- [Colleen] Lafayette, Louisiana is an unforgettable place to experience with your family.

Located in an area called Acadiana, Lafayette is known to many as the Cajun heartland.

With an abundance of unique cultural experiences, as well as spicy food and people, this favorite city in Bayou Country is our next stop on Family Travel.

The fourth largest city in Louisiana, Lafayette is an area that has a moderate year round temperature that is perfect to visit in any season.

And with the population only around a hundred thousand, it is a great little big city for any family to navigate.

- Hi, I'm Colleen Kelly, and this is Family Travel.

Welcome to Lafayette, Louisiana.

In this episode of Family Travel, we explore Lafayette, Louisiana and discover all it has to offer.

Food and music go hand in hand in southern Louisiana.

We jump right into the fun and flavor of Lafayette by visiting Buck and Johnny's, a local staple for great food and lively entertainment.

Next, we take to the water.

On an exploration of Atchafalaya Basin, with a colorful local guide who shares all the secrets of the swamp life.

Then we slow down and immerse ourselves in the historical experience that will take your family back to the 18th century.

Lafayette is known for its cuisine and we'll delve into a royal southern Louisiana delicacy, The King Cake.

And how do you eat the most popular crustacean in Louisiana?

We'll find out from an expert.

And join us as we take part in a revive custom of Boucherie.

And of course, our trip wouldn't be complete without a glimpse inside the world famous Mardi Gras celebrations.

We'll let the good times roll on this episode of Family Travel.

(upbeat instrumental music plays) My name is Colleen Kelly and when I was single, I lived abroad and traveled the world.

Then I became a parent and wondered, how would I ever travel again?

So I set out to find a new way to travel and get back to exploring the world, family style.

I'm here to guide you on how to get the most out of your family vacation.

Pack your bags and join me Colleen Kelly.

We're goin' on vacation.

- Family Travel with Colleen Kelly is sponsored by (instrumental music playing) - Ted Tetzlaff, attorneys for your personal and business needs.

- Steeped in traditional Cajun and Creole culture, Lafayette, Louisiana is famous for its cuisine and traditional music.

And we just happen to find the best of both worlds in one place.

Welcome to Buck and Johnny's.

Hi I'm here with Chubby, who is a celebrity here at Lafayette.

And we're at Buck and Johnny's, and we're gonna learn a little bit about Zydeco music.

- Yes, yes, we are.

Welcome to Breaux Bridge.

- Oh my gosh.

- This is what we do on an early morning, on Saturday morning, we have a Zydeco party.

- I know it's early.

- It's early.

It's very early.

I'm a musician now.

Just keep that in mind.

But I'm up early.

Yes.

- All right.

But you're gonna teach me a little bit, right?

I'm gonna dance a little, do something else.

- But you see the thing a lot of people ask me, what is Zydeco?

What is Zydeco?

- Yeah, what is it?

- You see, the thing about Zydeco music is, it's the life of the party, the accordion and the wash board.

Yes.

I did say accordion and the wash board.

Okay.

But Zydeco music is music of the people.

It's R&B, Soul, Rock and Roll.

And it definitely gets you shakin' with mama gave you.

- All right, so let's go.

Are we gonna make this happen?

- Hey, you wanna go hear some Zydeco?

- I do.

- Let's go.

- Alright.

- Dance with me tonight.

Come on and dance with me tonight.

- Established in 2010 and located in Breaux Bridge's downtown historical district, Buck and Johnny's is a mainstay in the southern Louisiana culinary scene.

It features unique cuisine, blending the boldness of Cajun spice with the rich and smooth flavors of Italy.

But the feather in their cap, is Zydeco breakfast on Saturday morning with live music.

Grammy award-winning Zydeco legend Chubby Carrier, just happened to be playing during the weekend of Mardi Gras, while we were there.

- People ask me "Where do you get your passion for learning really Zydeco music?"

And I say, my granddaddy and my daddy played the accordian.

When I heard them play that music, I said, oh my goodness.

My grandfather played the music, my dad played the Zydeco.

And I said, hmm, why not be the third generation?

So my daddy taught me how to play the accordion.

That means so much to me today.

And I thank him every day for teaching me how to play Zydeco music.

Wanted to introduce Zydeco to the world.

I decided to come back home because you know what?

After a while for 34 years, it's time to come back to Louisiana where it all started from.

'Cause we don't forget where we started from.

You can't forget that.

But a lot of people talk about Zydeco Creole music.

My point is, I don't want it to die.

I started a program called Zydeco from A to Z.

Which is gonna teach the kids about the history of Zydeco music, the music, the instruments itself.

I wanted to bring it to the kids because I didn't want our tradition and our compassion to die, because you know what?

After I'm done, I'm like, what's next?

So I brought it to the kids.

I'm bringing it all over to the schools now, and I'm teaching Zydeco in schools to keep our tradition and our culture alive.

They wanna find out more information about my Zydeco A to Z, go to my website.

And you know, just wanna tell you something real quick.

My grandfather taught me how to play this song.

It's called Blue Runner.

(accordion music playing) - McGee's, Louisiana Swamp and Airboat Tours introduces your family to Louisiana's beautiful, vast, and mysterious Atchafalaya Basin.

The Native Cajun guides make any boat ride entertaining and educational for your family.

With a passion and love for the swamp, they'll share this beautiful area with you and guide you through one of the most unique wildernesses on earth.

Our adventure with tour guide Skip Andaya, was quite a wild ride where we also learned about the circle of life in the swamp.

So today we're going on one of the largest swamps in all of Louisiana, and I'm excited.

I've got Skip here.

He's gonna tell us all about it.

- So great to have y'all.

Thanks for coming out and welcome to the Atchafalaya River Basin.

This swamp is the largest freshwater basin in North America.

- Really?

- Yes.

It's 1.4 million acres.

To give you an idea, 25 miles wide in between the levy systems, 150 miles long, all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

- Really?

- It's actually the largest freshwater basin in North America.

Second largest in the world, next to the Amazon.

And within this system there's swamps, there's bayous, there's lakes, there's rivers, there's dry land.

A lot of things that people don't expect from an area like this.

- Oh my gosh, this is awesome.

Are we gonna see alligators?

Or what kind of animals are we gonna see?

- It is an adverse day to see wildlife.

The alligators are cold blooded, and so they rely on the ambient temperature for all of their body processes.

They have to have sunlight to digest their food.

And if you haven't noticed, there's not a whole lot of sun today.

Normally we say if we have to wear our jackets and our beanie hats, then the alligators don't move around too much.

- This is awesome.

I love seeing all the, the trees out here.

It's really cool.

And just being out on a swamp, I think this is my first time I've been on a swamp.

- Ha, welcome.

This is a good first time to be out.

Over 100 fish species right underneath the boat.

Louisiana sportsman's paradise.

- Okay, did you say that sometimes Carp will jump into the boat?

That's not true, is it?

- It's very true, and I'm afraid it's true.

And the issue is invasive species.

So the fact that this area is connected to the Mississippi watershed, that means that all the rivers and tributaries from 32 states and two Canadian provinces all comes down here.

So that means we get pollution from up north.

We get invasive species.

That means something that doesn't belong here.

We get plants that are invasive and we get animals.

- That's like me.

I don't really belong here.

- But I wouldn't count you as invasive girl.

The trees that we have now here, have been protected since the 1900s.

Second-growth cypress, Louisiana State Tree, and we date these trees to be between 80 and 120 years old.

- Wow, so it's a gift to see this.

- It really is.

It's special.

It really is.

I also wanna point out how much the water levels fluctuate in the tree lines there.

So now that we're a little bit away, can you see this dark line in the trees?

- Yeah.

- That's how high the water gets in the springtime.

When the snow melts up north, the Atchafalaya rises.

When it rains real hard, the Atchafalaya rises.

So this bark is over our head right now.

Average depth is about nine foot normally, it's about three foot right now based on that high water mark.

- Okay, so right there is like where the water mark is?

- Yeah.

Yes ma'am.

That means also if you, if you fall overboard just stand up.

- Okay.

Hopefully that won't happen.

- Bro, we got some stuff here and there's an Ospray.

You see the big nest out there?

So we're on the Mississippi flyway, over 150 bird species migrate through here annually, including Osprey, including Bald Eagles.

These birds- look, look okay.

They make mates for life, which is beautiful.

So when you see one, you see the second, you see that one?

Look can I have a little hug?

- That's so sweet.

- I know.

- I love that.

- They make mates for life.

- Yep this is so awesome.

Thanks for taking me out here.

- It was my pleasure.

Thanks for coming out.

I hope you had as much fun as I did, but you ready to pick up the pace a little bit?

- Oh, how much?

- We're gonna go in the airboat and it's gonna be just a little bit faster than this.

How's that sound?

- Okay I'm ready.

Let's do it.

- All right, let's go.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Next stop is Vermilion Historic Village.

Did you know that the city of Lafayette was first known as Vermilionville in the 1820s?

In this 23 acre historic and folklife park along the banks of the Bayou Vermilion, you can experience firsthand the Acadian, Creole, and Native American cultures from the time period 1765 to 1890.

Featuring guided tours, costumed artisans, live music, a cooking school, dance lessons, and boat tours.

It will leave you with a pretty good idea of what life was like way back then.

- [Vermillionville Artisan] I think it's important for folks to visit places like Vermilionville to understand the history and culture of the areas they're visiting.

Because of course, even though it might be a spot you're visiting, we're still all part of the same country, the same world.

And so it's to see the things that we both share across boundaries and across borders, but also the things that make us different and unique.

Both the present day things we share and also have different, and how it connects to the past.

How all the different cultures combine in one, to make a really unique culture in this area.

Vermillionville's a really great place for families here because we're a folk life village.

So both adults, children, grandparents, everyone can see what their role might have been in home life 150 to 250 years ago here in South Louisiana.

Things were quite a bit different than they are today.

Of course, not the least the absence of a lot of the technology and interconnectedness we have.

But it's pretty fun to see how connected people were across the miles and across different cultural barriers, language barriers, religious barriers, and how we get something kind of pretty cool out of that, despite the lack of our modern innovations.

- [Matt] We grew up, Melissa and I, coming here on field trips we're from Lafayette, so it was always a real special place to us and we wanted to share it with the boys and share it with some friends of ours.

- [Melissa] We're from here.

We come back often to visit family, and I have childhood memories and so does Matt of growing up, learning how to two-step, learning about our culture, our music.

My particular family is, I'm a domain, so if you know anything about the Cajun culture, we came from the Canary Islands.

It's just in us.

So we wanna carry on that tradition with our children and share it with our friends.

- [Ms. Robene] My favorite part of Lafayette is the food, but I love the history too.

- My favorite part of Lafayette is learning about all the stuff that was going on back then.

- [Ms. Robene] And the music.

That's absolutely my favorite part is the music.

- [Mr. Robene] I like the culture, the overall culture, history, Cajun life.

- [Ms. Robene] I used to be a Girl Scout leader, and when these little girls were Brownies, we came to Vermilionville and it had not been opened, but maybe two or three years, and we want to pass it on.

I actually am of Cajun heritage and where we all live now, you don't see much of that anymore.

And I don't want them to forget their roots.

- [Ms. Robene] I think it's a great place to bring family.

You're outside, you're learning about culture for your kids and passing on traditions and knowledge about our ancestors, and it's just a great way to learn and take in the culture of the area.

- [Matt] Favorite thing about Lafayette?

Probably the food.

I know everybody says that, but the food here is so good.

If I had to pick one thing.

But it's a lot.

The culture is so unique, the music, the scenery, the food might be number one.

(instrumental music plays) - While we are immersing ourselves in the history of the area, we also got the chance to speak with a local expert about a delicious and historic world tradition in Cajun culture.

The King Cake decked out in Mardi Gras colors, this special cake also has a hidden surprise.

So today I'm with Brady, a guy who knows some stuff all about Mardi Gras, and I'm so excited because I have never tried King Cake.

- Never?

- Never!

Never.

So I wanna know all about it.

And what does this all mean?

- Well, you've absolutely come to the right place.

I mean, there is really nowhere that's gonna be able to tell you this story of King Cake, like Louisiana, particularly South Louisiana.

We got a couple of different versions of the King Cake that's happening right here.

- What's the difference between these two?

- Well this one right here is a much more early traditional King Cake.

Like this style is gonna date all the way back to 12th century in France.

This is gonna be a much more contemporary, or like an Americanized version of the King Cake.

Here in Louisiana, we are limited in the year for how long we have to get King Cake.

Like you're not allowed to start King Cake until the feast of the Epiphany on January 6th.

And then you've only got about 40ish days until Mardi Gras.

And then Lent starts.

- And then it goes away.

- And then it goes away.

- Alright what's with the baby?

- Well now that tradition actually goes all the way back again to about the 12th century.

And in it they would hide a token of some sort into the cake, and this might be a wooden toy or a coin or something of that nature.

And originally as the cake was being cut and served, whoever had that piece would officially be royalty for the night.

And they may be able to sort of direct how the party happened or how the event played out or things of that nature.

And so over time, that sort of translated into the idea of using this baby object that would represent the baby Jesus, because that's the origins of the story.

- Okay.

I didn't know there was so much story behind it.

- Well, to start the tradition appropriately, someone has to hide this baby.

- Okay.

- Now is that gonna be me or is that could be you?

- Well, yeah 'cause if I hide it, I know where it is.

- Okay then turn around.

- And of course I'm gonna pick it.

- Turn around.

- Okay, okay.

- Turn around.

Turn around.

Okay turn around.

- Is it good?

Okay.

- Could be anywhere.

- Uh oh, alright.

- In original traditions, like I said, it sort of made you royalty for the night.

But here and more contemporarily, the tradition is that if you find the baby, you are now responsible for buying the next King Cake.

- I like the royalty idea.

- So you keep that.

Nope, no.

We're in contemporary time and we're going modern cake.

So if you find the baby, you're gonna have to buy the cake.

- Do I have a year of like good luck or something?

- Yes.

Oh yes, that too.

Yeah, absolutely.

- I'll take that.

Yes.

And there's no chance of me becoming royalty anywhere but here, so.

- Well, let's have that moment.

- All right, let's try this.

- All right.

How are you doing?

- Where's that baby?

- I don't know.

- I have a feeling, I have a good feeling about this.

- Okay.

- Do I get a second chance?

If I don't get.

- I'll tell you, you can eat as much of this cake as you like.

- Are you gonna have some with me?

I'm gonna just eat the whole thing and eventually I'll get the baby.

And that's what I'll do.

All right.

Where is this darn, baby?

Well, thank you so much.

Maybe we should do a little toast to Mardi Gras.

How do you say cheers?

Down here?

- We can just say cheers.

- Oh, okay.

- Salute.

- Salute.

- From King Cake to crawfish.

We are digging into all the essential Southern Louisiana cuisine.

But crawfish is more than a cuisine here.

It's a way of life and an anchor to all the family's special events during the year, and a centerpiece of the culture and economy.

- Crawfish is life.

It's about the therapeutic process of peeling, crawfish of being around your friends and family, celebrating any kind of event.

Or just a Friday.

having your people over and eating crawfish and talking about your week.

Crawfish is the center of everything that we do here.

- Crawfish Boil speaks to the authenticity of the culture.

The joie de vivre or joy of life of the locals.

And we wanted to get a little taste of it as well.

So Ed Wilkerson Jr., a restaurateur and expert, showed us how to eat one of these little mud bugs at a local restaurant, Louisiana Crawfish time.

Ed, thank you so much for joining me.

I am so excited because I haven't eaten crawfish in a long time and I've forgotten how to do it, so maybe you can help me?

- We can definitely show you.

We got a lot of crawfish here tonight.

- Oh my gosh.

- Not a problem.

- We got the hole right here.

- We do.

That's where the shell's go and all the trash, makes it easy.

- That's the first time I've seen a hole in a restaurant.

- Lot of firsts in Louisiana.

- I'm gonna gonna take this big one here, big boy.

So I just turn it?

- So a lot of different ways to do it.

The easiest way is, it's quick and easy, pull back, twist, pull it out, and pull that little leg off and then you push and pull with your teeth.

- We did it all wrong.

- Just pull it right out.

It comes right out.

And then the good stuff is in the head.

- Oh, woo.

- That's, that's the flavor.

Now a lot of people won't do that.

They do it a different way.

They'll peel it and they'll crack it down the middle and pull every bit off.

- Little piece.

- Yeah.

- That's lot of work.

- Which to me, yeah.

So I'd rather do it this way.

The way that I showed you first, it's quicker faster.

- You're the pro.

I'm a newbie.

- Can't forget the good stuff though.

- Oh, I can't forget the good stuff.

I'm in for the good stuff.

Here I go.

- That's where all the flavor's at.

- And any way you eat it, crawfish is super important to the people here in Lafayette.

Here in Lafayette, Louisiana, sometimes the old ways become new again.

Boucherie, the Cajun art of communal butchering is part of years of community tradition here in Eunice, Louisiana.

It's not just a tradition, but a way of life.

Boucherie is an authentic combination of the historic Acadian culture and cuisine.

- A Boucherie is a Cajun tradition.

It's been around for many, many years.

We have dishes such as fraisers, Boudin, Cracklins.

We do ribs, we do paus.

It's a joke, it's a running joke in our culture that we use every piece of the pig, but the oink.

I think it's all about the community and just the families, all the way from Papa, to Mama, to the aunts and uncles, to the kids, and the little ones stirring the pot.

I'd have to say that'd probably be my favorite as well, is just everybody coming together, working together for delicious meal for everyone to enjoy.

We get visitors from all over Louisiana, Texas, we have some from Canada, some from France here this weekend and all parts of the world.

And we're just excited and thrilled to be able to share that part of our culture with everyone else here.

- This is a homecoming.

This is all about this community preserving our traditions here in Louisiana.

It's an eclectic collection of different culinary traditions and we celebrate all of that right here.

A lot of the recipes that we use and everything, it's a celebration of all those combined.

- And this celebration doesn't end with a meal.

It continues with music and dance.

And lucky for me, I have an expert leading me on the dance floor to learn the Cajun two-step and the Cajun Waltz.

Meet Jason Keys, who showed me a thing or two.

- [Jason] I love Louisiana because I grew up here running around in the marsh and the swamps, fishing and hunting, raised off the land and being the salt of the earth.

We got it pretty good here in South Louisiana.

Great music, great food, great dancing, good times.

Y'all come on down.

You ready for this?

- I'm ready.

Let's make it happen.

(Cajun music playing) - Oh my gosh.

Thank you for putting op with me two-steppin'.

But tell me why this is important to the culture here.

- Well, we love to celebrate life in Louisiana, and dancin' is a great way to express that, but it's only really a small portion of what Louisiana is.

You know, it's our food and our music, that make it what it is, along with the dance.

Dancing would be nothing without our Cajun music and our Cajun food.

We're big on culture, we're big on feeding, people and sharing our food.

And that brings people together.

And then we celebrate with the music and the dance.

And it's just, it's home to me.

And it's what I love about our friendly people here in South Louisiana.

- Well, it is a gift to me.

And I have to tell you, it is a celebration of life here and that's why I love it.

Oh, I could cry.

Alright, I think I might wanna dance one more time.

Can we do that?

He's gonna put up with me though.

Okay, let's try this again.

- Let's do it again.

- Good Lord.

The poor man.

All right.

(cajun music begins again) I think I got it!

Maybe.

And it wouldn't be a trip to Lafayette without a little Mardi Gras celebration.

We followed the party as it went from country to city.

Honoring this day with all the locals.

(crowd cheering) You know, when I came to Lafayette, I wanted to experience the real Cajun culture.

And nothing is more authentic than a Courir.

Welcomed by family and friends, the Courir de Mardi Gras is a special tradition that reflects the commitment to community that defines Lafayette, Louisiana.

A parade and Fat Tuesday run with costumes, mask, and rivalry, completed our stay in one of the most colorful places on Earth.

This has been the most amazing thing I've been a part of.

I cannot thank you enough, but I wanna know more about this and your role as Capitaine.

- I'm just here to make sure all our Mardi Gras' stay in line and do what they're here to do.

Which is to gather ingredients for our gumbo.

The Courir started out as a take on the French tradition of Mardi Gras, going from house to house at your neighbors and your community, and asking for ingredients for a meal so that you can all celebrate together.

- But you're in charge?

- Yeah.

- Tell us what I should do.

- Dance, have fun, eat.

'Cause you have to lay low for 40 days for Lent.

(upbeat instrumental music) (crowd cheering) - An exuberance of life, love and culture surrounds you in Lafayette.

A perfect place to take the family for a wild ride full of culture and history.

Lafayette was all heart.

From the food to the festivities, we had an unforgettable experience.

Thanks for watching Family Travel.

I'm Colleen Kelly.

Enjoy making memories on your next family vacation.

Courir.

- Courir.

- Did I say that right?

- Yeah.

- Courir.

I need like another month here, right?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

I can stay here for another month.

- We're gonna get you on the band.

You can be one of the Chubettes.

- I've always wanted to be a Chubette.

You just gotta be ready to go.

- You do.

Most times if I'm eating them, I'm gonna have a bib on.

- I think I just have to have one.

- Definitely white is not the color to wear when you eat craw.

- I'm trying here.

- You have a little.

- Oh, I'm glad you told me that, yeah.

- Yeah there you go.

- A little mess.

- Am I okay?

- Yeah, you're good.

- One more.

Family Travel with Colleen Kelly is sponsored by (exciting instrumental music) - Ted Tetzlaff.

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