Breaux Bridge: Cajun Crawfish Country Travel Guide
Bienvenu !
Travelers heading to Acadiana in Louisiana have probably heard of this small town, and ask ...
Where is Breaux Bridge?
In the heart of Cajun Country and Acadiana is the community of Breaux Bridge. Breaux Bridge is located just east of Lafayette on I-10 at Exit 109 (Highway 328), and close to Henderson, the gateway to the great Atchafalaya Basin Swamp.
What is Breaux Bridge famous for?
Simple answer: CRAWFISH! The city, situated on the banks of historic Bayou Teche, is the site of the world famous Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival held in Parc Hardy. Visitors enjoy food, Cajun music, dance contests and much more merriment!
In 1959, the Louisiana Legislature designated Breaux Bridge as "the Crawfish Capital of the World".
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 Parc Hardy in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana |
Where else in the world but in Louisiana would you find a 3-day celebration totally devoted to Crawfish? Every year on the first full weekend in May, thousands congregate in Breaux Bridge to pay tribute to the little crustacean we all know and love.
Visitors enjoy tasting crawfish prepared in every imaginable way—fried, boiled, in an étouffée, bisque, boudin, pie or jambalaya, and crawdogs.
Besides crawfish, there are ample opportunities to savor other Cajun favorites such as shrimp, crab, gumbo, fried alligator, and red beans & rice.
Don't miss the crawfish races ... As the Crawfish Race Commissioner yells “ils sont partis”, the world famous race of the crawfish begins! Numbered crawfish race to the finish line with skillful aid from their registered owners on an eight-foot circular target. This race is open to all and a joy to watch.
 Another fun day for the crowds at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (Photograph courtesy of the City of Breaux Bridge) |
 Dancing the day away ... at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival (Photograph courtesy of the LA Office of Tourism) |
There is also Cajun & Zydeco Dance Contests, the Breaux Heritage Tent, Crawfish Etouffée Cook-Off, the carnival midway, lots of music, and many more fun events.
If Cajun or Creole music excites you, there’s no better place to experience it than at the Crawfish Festival!
CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, The Food Channel, PBS and numerous other individual filmmakers have all done documentaries on the Crawfish Festival. It has been featured in Maxim Magazine, Southern Living, National Geographic, The New York Times, Country Cooking, Motorhome Living, and Better Homes and Garden publications. The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival was named a top 10 Food Festival by USA Today.
Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival Association
The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival Association (BBCFA) is a non-profit corporation which has donated well over $1.3 million in the past 25 years. The association enables various youth organizations in Breaux Bridge the opportunity to raise much needed funds on festival weekend for their groups.
The BBCFA has 25 directors who work diligently throughout the year to make each and every festival better than the previous year. This board oversees over 50 committees that are needed to organize the festival with hundreds of volunteers.
The offices of the Crawfish Festival are located at 520 Parkway Drive in Breaux Bridge. The mailing address is P.O. Box 25, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517. Phone 337.332.6655.
For more information, we recommend a visit to the official Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival Web Site.
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Breaux Bridge Dining and Restaurants
Breaux Bridge Restaurant Listings & Reviews
Breaux Bridge is known for its Cajun and Creole culture, and its legendary Cajun cooking and crawfish. Excellent Cajun cooking abounds in Breaux Bridge, whether your tastes tend to Seafood Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffee, Crawfish Bisque, Crawfish Pie, Fried Crawfish, Boudin or maybe even Fried Alligator!
Here are located a number of popular restaurants such as Cafe Sydnie Mae, Poche Market & Restaurant, Crawfish Town USA, Chez Jacqueline Restaurant, Crazy Bout Crawfish Cajun Cafe, Le Cafe and others.
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Besides attending the Crawfish Festival, what else is there to do around Breaux Bridge?
One of the most popular things to do in Louisiana is touring the swamps! Most tours are concentrated in South Louisiana.
The lush growth in a Louisiana swamp is indescribable. You have to see it to believe it.
The most impressive objects in the swamp are the cypress trees which are very graceful in their structure, with their reddish bark, exquisitely bent branches, and delicately fine leaves.
The area between Lafayette and Baton Rouge offers a number of swamp tours, operating from communities such as Breaux Bridge, Henderson, St. Martinvile and Plaquemine.
Learn more about Swamp Tours in the Atchafalaya Basin.
 Downtown scene, Breaux Bridge (Staff Photo) |
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Breaux Bridge History
 The bridge across Bayou Teche in Breaux Bridge
(Staff Photo) |
In 1771, Acadian pioneer Firmin Breaux bought land in the present-day city of Breaux Bridge, and in 1799 built a suspension footbridge across the Bayou Teche to help ease the passage for family and neighbors.
The name "Teche" is a Chitimacha Indian word meaning "snake", related to the bayou's twists and turns resembling a snake's movement.
Area residents and visitors soon knew of the bridge, and began calling it “Breaux’s bridge”, later adopted as the city's name.
The town received its official founding in 1829 when Scholastique Picou Breaux drew up a plan called Plan de la Ville Du Pont des Breaux.
The Catholic church parish was created in 1847 and Breaux Bridge was officially incorporated in 1859. In 2009 Breaux Bridge celebrated its 150th birthday.
Area Towns Near Breaux Bridge
Nearby are the cities and towns of Abbeville, Henderson, Butte La Rose, Arnaudville, Cecilia and Broussard. It is also a short drive to St. Martinville and New Iberia.
See Breaux Bridge area map below.
The Louisiana Crawfish
 Louisiana crawfish from Breaux Bridge
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Crawfish are freshwater crustaceans. Louisiana has more than 30 different species of crawfish, but only two species are commercially important to the industry; the red swamp crawfish and the white river crawfish.
Crawfish are healthy food. They are an excellent source of high-quality protein; low in calories, fat and saturated fat and a good source of vitamins.
More than 1,600 farmers produce crawfish, utilizing over 111,000 acres of man-made ponds. Louisiana is the largest producer of crawfish in the world. St. Martin Parish, Breaux Bridge’s home, produces the most crawfish in the state and has the most crawfish acreage in the area known as Acadiana.
Breaux Bridge Video ... from Louisiana Travel
For More Information about Breaux Bridge and Crawfish
Breaux Bridge Chamber of Commerce
City of Breaux Bridge Web Site
Breaux Bridge Tourism
Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival Web Site
Louisiana Office of Tourism
Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board ... Crawfish.Org
WeLoveCrawfish.com
Photographs of Breaux Bridge and Crawfish
Shown below are a few photographs of downtown Breaux Bridge, plus crawfish and crawfish boil photographs, and scenes from the home of the crawfish: The Louisiana Swamp, and Breaux Bridge. Enjoy!
St. Bernard Catholic Church, downtown, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana |
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Atchafalaya Basin Crawfish ... boiled to perfection, seasoned just right. Ready to eat after a few minutes in the boiler! |
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Enjoying the ultimate Breaux Bridge, Louisiana delicacy: boiled crawfish! |
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Atchafalaya Swamp Scene in South Louisiana |
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Sunset in the beautiful Louisiana swamp |
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| Popular Travel Destinations and Tourist Attractions in South Louisiana |
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