LAFAYETTE, La. — Fifty miles down the Vermilion River, just you, a canoe, local foods and lots of sights.
"You get introduced to the food, to the music, to the people, to their way of thinking...you're learning it without even realizing it," said 'Chilly' Billy Howell, a three-time voyager.
The journey begins at the the Acadiana Park Nature Station, but the voyagers' first major stop will be at Vermilionville, where they will enjoy lunch and a tour of the village, learning about the history of Acadiana and, especially, the Vermilion River.
"Lafayette, as a city, would not be here if this body of water were not here," said Brady McKellar, managing director for Bayou Vermilion District. "We can go back thousands and thousands of years and look at research that talks about how this body of water was used by the indigenous people."
From Vermilionville, the trip continues to Southside Park, where the voyagers will camp for the night.
"We pitch our tents, and we get to have just incredible gumbo and conversation," Howell said.
The next morning, the crew heads off to Vermilion Parish, where they will stop at Richard Sales Barn and, on the third day, end the trip with an 11-mile paddle to Palmetto Island State Park.
"This is really one of the only, if not the only, trips where people can come and go on an extended journey along the bayou," McKellar said.
The trip, put on by Lafayette Travel and the Bayou Vermilion District, will take place on March 22-24. Registration costs $350 and includes paddle craft, life jacket, guide, shuttle service, insurance costs, gear transport, breakfast, lunch, dinner and some beverages and evening entertainment.
For more information about the Vermilion Voyage or to find out how to register, visit Lafayette Travel's webpage.
