Mardi Gras in Lafayette Louisiana

The drive from Baytown to the KOA in Scott, La, right next to Lafayette, wasn't very far (as planned) and we arrived a day earlier than I had originally planned.  On the way there we had time to stop at a relatively new golf course, which is part of a planned community.  It is called Riverbend at Floresville, TX.

The course wasn't very busy.  We played as a twosome.  As you can see in the photo, the rough was dormant.  The front 9 was links style and the back more parkland.  I preferred the back. It was easy to get in with the trailer and there was a good parking spot for it. 

I generally don't like staying at KOA's but this one was well located.  Our site had a nice partial view of the small lake on the property.

Arriving a day early allowed us time to go golfing on Friday morning and to get the lay of the land figured out, before the nighttime parade.  We played Herbert Park Golf Course in Lafayette.  It is the municipal course.  It was in quite good condition.  It is an old course with great large trees and some ponds.  We played as a twosome again.  We were able to walk, allowing me to use my Lectronic caddy.  The green fee was astonishingly low.  After the golf we drove the parade route in order to familiarize ourselves with Lafayette. 

Friday evening we headed out for the parade.  Based on our prior reconnaissance mission, we found our way into town and found a good free parking spot, close to the route and with portable toilets nearby.  We arrived about 45 minutes before the parade passed by, during which time we chatted with some other people from close to the area.  They ended up inviting us to a crayfish boil they had planned the following day, which we decided not to attend as it was about an hours drive each way and that would cause us to miss the Saturday parades we were there for.  

Big letters spelling out a cities name are all the rage!

This was John's first Mardi Gras parade, so he wasn't sure what to expect.  From my experience in New Orleans, this one was on a smaller scale, with smaller floats, but still lots of marching bands and float riders throwing, mostly beads.  

John stands out in a crowd, with his height and abundant white hair, so was the target for lots of throws and with his long arms, big hands and athletic ability he caught most sent in his direction, some of which he shared with me.  

After the parade we went to Agave, a bar/restaurant across the road from where we had been watching the parade.  We enjoyed a snack and drink and got to know the bar tender.

Shrimps wrapped with bacon.

Saturday morning we rented a paddle boat and tootled around the small lake for about 45 minutes.  In the afternoon we decided to try the wares at the highly recommended restaurant located within a short walk of our KOA campsite in Scott, Louisianna, Billy's, which specializes in Boudin and Cracklin.  It seemed a necessary thing to do, as Scott is the "Boudin capital of the world."  I had never had Boudin before, but though I had eaten a version of Cracklin. We took out 5 items, one of each for us to try, Boudin balls, with and without pepper-jack cheese, Boudin roll-ups (like egg rolls), with and without pepper-jack cheese and 1/4 lb of cracklins.  This stuff isn't inexpensive.  I preferred the balls, John preferred the roll-ups.  We both found the cracklings a little tough and prefer regular pork rinds.  This place is a booming business with the parking lot quite full and drive-through line quite long from opening to closing every day!

Saturday evening we decided to take in the parade and concert at Le Festival de Mardi Gras at Cajun Field, where there are lots of people with RV's camping out, and there is an amusement park with rides, games and food booths set up.  We parked and then wandered around the amusement area, following which we took in the concert, until the parade came by.  We weren't really interested in catching more beads so we watched from afar.  After the parade the band played on for a while.  It was a nice evening to be outside.  Although there was some drinking involved the crowd was well behaved. 

Sunday we drove a short distance north west to the outskirts of Church Point to attend the 56th Annual Courir de Mardi Gras.  This is a more traditional celebration, which involves men on horseback, 

some chasing and catching of chickens,

and some floats with riders throwing beads.  We found a good spot to park, near the parade route and arrived in time to see all the horsemen arrive at the park where the chicken chase took place and then where the parade rolled by afterwards.  We were showered with way too many beads. 

Monday we decided to skip the parade and instead did laundry, tidying up, refilled the propane tanks and took a walk around the park. 

Tuesday we opted to miss the first of the three parades and watched the last two, close to Agave again.  John had promised the bar tender,

and waitress some of his home cooking, which we delivered before finding a spot on the street to watch the parades.  The first one we was was predominantly black people and second one was a mishmash of various independent floats. 

Enthusiastic parade watcher.

Spending Mardi Gras in Lafayette was a good decision.