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The best Hotels, Restaurants, Shopping, Art,Cultural Attractions, and just plain Fun Stuff to do and see in Louisiana’s Cajun Country.

HOTELS: CAJUN COUNTRY

Stay at a B-and-B (bed-and-boudin) like the rustic Bayou Cabins in Breaux Bridge. Visit Website

Hyperactive travelers would not enjoy the most laid-back accommodations in Acadiana: Cajun Country Cottages. Backing up to a secluded pond on the outskirts of Breaux Bridge, this bed and breakfast suits people who like to spend their days off by watching paint peel. Costing $135 to $185 a night for two people, the five weathered cottages seem as much a part of the bayou as the nearby cypress, willow, and live oak. The entire operation—from the plush country furniture to the hearty breakfasts of eggs, sausage, and biscuits—seems designed to slow you down. Visit Website

RESTAURANTS: CAJUN COUNTRY

Work off your gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and bread pudding with a few turns on the in-house dance floor at Randol’s restaurant in Lafayette. Visit Website

Try a beignet or the crème brûlée—or both—at Poupart Bakery in Lafayette. Visit Website

Go French with bronzed shrimp and montrachet salad, and filet au poivre at Café Vermilionville in Lafayette. Visit Website

To get the best boudin—a traditional sausage-and-rice link—Cajun country has to offer, head a few miles outside of Lafayette to the town of Scott, home of Best Stop Supermarket. Visit Website

Nunu’s in nearby Youngsville won two first place awards at Carriker’s inaugural Boudin Cook-off last October. Cook David Choate credits his success to finding the right “balance of flavors and consistency.” His subtle link deserves the accolade printed on its shrink-wrapped label: “AWARD-WINNING.” Visit Website

Try a crawfish boudin link in Broussard at Tiny Prudhomme’s House of Meat. Inevitably, Tiny is a massive guy. His unusual boudin tastes like “etouffee in a sausage casing” and is great for Lent on Fridays. 337-837-3791

Go old-school by buying boudin from Babineaux Slaughter House in Breaux Bridge. 337-332-1961

Savor turtle soup, barbecue shrimp, and other swamp fare at the eclectic Café Des Amis in Breaux Bridge. Visit Website

SHOPPING: CAJUN COUNTRY

Stock up on bayou music, candles, jewelry, and seasonings at A Cajun Touch of Heaven in Lafayette. Visit Website

ART: CAJUN COUNTRY

Festival International de Louisiane, Lafayette’s annual bash celebrating all things French, lasts from April 22 to April 26 and offers more than 100 free performances. Though must-sees include opening night with Marc Broussard, you’ll get maximum exposure to worldwide French culture with smaller acts, like Chic Gamine, a Canadian vocal quintet that blends Brazilian forró with French chanson. Or Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, a 20-piece band that specializes in a Nigerian funk style called Afrobeat. Or Rachid Taha, a French-Algerian who typically sings in Arabic and appears on the soundtrack of Black Hawk Down. Not in the mood for music or dance? Catch a new French film—or all 11. Wrap up the festival on Sunday night at the Blue Moon Saloon and Guesthouse in Lafayette. The jam session will feature many permutations of the festival’s all-French lineup. Visit Websit 

Groove to every style from Zydeco to industrial rock at the lively Grant Street Dancehall in Lafayette. Visit Website

For more than two decades, the Liberty Theater in Eunice has hosted “Rendez-Vous des Cajuns,” weekly concerts that carry on the area’s musical legacy. Couples crowd the wooden dance floor at the foot of the stage; the 90-minute format always prompts many of the concertgoers to grab their partners from the first note. Date nights don’t get any better. Visit Website

CULTURAL/HISTORIC: CAJUN COUNTRY

Stock up on Tabasco to spice up your boudin at McIlhenny Company on Avery Island. Visit Website

FUN STUFF: CAJUN COUNTRY

Cruise for egrets and alligators in Lake Martin with bayou expert Walter “Butch” Guchereau. Visit Website