephone (geared toward children but cool for adults, too), and to the history of the city! The owners are a wellspring of historical knowledge. Check out the connected gift shop, too, for a range of fun souvenirs!
Zigler Art Museum
FREE admission! ZAM's collection includes local, national, and international works of art, with an aim to chronicle the development of visual art in Louisiana. It focuses on work of the nineteenth through twenty-first centuries; this context provides an appropriate backdrop for the museum's focus on emerging Louisiana artists.
Bourbon Street Cafe
Cajun & Creole. Entrée price point: $9-$33. Alligator, catfish, oyster, shrimp, crawfish, crab, chicken, sausage - athcafalaya, gumbo, po' boys, loaded fries, burgers, boudin, étouffée, red beans and rice, steak, biscuits 'n' gravy, beignets, muffulettas - if any of this classic Cajun and Creole cooking sounds delicious to you, consider dropping by this place!
121 Artisan Bistro
A 40-minute drive away. Italian-American. Entrée price point: $12-$54. Sean's most favorite restaurant of all time. We don't know WHAT they do to the grits here, but the taste is revolutionarily good. Tess's recommendation is the Aldovina's pasta; the skirt steak in it is oh-so-delightfully tender that her mouth waters simply upon remembering the taste. Portions come large.
Vermillionville Historic Village
A 50-minute drive away. Adults (19-65), $10. Seniors (65+), $8. Children (5-18), $6. Children (under 5), FREE! There are so many things to do here! Featuring the Healer's Garden, many an artisan (whose work can be found in the gift shop!), and both a Museum of Culture and the "living history" exhibit which is the village itself, lifestyle and music and historic buildings and such all being part of the experience - you could be here all day, easily! They also offer tours, canoeing and kayaking experiences, and authentic Acadiana cuisine.