In St. Martinville, you stand at the epicenter of Cajun history, as well as Cajun lore. It only makes sense to begin your day—especially in the magic of an early morning sunrise—in Oak and Pine Alley. This stunning, three-mile drive, flanked by centuries-old native oaks and pines, rises grandly out of surrounding, flat farmland along La. 96. The trees were planted around 1829 by people enslaved by plantation owner Charles Jerome Durand. According to local legend, two of Durands’ daughters were married on the family property in a wedding whose extravagance “rivaled Versailles”. For the brides’ procession down the alley, Durand had his enslaved laborers collect spiderweb, coat it in gold and silver, and drape it from the trees.
Salmon Bagel from Studio Gallery & Coffee Bar
After a scenic drive along the alley, make your way to downtown St. Martinville. Breakfast is at The Studio Gallery and Coffee Bar, a family-owned coffee shop that displays rotating exhibitions of local art. Order French Press coffee with a croissant melt, or a cappuccino with the quiche of the day—and listen in to the quiet chatter of a small town starting its morning. If you haven’t already, take a moment to download St. Martinville Chamber of Commerce’s “Walk with Evangeline Tour” Brochure on the St. Martin Parish Tourism website, and order a coffee to go.
Evangeline Oak
The self-guided walking tour provides a comprehensive introduction to the history of the Acadian people, whose descendants are the Cajuns who make up much of St. Martin Parish’s population. Beginning down the street at Maison Duchamp, the tour (which consists of about .3 miles and can easily be completed within thirty to forty-five minutes) follows nine historic markers. They recount the arrival of the French colonists in the region that would come to be called Acadia in 1604. 150 years later, those French Acadian settlers would be expelled from their homes, and many of them would find refuge in St. Martinville, Louisiana. This true story has been mythologized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the poem Evangeline, for which the street you’re walking on is named. One tour stop is at the Evangeline Oak—which is extolled in Acadian legend, said to be the place where Longfellow’s heroine Evangeline was reunited with Gabriel, her beloved.
Mural entitled “The Arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana” by Robert Dafford, at the Acadian Memorial
After completing your tour, explore how contemporary Cajuns honor the memory of their ancestors at the Museum of the Acadians, housed in the St. Martinville Cultural Heritage Center. Inside, you can learn more about the Acadian odyssey that was the 1755 Grand Dérangement—which forced thousands of Acadian families from their homes, disbursing them across the world. The Quilters Guild Acadienne’s quilt visually depicts this saga. Next door is the Acadian Memorial, which features a mural by local artist Robert Dafford illustrating the arrival of the refugees in Louisiana. Several of the models for the painting were direct descendants of the real figures they represent—whose names are listed on the Wall of Names among the approximately 3,000 refugees who made Louisiana their home.
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St. Martinville African American Museum
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St. Martinville African American Museum
Also in the Cultural Heritage Center is the St. Martinville African American Museum, which places beside the history of the Acadians’ forced removal from their home the harrowing history of the region’s African Americans, whose ancestors arrived via the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The museum’s story extends back before this, though, educating on the Wolof, Bambara, and Mandigo tribes—and who they were in Africa before being enslaved in America. The museum also highlights important free people of color who came to live in this area, and civil rights figures like Louis A. Martinet, who was born enslaved and later became a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
Walk back down Evangeline Boulevard to Port Street for a quick, and oh-so-satisfying lunch at local institution, the Cajun Corner Café—which offers daily specials like meatballs and gravy, smothered pork chops, shrimp stew, catfish sauce piquante and various other local delicacies.
Longfellow-Evengeline State Historic Site
Complete your Acadian history tour at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site a short drive from downtown St. Martinville. Historically, this National Historic Landmark was part of the hunting grounds of the native Attakapas-Ishak people, before the Acadians began herding cattle here in 1765. Since then, the area has been influenced by Creoles, Frenchman, Spaniards, enslaved Africans, and free people of color. The house was built in 1815 for plantation owner Pierre Olivier Duclozel de Vezin and is a prime example of a raised Creole cottage. Onsite is also a reproduction of a traditional early 19th century Acadian homestead, featuring a modest family home, slave quarters, and a barn.
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Belle Ecorce Farms
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Goat cheese from Belle Ecorce Farms
When you’ve absorbed enough history, spend time getting your hands dirty. If you’re visiting in spring, head to St. Rose Flower Farm to pick your own bouquet, or visit the folks at Belle Ecorce Farms, with their exotic birds, miniature horses, chickens, geese, and ducks—as well as a working goat dairy, called Tres Belle Chevre. A tour introduces the ins and outs of goat farming, and provides the opportunity to help feed baby goats and taste the freshest goat cheese.
The St. John Restaurant
End your St. Martinville day with dinner at The St. John Restaurant. Go at twilight when the lights inside an ice house-turned-greenhouse put forth an enchanting glow—drawing you into the former pecan warehouse for fresh-caught seafood, hydroponically-grown vegetables, or some of the best steak you’ve ever tasted.
More ideas for your next trip to St. Martin Parish at cajuncountry.org.
