Stretching from the Cajun Prairie to the Gulf of Mexico is Vermilion Parish. With over 1500 square miles, it's one of Louisiana's largest parishes by area and it knows how to pack a lot of fun and flavor in each of those miles.
Maurice is considered your gateway to Vermilion Parish. In Abbeville you'll find the largest community, and the seat of parish government. The area was settled in the 1700s, and incorporated in 1850.
St. Mary Magdalen Church started as a chapel in 1854 and the current church has stood for over 100 years. Take a stroll through Magdalen Square, down Concord Street past historic buildings and shopping all the way down to the courthouse. Abbeville has plenty of places to see and great places to eat!
Eastward to Erath takes you to the Acadian Museum, part of why Vermilion Parish is known as the most Cajun place on Earth. Then on to Delcambre, where many of you just enjoyed the Shrimp Festival.
A couple of other great places to visit are the Bancker Grotto, and just across the Vermilion River is Palmetto Island State Park, one of the newest state parks in our state.
Kaplan is the gateway to the Gulf. It's the place where you'll head south, over the Intracoastal Waterway to "The Islands". Cow Island and Forked Island are a couple of those that eventually lead to Pecan Island. You'll find breathtaking views of the marsh and the occasional view of the Gulf of Mexico in the distance. This area is great for fishing, hunting, and crabbing, and also one of the best places in Acadiana for stargazing.
Way out in the western part of Vermilion Parish is the town of Gueydan, home to the Gueydan Museum and a place where many of you will converge on the town for the annual Duck Festival.
Vermilion Parish, your gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, one of the best tasting places in Acadiana, and the most Cajun place on Earth!
