Mankind unleashed the power of the grape 5,000 years ago and has been looking for the perfect place to enjoy the libations of Dionysus ever since—preferably someplace off the beaten path, away from prying eyes where excessive frivolity won’t bother the neighbors. Maybe something with a tin roof, a dance floor, jukebox, traveling troubadours, lots of air-conditioning and willy-nilly parking.
It’s no wonder Clarence the Cajun DJ nominated Angelle’s Whiskey River Landing in Henderson and Country Roads readers chose it as their number one dancehall.
Henderson has long been the home of the hideaway hangout. Just a boat ride away from the bootlegger port of Whiskey Bay, the atmosphere of the Whiskey River Landing is an uncommon mix of outlaw chic, Cajun bad boys/girls, and urban hipness.
It’s a place where young/old, party people/vicarious spectator, Frenchmen/Americaines and country/zydeco/rock/chanky-chank music maintain a symbiotic balance.
Set along the Western Atchafalaya River Protection Levee on the waterfront side of Henderson Lake, the ramshackle Whiskey River dancehall embodies the finest traditions of honky-tonks, roadhouses and juke joints. The club itself is built on pilings ten feet above the high water line of the great flood of 2012. (In Henderson, they know how to plan for high water.) When the joint gets to rocking on a Sunday afternoon, you can almost see the water below rippling from the dancing vibrations above. The dance floor is plywood and polished smooth from thousands of dancing cowboy boots. The ceiling is low to focus the music and to keep the atmosphere in. While most clubs are dark and mysterious, the Whiskey River is bright and airy. Large windows provide a panoramic view of the Atchafalaya Basin and overheated dancers can take a break outside along the water’s edge. Of course, Whiskey River is primarily a boat landing and thousands of fishermen, boaters and skiers use the facilities to catch bass, sac-a-lait, tans and nature, especially during the hot summer months.
Louisiana is not called the Sportsman’s Paradise for nothing, and if you’re a sport, there’s no better place to let the good times roll than Angelle’s Whiskey River Landing in the heart of St. Martin Parish.
Angelle’s Whiskey River 1365 Henderson Levee Road Henderson, LA (337) 228-2277 whiskeyriverlanding.net
Clarence Moritz Jr. is the host of a Cajun radio show on WBRH 90.3 FM Saturdays from 7 pm–9 pm. He supports the Cajun and zydeco music scene in Baton Rouge and Louisiana through networking, hosting Cajun music jam sessions, dancing and publicizing Cajun/zydeco events. He posts schedules of events at this website cajunradio.org and through an e-mail list. Clarence is a computer programmer by trade and promotes the music of our culture as a hobby of passion.
Other nominees were:
Baton Rouge Cajun French Music Association Dances Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette Fred’s Lounge in Mamou Rendezvous des Cajuns in Eunice Tipitina’s Nightclub in New Orleans
