Many of our roads in Acadiana follow the paths of the landscape. This includes LA 31, also known as the Main Highway in St. Martin Parish. Those roads connect the cities and towns, but rivers and bayous were our first roads. LA 31 certainly follows along Bayou Teche, and it's a beautiful drive.
Start in Arnaudville and pay a visit to the Bayou Teche Brewing. They're still open during the pandemic Thursday through Sunday. Grab a cold one and something to eat! If your belly isn't full yet, you can continue southward and grab some boudin and cracklins at Poche's.
Breaux Bridge will be your next stop. It's the Crawfish Capital of the World! If you skipped out on earlier dining, you'll find plenty of choices downtown. If it's shopping you want, Breaux Bridge has antiques, antiques, and more antiques! You can then relax for a while at Parc de Pont Breaux and watch the slow moving waters of the Bayou Teche.
It's always fun to take a detour to Lake Martin as you're heading toward Parks. Then on to St. Martinville. The Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site is open daily. It's the oldest state historic site and is the place where you'll see how all of Louisiana's diversity came together.
Interpretive Ranger, Philip Frey says, "We focus very much on agriculture and average daily life in the 19th century. So we sort of show what life was like for a Creole slave, a Creole plantation owner, for an Acadian farmer and we do a lot of living history demonstrations."
Downtown St. Martinville continues to be restored near St. Martin du Tours Church. You can visit the statue of Evangeline and Evangeline Oak Park. Unfortunately, the African American Museum and the Acadian Memorial are closed due to the pandemic.
Leaving St. Martinville, LA 31 straightens out, just like Bayou Teche. You'll go past the historic Keystone Locks, under beautiful oaks, and along side sugar cane fields as far as the eye can see.
