Boiled Louisiana Crawfish from Henderson and the Atchafalaya Swamp ... it's nearly crawfish season in Louisiana ... can you taste them?
More about Louisiana crawfish |
Acadiana Supreme! Henderson is well known for its Cajun culture, and its legendary Cajun cooking and crawfish, and is the location of a number of popular restaurants and swamp tours.
It's near Breaux Bridge, the Crawfish Capital of the World, and home of the world famous Crawfish Festival each May.
We can't count the number of times we've had great crawfish dinners at Pat's Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant in Henderson at the edge of the Atchafalaya River Basin over the years! Pat's is always a treat!
 Pat's Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant in Henderson
(photograph by the author) |
Another favorite over the years has been Robin's Restaurant.
Great fishing and swamp tours are available in nearby Lake Bigeaux and Lake Pelba. Henderson Lake is located in the West Atchafalaya Basin Floodway between Ramah and Henderson. It is a shallow backwater lake with many streams and pools. The area is flooded each spring with waters from the Atchafalaya River.
It hasn't been long since we spent a great, leisurely afternoon with McGee's Atchafalaya Basin Swamp Tours, leaving from McGee's Landing. The Henderson Swamp is not to be missed!
Henderson is located just east of Lafayette on I-10, in the heart of Cajun Country and Acadiana, and conveniently located in America's Wetland, the great Atchafalaya Swamp!
Henderson, in St. Martin Parish, has a population of about 1,500 residents.
Nearby are the cities and towns of Abbeville, Breaux Bridge, Butte La Rose, Arnaudville, Cecilia and Broussard. Across the Atchafalaya Basin is the community of Pierre Part.
It is also a short drive to St. Martinville and New Iberia. See Henderson map below.
 Doucet's Grocery Store in Butte La Rose
(photograph by the author) |
Just over the levee from Henderson and across the one-lane pontoon bridge is the community of Butte La Rose, the home to about 800 residents. Many camps, RV parks, and boat launches are in the area.
We remember the good times we had staying at HEG's camp in Butte La Rose! Doucet's Grocery is still in business, as it has been for over 46 years, serving the residents of Butte La Rose and visitors to the area ... its owner Jack Doucet stood the test of the time during the Great Flood of 2011!
 Louisiana's Atchafalaya Swamp at Henderson
(photograph by the author) |
The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest
river swamp, containing almost one million
acres of the nation’s most significant bottomland
hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater
lakes.
An American-Indian word, "Atchafalaya" (ah-CHA-fa-LIE-ah) means long river. Established in 2006, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area stretches across 14 parishes in south-central Louisiana. It is among the most culturally rich and ecologically varied regions in the United States, home to the widely recognized Cajun culture as well as a diverse population of European, African, Caribbean and Native-American descent.
Some interesting facts about the Atchafalya Basin:
- It’s larger than the Florida Everglades.
- It’s five times more productive than any other river basin in North America.
- About 65 species of reptiles and amphibians
inhabit the Basin.
- Over 250 known species of birds fly in the
Basin.
- Other species of animals found in the area
include the Florida panther, black bear, bobcat,
nutria, mink, fox, muskrat, beaver, otter
and raccoon.
- The Basin is home to the largest nesting concentration
of bald eagles in the south central
United States.
- There are more than 100 different species of
fish and aquatic life in the Basin.
- The Basin has an estimated average annual
commercial harvest of nearly 22 million
pounds of crawfish.
- The Basin contains the largest contiguous
bottomland hardwood forest in North America
and is the largest overflow alluvial hardwood
swamp in the United States.
 Atchafalaya Visitors Center in Butte LaRose,
just west of Henderson on Interstate Highway I-10
(photograph by the author) |
The Atchafalaya
Welcome Center is located on I-10 just east of Henderson, "smack dab in the middle” of the Atchafalaya Basin. It is located at the Butte
La Rose Exit 121, between the Henderson exit (115) and the Whiskey Bay exit (127).
It’s part rest area, part information center and part Atchafalaya Basin
classroom. Plus they serve complimentary Community Coffee!
State-of-the-art video, audio and animatronic displays teach visitors about the
Atchafalaya, its history and the culture it influences.There are three main exhibit areas in the center that portray the Basin
throughout the year: high water, low water and mid-water seasons.
Each area
is filled with pictures, stories, dioramas and sculptures depicting life in the
Basin during that season. Oversized “frames” feature slideshows that offer
visitors several glimpses of the Basin’s people, wildlife, waterways and
flora.
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