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Photo: Mike (msm62166), CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This park features the Creole plantation house Maison Olivier, an Acadian cabin, and an Acadian farmstead with slave quarters on the Bayou Teche.
Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, located in St. Martinville, Louisiana, showcases the cultural significance of the Bayou Teche region. It is the oldest state park site in Louisiana, founded in 1934 as the Longfellow-Evangeline State Commemorative Area. Evangeline was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's enormously popular 1847 epic poem about Acadian lovers, who are now figures in local history. In the town center, the Evangeline Oak is the legendary meeting place of the two lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel. A statue of Evangeline marks her supposed grave next to St. Martin of Tours Church. The state historic site commemorates the broader historical setting of the poem in the Acadian and Creole culture of this region of Louisiana.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Church erected by Acadian refugees around 1840 that is more or less the centerpiece of St. Martinville.
Contains the African-American Museum and the Museum of the Acadian Memorial.
Here you'll find the Evangeline Oak which figures as the local legendary meeting place of the star-crossed lovers from the poem Evangeline by Henry Longfellow, a rather sacrosanct novelty in this town.
Some more very aesthetic swamp scenes here. If you have a boat, you can immerse yourself in this environment with Spanish moss covered cypress trees and quiet waters.
Swamp tours in pirogue type things on Lake Martinville, a pretty fun activity with a guided host that is recommendable, but kayaks can also be rented for self-exploration, or you could just visit the lake on your own.
Some lovely swamp country in the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin here, you can rent a canoe or kayak or hike on several trails. Odds are in your favor you'll encounter alligators and mosquitos. Camping/cabins are also available here.