Day Trippin' › Louisiana › From Lafayette
From Lafayette, Vermilionville and the Acadian Cultural Center are minutes away, Breaux Bridge about 10, the Longfellow-Evangeline site and Lake Martin under 25, Shadows-on-the-Teche under half an hour, and Jungle Gardens and Avery Island under 40. The best day trips from Lafayette, by drive time.
122 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
Island · 39 min south
The home of Tabasco sauce, with a factory tour and museum, a restaurant and Jungle Gardens all on a salt dome island.
Hike · 1 hr northwest
Over 5 miles of trails through beech and magnolia forest on rolling hills next to Chicot State Park. Free and peaceful.
Historic site · 27 min southeast
An 1830s home on Bayou Teche in downtown New Iberia with guided tours and oak-shaded gardens.
Garden · 35 min south
Gardens and a historic house on Lake Peigneur, with peacocks and a lakeside cafe.
State park · 42 min south
Dwarf palmetto jungle, lagoons and the Vermilion River south of Abbeville, with paddling, a water playground and cabins.
State park · 50 min southeast
A wild park on the edge of the Atchafalaya Basin with three nature trails, a 7-mile canoe trail and waterside cabins.
Museum · 53 min east
A veterans museum on the Baton Rouge riverfront, normally paired with a tour of a World War II destroyer.
Museum · 54 min east
The state history museum in downtown Baton Rouge, with exhibits on Louisiana culture, music and the river.
Scenic drive · 1 hr 12 min west
An All-American Road through marsh, wildlife refuges and Gulf beaches south of Lake Charles. Gators and birds by the hundreds.
Historic site · 1 hr 46 min east
Famous for its quarter-mile tunnel of 300-year-old live oaks leading to the big house. The site also covers the lives of the people enslaved there.
Museum · 1 hr 38 min east
A museum focused fully on the history of slavery, with original buildings and memorials. A moving, important visit.
Small town · 1 hr 9 min west
A lakeside downtown with museums, the lakefront promenade, Port Wonder and local restaurants.
Family fun · 1 hr 18 min west
A free hands-on visitor center in Sulphur that gets you ready for the Creole Nature Trail drive.
Beach · 1 hr 58 min west
The Cajun Riviera, a rustic Gulf beach on the Creole Nature Trail for shelling, fishing and quiet walks.
Hike · 1 hr 2 min east
More than 100 acres of swamp and woods inside Baton Rouge, with gravel trails, boardwalks and a nature center.
Zoo · 1 hr 5 min northeast
A mid-size zoo in Baker with lots of animals and a new entrance through Greenwood Community Park. Very affordable for families.
Small town · 2 hr 26 min north
Historic river town with antebellum homes, river bluff views and great food.
Historic site · 2 hr 8 min east
The oldest part of New Orleans, with Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Royal Street galleries and the French Market all in easy walking distance. You can cross the whole Quarter on foot in about 20 minutes.
Small town · 2 hr 4 min northwest
Louisiana's oldest town, founded in 1714, with brick Front Street on Cane River Lake, meat pies and the famous Christmas Festival of Lights.
Zoo · 2 hr 10 min east
A big, shady zoo in Uptown with a Louisiana swamp area, giraffes, jaguars and plenty of room for kids to roam. Ride the St. Charles streetcar to get close.
Museum · 2 hr 6 min east
One of the best history museums in the country, with planes, personal stories and big immersive exhibits about World War II. Plan more time than you think.
National park · 2 hr 22 min east
The site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans, with a tall monument, cannons and a national cemetery along the river. Part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park.
Scenic drive · 2 hr 25 min northeast
Slow, scenic parkway that starts in Natchez and runs north across the state. Stop at mounds, swamps and old inns.
State park · 2 hr 2 min east
A big lakeside park in Mandeville with a sandy beach on Lake Pontchartrain, old oaks, a 4.8-mile trail and the Tammany Trace running right through it.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 70501 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.