Location: Raceland
Top Things to do in Raceland
Top 10 Things to do in Raceland, United States
Raceland is a census-designated place (CDP) on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 10,224 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Restaurants in Raceland
1. Acadian Cultural Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 67 reviews
Worth a visit to learn about the sights and life in the area.
Reviewed By travelerS_Korea - S.Korea
The center offers a range of tours, in addition to their displays of Acadian life in this part of Louisiana. I especially liked the boats hand-hewn from large logs that are displayed, and there are recordings of Acadians speaking their version of French, which is pretty difficult to understand even if you speak standard French (many locals speak a sort of "dialect," which will take a while to get comfortable with). On Monday evenings they have a Cajun jam, which was interesting as the types of songs, the varieties of accordions used and some other aspects of their history were mentioned, including the attempt by Huey Long to suppress the French language (and the German as well). Now French-immersion schools are throughout New Orleans and elsewhere, so clearly a cultural corner has been turned. There's a nice board walk with seats along the bayou, with varieties of ducks and occasional other critters to see.
2. Laura Plantation: Louisiana's Creole Heritage Site
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Go beyond the myths of the American South and explore the complex and intimate relationships of 4 generations of one Louisiana Creole family, both free and enslaved. Laura’s new, permanent exhibit examines in biographical detail the lives of Africans on the plantation, from enslavement into the 20th century. In the heart of Plantation Country on the Mississippi River, the fully guided experience includes the Big House, gardens & original 1840s slave cabins. Laura is open daily from 9:30AM - 5PM except for major holidays. The first tour of the day begins at 10AM with tours beginning approximately every 40 minutes thereafter until the last tour of the day at 4PM. Before or after your Laura tour, enjoy authentic, homestyle Cajun and Creole food at B&C Seafood Market and Cajun Restaurant right next door.
Reviewed By Amberlee W - Columbus, Ohio
Stephen our tour guide was awesome! Yes he talked fast and moved on quickly, but he was still great. He explained things as he could as I am sure they are on a time limit and there were other tours right behind us. The history was interesting and the home beautiful and sad. It was a good time and I recommend it.
3. Zam's Bayou Swamp Tours
Overall Ratings
4 based on 77 reviews
A Cajun bayou swamp tour only accessible by boat. See alligators, turtles, birds, fur-bearing animals. French-speaking guides available. A gift shop is available, and an on-site Cajun restaurant is open on weekends. Large groups are also welcome with advance reservations.
Reviewed By Diana1947 - Loveland, Colorado, United States
We really enjoyed our tour with Zeke. He was funny, intelligent, informative about the area, the animals and the life of a cajun. We will come back again when in the area and recommend it to anyone seeking entertainment and honest people.
4. Swamp Adventures LLC
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 194 reviews
Reviewed By MatinicusRock - Pasadena
I was referred to this outfit from another tour company who couldn't accommodate me. I was in an airboat with a family of 5, with Captain Rodney at the helm. Rodney is a fantastic character, whose family roots go back to the late 1600's in the New Orleans area, before that from Canada so a true Cajun. He deftly looks us around the maze of waterways that make up the Bayou, pointing out not only alligators but white Egrets, giant crickets called "Devil's Horsemen," spiders that are harvested for their silk, and kept us laughing by calling his favorite gators to the boat with his heavy Creole accent.
According to Rodney, it is illegal in the State of Louisiana to feed alligators, but because Swamp Adventures sits on their own property, they allow their guests to feed them, which if you can believe it, is highly entertaining. Rodney would put a chicken leg on a hook on the edge of a homemade fishing pole, and dangle it over the edge of the airboat until a gator would swim up and snap it off the hook with it's powerful jaws. He even coaxed a gator up onto the boat a couple of times! I was of two minds about this practice, but as there is no scarcity of gators in these swamps, I ended up deciding it was okay.
I recommend Swam Adventures not only because of Rodney, but also because their boats are small making for a more intimate experience, and fast, which provides for nice breezes on searing hot summer days. We didn't see anyone else on our tour, so it really felt like we had the swamp to ourselves, and the sense of scale is overwhelming - the swamp is huge!
5. Airboat Tours
Overall Ratings
5 based on 317 reviews
Reviewed By Melissa A
Was good to see a number of local crocodiles. We would of preferred more information about area, what makes it special, more about crocodiles and other species and plants in area. Tour is geared towards entertaining visitors so if you go to sea world and zoo's this is tour for you. Was a bit expensive but relative to other tours in area.
6. Ardoyne Plantation
Overall Ratings
5 based on 61 reviews
OPEN FOR HISTORICAL HOME TOURS AND EVENT RENTALS. Ardoyne is a Victorian Gothic sugarcane plantation house situated along Little Bayou Black (Hwy 311) 5 miles north of Houma, Louisiana. Built in 1894, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as possibly the largest & most elaborate remaining example of rural Victorian Gothic architecture in the state. It offers visitors a unique, historical glimpse into the past as direct descendants of the original owner (state senator John Dalton Shaffer) still reside in the home. The house is filled with original furniture and antiques. Family has ties to Stephen Minor, George Washington, Nellie Custis, Robert E. Lee, as well as, Magnolia Plantation, Crescent Farm and Southdown Plantation all along Little Bayou Black.
Reviewed By Taylor B - Chicago, Illinois
Ardoyne Plantation isn't an antebellum property. Most of the historic houses in the Louisiana's River Road area, from Oak Alley to Destrehan to Houmas House to San Francisco to Evergreen, were constructed prior to the Civil War. But Ardoyne was built in 1894. Still, the Gothic Revival-style house and the 350-acre property are a joy to behold and a must-see attraction that takes you back to the grace and charm of the Victorian or Gilded Age era. Located on Highway 311 in Schriever, Louisiana, just northwest of Houma, it was built by John Dalton Shaffer, a Louisiana State Senator and third generation sugar cane farmer, on a 20-acre tract of land overlooking Bayou Black. Immigrant workers harvested the cypress and pine trees from the land to provide the construction lumber for the house. Set in a cluster of live oak trees, the two-story house stands starkly different than other homes of the 1890s. The architecture style captures your attention. As seen from the front, there is a 75-foot tower at the left and two high gables. The tower is "iced" with fine mill work commonly referred to as "gingerbread," which is continued around the top of the gables. The steep roof line accentuates the tower and gables. The entrance porch is supported by square wooden columns, bannisters and high, walk-in windows. The woodwork for the house, which was milled from the trees on the property, is present in every room. Floors, walls, ceilings and molding are all native wood. There is a 75-foot-long hallway leads to a curving cypress stairwell that leads to the second floor. Each room is spacious and lit by chandeliers of crystal and brass. Each room is a mini-museum of fine furniture, paintings and other family and era specific heirlooms from the family's past. Ardoyne has been in the Shaffer family for six generations and all have had a hand in maintaining the family's legacy. Visitors an see Louisiana cypress knee dolls, 300 antique travel spoons, plantation workers' pay tokens, antique quilts and needlework, new bomb pottery, over 2,000 books, wood carvings and many other items original to the plantation, which has been used as a set location for several motion pictures and television shows and continues to be an active sugar cane producer. While the current owners live on the second floor of the house, the remainder of the property is open for tours from Tuesday through Saturday. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
7. Lucky 13 Curio
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Lucky 13 Curio is a traditional Hoodoo shop nestled deep in the bayou regions of South Louisiana. Located in the small town of Mathews, Lucky 13 Curio sits in a 100 year old Cajun home that has been in our family for generations. The shop itself acts as a spiritual center for the local and surrounding communities, as well as people from all over the world. Not only does Lucky 13 Curio offer a full line of traditional Louisiana Hoodoo products such as sprinkling powders, oils, candles, incense and herbs, we also offer a full spectrum of spiritual services for whatever you may need. Lucky 13 Curio is home to the legendary Hoodoo team - Monte and Gypsy. Both of them are authors, screenwriters and traditional Bayou Root Workers and together they provide hoodoo services to clients around the world. Monte and Gypsy were both born and raised in South Louisiana and are steeped in the local lore and practices of Hoodoo folk magic. Our line of products are 100% authentic and are created from formulas that date back 115 years.
Reviewed By Angie D - Houma, Louisiana
This is a real gem of the bayous! Stumbled across this place while staying at the Holiday Inn Express. Saw a brochure and decided to give it a go! Was I surprised! This is a real Cajun family of Hoodoo workers dating back over 100 years! This place is everything is promises to be! I can't say enough good stuff. The owners are a fountain of knowledge and some of the most uncanny readers I have ever experienced!
8. Pointe-Aux-Chenes Wildlife Refuge
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Intlxpatr - Pensacola, Florida
Do you want to see Cajun Louisiana as it still exists today? Program your smart phone for Pointe-Aux-Chenes Wildlife Refuge and drive all the way to the very end of driveable Louisiana. One of the local residents in this isolated area told us there are even more isolated settlements on some low lying areas only accessible by boat, but we were happy just having driven to the end of the road.
When you start this drive, you are driving by charming houses along a bayou/canal, and at some point you find that it has turned into Gulf waters on both sides of the tiny little spit you are on, and the houses are built high on stilts.
Take a side drive into Point-Aux-Chiens tribal area, where subsistence fishing, oystering, shrimping and hunting are still major occupations, then back to 665 to drive all the way to the little pier at the end of the road where you can watch eagles soaring, egrets hunting, mullet jumping, porpoises frolicking and some small marsh ponies cropping across the bayou. If you can get there around sunset (have your insect repellant handy), the light is gorgeous and all this activity is happening at once. It is a feast for the eyes and for the senses, one of the most beautiful places on earth.
9. Houma Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Overall Ratings
5 based on 79 reviews
Less than an hour south of New Orleans, the Houma area offers authentic Cajun Culture, outdoor adventure, beautiful views of the bayou, world-class fishing, and mouth-watering cuisine. The Houma Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is your first stop for information on Louisiana's Bayou Country and making the most out of your stay.
Reviewed By 56Model - Clanton, Alabama
We had a wonderful weekend in Houma just riding through the wetlands and Geocaching. We enjoyed much good food and our hotel was excellent.
10. Regional Military Museum
Overall Ratings
5 based on 57 reviews
Our museum is dedicated to the brave men and women throughout our country’s history who have defended our great nation, at home and abroad. The goal of the Regional Military Museum is to commemorate their sacrifices made in behalf of all Americans – past, present, and future. Please visit our website to learn more or stop in for a visit.
Reviewed By JamesD20 - Houston, Texas
The Regional Military Museum exemplifies the Military Pride and Traditions of this area of Louisiana. From the engraved bricks of regional veterans to the personal pride of the volunteer dolcents, who lived the military histroy, military service is honored.
There is a small static exhibit of military equipment but the personal history is in the personable tours. Outstanding! This is a great regional tribute to the 1% of Americans that often made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom.
I've been visiting in Houma for the past six years and the Military Museum continues to improve each year. Take the guided tour.
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