Degas House Wins "2013 Best of Weddings" Award from The Knot

Degas House is pleased to announce that it has received the "2013 Best of Weddings" award from TheKnot.com.  Degas House was chosen for this award by brides who recommended it as an exceptional wedding and reception venue, and it was an editorial pick from The Knot offices in New York.  The award is difficult to obtain due to fierce competition and Degas House is proud to have been selected to receive this honor.

Degas House is located on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans.  It was the New Orleans' home to the French Impressionist Master Edgar Degas.  The Degas House Historic Home and Bed & Breakfast is a masterpiece of history and hospitality.  It is the only home or studio of Degas anywhere in the world that is open to the public, beautifully restored and located on majestic Esplanade Avenue, just eleven blocks from the famous New Orleans French Quarter.  (504) 821-5009 or (800) 755-6730.

The Caldwell House in Abbeville Wins Award

The Caldwell House Bed and Breakfast in Abbeville, La. has received the designation of "Official Best

Small Town Inn in Louisiana for 2013".  Producers of Official Best Of observed that The Caldwell House represents the historic style, scenic surroundings and peaceful ambiance that typify the Acadiana region of Louisiana.  Offering its guests spacious rooms, gourmet breakfasts and special event venues, The Caldwell earned its place as "Official Best Small Town Inn in Louisiana" for 2013.  A featured presentation of The Caldwell House on the travel show Official Best of Louisiana 2013 aired on The Discovery Channel and on various TV stations throughout the country, and the segment is posted on the national travel site, www.OfficialBestOf.com/Louisiana.  Click here to view video.

In the segment, owners, Mark and Darlene Frederick, narrate the video tour of The Caldwell House and property, describing features of this 106 year old villa and inviting visitors to "Explore the French heritage and charm of Abbeville, home of the annual Giant Omelette Festival."

“Swamp People” a Plus for LaBelle Riviere Bed and Breakfast

The TV episode “Swamp People” which airs on the History Channel, has been good for at least one

Louisiana bed and breakfast.  La Belle Riviere Bed and Breakfast in Belle River is located near where some of the filming takes place. Since “Swamp People” was first aired, guests have been calling La Belle Riviere to book rooms, hoping that they could watch the filming or at least see the location in which it was filmed. If this subject interests you, the owner, Carol Aucoin, would love to give you this and any other information you may need. 

Upcoming episodes are: April 18, April 19th and April 25th. Check your local listings for show times. 

La Belle Riviere Bed and Breakfast provides comfortable lodging along the beautiful Belle River. The innkeepers speak English and French and will do all they can to assure you the perfect “Cajun experience”.

(swamp photo courtesy of http://coreenamcburnie.blogspot.com)

Historic House Tour, Pointe Coupee Parish (repost)

This Weekend:  Saturday, April 13 from 10 am to 3 pm.  Click here for information.

Rhythms on the River, Morgan City

Rhythms on the River, Morgan City, is a live music series held for nine weeks every Friday beginning after Easter each spring. The dates for this spring are: April 5, 12, 19, 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2013. Performances will take place in historic downtown Morgan City on Front Street between Everett and Freret Strets. Each week's live performance will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. This year's line-up is as follows:

Don Rich, a Pierre Part native, will kick off this year’s Rhythms on the River with a performance of Cajun Swamp Pop on April 5th. The second performance on April 12th, will be music by Nik L Beer. These guys will jam golden oldies, Zydeco, soul, Motown, country, old-school funk, swamp pop and Cajun music. South 70, a seven piece band, will perform on April 19th. South 70 will get your toes tapping to a mixture of Zydeco, swamp pop, Cajun, country and more! Krossfyre will perform on April 26th. Krossfyre is the ultimate live R & B Funk experience, playing 50s Rock and Roll, 60s Soul, 70s Funk through today’s Hip Hop hits.

T K Hulin will perform on May 3rd. T K Hulin has become a Louisiana legend and major figure in the music industry with a signing career that spans almost 50 years. On May 10th, Jamie Bergeron will take the stage with a lively performance of Cajun/Zydeco music along the river. Grammy Award Winner, Chubby Carrier, will perform on May 17th. His band is Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band and they won a Grammy Award in 2011 for Best Zydeco Album. The Good Feelin Band will perform on May 24th. This band is a very popular band in the south and has kept the audience dancing since 1977. Déjà Vu will perform on May 31st. This five piece band calls South Louisiana home and has a diverse musical background making them the perfect variety cover band. They will entertain the crowd with Motown, country, disco, rock, 80s, 90s and dance music.

Rhythms on the River is FREE outdoor entertainment presented by Morgan City Main Street and sponsored by Café Jo Jo’s who will be offering food, and drink concessions, the St. Mary Parish Chamber of Commerce and the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau. Please no ice chests. For more information contact 985-384-9291 or 985-380-3693.

Please consider staying at one of our Louisiana Bed and Breakfast Inns while attending Rhythms on the River, Morgan City.

Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, 2013

The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival will take place this year on May 3, 4, and 5, 2013. All Louisiana festivals include the food we are famous for, and this festival celebrates the "Crawfish" (pronounced "craw" fish, not "cray" fish) .  Taste crawfish prepared in every imaginable way!

It has become one of the largest gatherings of Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop musicians during the 3 days of the festival.  The festival is held in Parc Hardy in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Over 30 bands will perform during the 3 days of the event.  Other events include accordion making, Cajun and Zydeco dancing and contests, cooking demonstrations, crawfish races, and a crawfish etouffee cook-off.  Handcrafted and novelty arts, crafts and specialty items will also be available.  Enjoy rides and games at a carnival midway.  And don't miss the crawfish eating contest -- join us, if you dare!

No festival in Louisiana is complete without a parade, and the Crawfish Festival's parade honors the Crawfish Queen who rules over the festivities along with her King, Junior Royalty and Ecrevettes.  It also includes Cajun family bands marching bands, and festive floats.

For a printable schedule of events and bands, click here.

Country Charm B&B

During the festival, please consider staying at Country Charm Bed and Breakfast in Breaux Bridge, located only 5 miles from Parc Hardy. This bed and breakfast, featured in Southern Living, is a haven of rest in the shade of century-old oak trees. Delightful accommodations include Jacuzzi suites, private fishing lake and boats. Make your reservations now. Call 337-322-3616 or email countrycharmbb@aol.com.

23rd Annual Cypress Sawmill Festival, Patterson, La.

The Cypress Sawmill Festival will  hold its 23rd annual celebration at Kemper Williams Park in Patterson, Louisiana, April 5th - 7th, 2013.  This family-friendly festival features professional lumberjack shows, chainsaw carving, a cypress sawmill display, golf, fishing and softball tournaments, a passe partout (2-person saw) contest, arts and crafts, classic car and truck show, street fair with rides and games, a fun walk, a gumbo cook-off and food and drink booths, Zoo-Zoom (an exotic traveling petting zoo), an old engine display, and a fireworks salute to support services.  Many, many more events (too numerous to mention here) are planned.  For more information, visit www.cypresssawmill.com.  For a complete schedule of events, contact the Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau at 985-395-4905, 800-256-2931, or visit www.cajuncoast.com/cypresssawmill.