Sharing Space

I wrapped my fingers around a steaming cup of coffee and breathed in the earthy comfort. Around my kitchen table in Lafayette sat a Swedish journalist in town to write about zydeco, a New Orleans lawyer, a young Parisian expat, two members of a bluegrass band out of Louisville, Kentucky, and a mature couple from Austin, Texas, who couldn’t wait to dance their way around Festivals Acadiens. As guests yawned their way into my kitchen to pour their own cups, the conversation ranged from politics, social issues, and oil to rap music, cold-brewed coffee, and the rise of the selfie stick.

I thought to myself, if not for Airbnb, where and when would I ever have a conversation like this one?

If you’ve never heard of Airbnb, it’s a company that connects travelers with rentable vacation space via the website airbnb.com. The spaces are rented from regular people, sometimes in the hosts’ homes themselves. If you have heard of Airbnb but haven’t used it, take a cue from the seventeen million users who traveled just last summer. According to a travel report posted on the company’s website, in the summer of 2010, there were a mere 47,000 users. Five years later, there were fifty million. That’s fast growth for a company that started when two college students in San Francisco (Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky) rented out a few air mattresses to conference-goers in 2007.

Sure, you can still find an air mattress to rent—or a couch, bunk, houseboat, or mansion if that’s what you want—but you can also rent a room from locals who will help you see South Louisiana with new eyes: these are people who run community events, artists who’ve sculpted their homes up out of the bayou, transplants who were drawn to the magic of Louisiana themselves. Imagine seeing Lafayette anew from the eyes of a school teacher or attending the Madisonville Wooden Boat Show with a woman from just up the bayou. You may have visited some of South Louisiana’s best sights, but chances are you don’t know about all the hidden nooks and treasures that locals do. Airbnb offers the chance to rectify that.

According to Airbnb, ninety-one percent of travelers want to “live like a local,” data that confirms my own experiences. As a traveler myself, it’s always people I meet that make a trip truly unique, and among my own Airbnb guests, moments spent in conversation over a morning brew show up in rave reviews just as often as recommendations for the best local attractions. I like to think of the phenomenon as an economy of shared journeys. And with other shared economy platforms like Uber (driving services), NeighborGoods (household items), and Lending Club (personal financing), it looks like we’ll be sharing a lot more than just a bit of extra space.

Below are a few South Louisiana gems—recommended for their beautiful environs, novel architecture, and user testimonials—as escapes that might provide you a new view of home.

An Ultimate Home Near Baton Rouge

Photo by Mark Bienvenu

The Palmetto House offers a luxurious getaway that has literally been sculpted over a swamp outside Baton Rouge. This gorgeous, detailed home features artisan furniture and original sculpture, designed and handmade by the owners. In fact, the home is so spectacular that it’s been featured on The Discovery Channel’s Ultimate Homes.

The Palmetto House started out as a bridge, eventually growing into the one-bedroom, treehouse-like haven for artists and nature lovers that it is today. Hosts Sarah and Rigsby Frederick are Louisiana natives who love sharing their swampy slice of heaven. “I’ve been really amazed at how many people across the world are intrigued by the Deep South, by Louisiana,” said Sarah. “It truly has a mystical, kind of magical, persona, and I really enjoy being able to look at it through other people’s eyes.”

Whirlwind of a Time in Opelousas

Originally from San Francisco, Jim Phillips and Christy Leichty fell in love with Acadian music, dance, and performance over decades of travel. Today, they are active members of the arts community in Lafayette as founders of the Steampunk and Makers Fair, owners of the Whirlybird honky-tonk dance hall and teachers at Cité des Arts. “The activities that we have relate to the kind of community that we want to live in,” said Jim, who also runs an active organic farm on Stonewood, their circa 1899 plantation. “We see Airbnb as part of our sustainable life.”

The Phillips offer several listings at their Opelousas property, including rooms in their beautifully-designed Whirlybird Barn and a ‘66 Fireball Camper with its own wicker gazebo. At Stonewood, The Red Room features antiques from the Far East while the Frida Kahlo Room displays Central American folk art.

On the Bayou in Madisonville

Photo by Abby Sands Miller

Melissa Shaw’s family-friendly Bayou Camp sits on the Bayou De Zaire and has room for four guests to fish off the deck, experience the Madisonville Wooden Boat Show, birdwatch from the upper balcony, or just sit on the porch in rocking chairs overlooking the bayou. From the red vintage refrigerator and pedestal bathroom sink to a throw pillow that proudly proclaims, “Hey Y’all,” Bayou Camp has a comfortable, nostalgic feel.

Melissa herself is a Superhost, a rare designation that requires impeccable online reviews, among other criteria. She said earning the distinction “was like being a movie star who just got her name on Hollywood Boulevard.” Her Airbnb profile proudly displays a colorful medal. “I worked from nothing and got to that in a little over a year, and all it was was making people happy.”

Private Retreat Near Arnaudville

Photo courtesy of Bill Matthews

A private room and ten bayou-front acres await Arnaudville travelers. Bill Matthews’ home features reclaimed cypress lumber, recycled doors, and art pieces made from Katrina debris. Enjoy contemporary style within a traditional Acadian home as well as live oaks and bamboo from the second-floor deck.

Known as the Bayou Bourbeau Bungalow, this unique home was featured in Acadiana Living magazine and is just eighteen miles from downtown Lafayette—the perfect distance between the heart of the city and peaceful wilderness, said Bill. “I don’t host for the money,” he said. “I do it because I have a great house, and I like to share that.”

Bill has two Airbnb listings for his home, with the option to rent the whole five-bedroom, four-bath home when available. He’s also one heck of a cook and knows his way around a wood-fire pizza oven and paella pan.

The Basics

Booking with Airbnb is easy. Visit the website (airbnb.com) to access thousands of listings from hosts in Louisiana, Mississippi, or anywhere else for that matter. Each listing describes amenities, an approximate location, and pricing as well as provides photos. Hosts describe their home, things to do, and what to expect upon arrival. Travelers can send them questions and read reviews from previous guests.

Create a profile to request a reservation. If the host approves it, Airbnb holds your money in a sort of escrow until your stay begins, to ensure that the host provides what has been promised. Easy as crawfish pie.