Lafayette is an energetic city. It is popularly known as the happiest city in America.
The city is in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, USA. It is also the Parish’s seat and the state’s most populous city. This city is in the gorgeous Acadiana area and has a lively culture inspired by its Cajun and Creole residents.
Besides being the happiest City, Lafayette is also called “The Sportsman’s Paradise” due to its significant warm climate, which lasts throughout the year.
Several outdoor lovers visit this city, as there are numerous outdoor attractions to explore alone or with companions.
Are you planning an exploration of Lafayette? Here are the best parks in Lafayette, LA
Best Parks in Lafayette, LA
1. Girard Park
Girard Park
Unwind and admire the scenic beauty of the peaceful pond at Girard Park.
Girard Park is a gorgeous and historic Park accessed via Girard Park Drive.
This Park features a beautiful pond filled with geese and ducks that you can feed with the right snacks.
This is also a fantastic spot to watch the sun go down over the city as you unwind by the benches close to the pond.
The play areas in the Park are great for active children. There are walking trails if you want to take a leisurely walk or jog.
You can freely tour Girard Park and even take photos of the stunning pond on its premises.
Address: 500 Girard Park Dr, Lafayette, LA 70506, United States
2. The Acadian Village
The Acadian Village
The Acadian Village was established in the 1970s. This 32-acre private park is devoted to preserving Acadian history.
The park is farmland turned into a 19th-century Cajun village comprising eleven buildings, seven of which are the original 1,800 homes given out by the predecessor of the families who owned and resided in them.
You would be stunned by the buildings, as they illustrate the unique construction methodology of the period with wooden pegs of cypress woods and high peaked roofs.
Acadian Village provides tours, and the grounds are available for rent for weddings, meetings, and other occasions.
The Park is open from January to the end of October, Mondays to Saturdays.
Address: 200 Greenleaf Dr, Lafayette, LA 70506, United States
3. Acadiana Park Nature Park
Acadiana Park Nature Park
Bask in the beauty of nature as you explore the trails surrounding Acadiana Park Nature Station.
The Acadiana Park Nature Station on Alexander Street offers guests many exciting activities.
Whether you want to camp on the campground or hike through the nature trails, you can enjoy all the leisure and recreational activities here.
This Park also offers educational workshops and programs where you can learn about Lafayette’s natural environment.
Explore the trails and attempt to spot unique fauna and flora surrounding the area.
There are also play areas where children can roam around as you immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.
Relax at Acadiana Park Nature Station and listen to the calming sounds of the environment.
Address: 1205 E Alexander St, Lafayette, LA 70501, United States
4. Atchafalaya Basin
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin consists of 860,000 acres of lakes, swamps, and water prairies.
It is the biggest and the remaining great river-basin swamp, traversing a 15-mile-wide path across South Louisiana.
The Atchafalaya River Basin first started forming around 900 AD when the Mississippi River deserted its easternmost channel and flowed in that path for nearly 1,000 years to occupy the current course of Bayou Lafourche.
Subsequently, natural levees formed along the river to capture annual overflow, forming a lake within the center bounded by a densely forested area.
An abundance of wildlife can be discovered in the Basin. Visitors can find the most significant nesting concentration of bald eagles in the south-central United States.
There are approximately 300 species of birds, including thousands of coots, wintering ducks, and the biggest wintering population of American woodcock in North America.
Additionally, they can find the American alligator and 65 other species of amphibians and reptiles.
More than 90 species of crawfish, fish, shrimp, and crabs from here support an incredibly active seafood industry.
Address: Louisiana 70517, United States
5. Graham Brown Memorial Park
Graham Brown Memorial Park is a secluded gem and one of the fun parks in Lafayette, LA.
This 50-acre park features 1 mile of jogging trail, George Dupuis Recreation Center, Timber Challenge workout station, and lighted tennis courts.
Additional features include covered picnic areas with grills, water fountains, restrooms, and a children’s playground with baby equipment.
You can also go to the battling practice cage or the horseshoe and spend quality time.
The peaceful and dog-friendly destination allows your four-legged friend to cool off while you are enjoying a picnic in the shaded pavilion.
Address: 1234 E Pont Des Mouton Rd, Lafayette, LA 70507, United States
6. Audubon Acres RV park
Audubon Acres RV Park is on a working rice and crawfish farm 7 miles southwest of Abbeville.
Audubon Acres RV Park is a tiny park with only four spaces. The backspaces are leveled, graveled, and shaded by massive old live oak trees.
It has sites that can accommodate all kinds of size rings and a stable 50 amp service.
Although Audubon Acres RV park has no frills except a picnic table, it is quiet and peaceful, making it suitable for anyone looking for a pleasant, unwinding time.
Address: 11310 Audubon Rd, Abbeville, LA 70510, United States
7. Moncus Park
Moncus Park
Moncus Park, established in January 2022, was created out of a movement to protect and preserve the property previously called The Horse Farm- the equestrian center of the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute.
In 2018, construction to convert the land into a world-class park began after numerous supporters’ advocacy and hard work.
In 2021, the second wave of building the other part of the 125-acre property began.
Moncus Park gets its name after a large donation from philanthropist James Moncus.
Moncus Park is also home to a water playground, a hammock grove, a veterans memorial, and a fishing pier.
Visitors can enjoy touring the Ravine Garden, strolling the park’s 1-mile loop trail, taking in the sun rays on the several grand lawns, or spending time unwinding at the Cajun Prairie.
The Park is open from 5 am to 10 pm. It is one of the top parks in Lafayette, LA.
Address: 2913 Johnston St, Lafayette, LA 70503, United States
8. Heymann Memorial Park
Although small, Heymann Memorial Park is a peaceful, serene space in the center of the Oil Center Cultural District. It is one of the best parks in Lafayette, LA.
The three-acre recreational ground has many attractions, such as the historical markers on its strolling trails.
This fitness and outdoor sports area is one of the best free attractions in Lafayette.
With its nearness to Girard Park, it is not difficult to see why this small park has become so well-known.
Whether you want to get your adrenaline pumping with exercise or enjoy the fresh air, Heymann Memorial Park is the right place.
Address: 700 Girard Park Dr, Lafayette, LA 70503, United States
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9. AA Comeaux Park
If you and your loved ones are looking for a place to spend some time playing outdoor games, another good option would be to head to AA Comeaux Park.
This community park is on AA Comeaux Memorial Drive. It is an ideal site where locals and visitors gather to interact and have fun.
There are a dozen baseball fields, a skate park, eight tennis courts, soccer fields, a rec center, and a strolling path approximately one mile.
If you are here with kids, the park has terrific, recently upgraded play areas, including the more recent splash pad.
AA Comeaux Park also has many rentable shelters, including grills for family reunions and birthday parties.
AA Comeaux Park is in Abbeville, LA, 38 minutes from Lafayette, LA.
Address: 300 A A Comeaux Memorial Dr, Abbeville, LA 70510, United States
10. Thomas Park
Carry your kids to Thomas Park for an exciting adventure and play. It is one of the fun parks in Lafayette, LA.
Thomas Park playground, situated on Geraldine Drive, is a terrific destination if you want to bond with your children.
This 18-acre park has fun play areas where you and your children can spend quality time together while having a great time.
You can sit by the swings as a family or watch them as they climb up the jungle gym or slide down.
Within the park, there are also tennis and basketball courts where you can partake in sports.
If you get too exhausted from playing all day, there is a picnic pavilion where you can relax or grab a quick bite.
Address: 300 Geraldine Dr, Lafayette, LA 70503, United States
11. Evangeline Oak Park
This stunning pocket park may be small, but it is filled with gorgeous scenery and is home to a unique oak tree: the Evangeline Oak.
The tree is named after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1847 poem, Evangeline.
While Evangeline is a fictional character and not based on any real person, there’s some enigma about how the tree acquired its moniker.
There are a few various origin stories, but one of the most famous stories started one evening in 1844 when Longfellow held a dinner party where a visitor suggested the story, and it piqued his interest.
Longfellow’s poem may have been where the story started, but it doesn’t conclude there.
Whether you believe all the stories or neither, one thing is sure: the area is breathtaking.
When you visit Evangeline Oak, carry some reading materials because this park is ideal for curling up with a poem or a good book.
Evangeline Oak Park is in St Martinville, LA, 25 minutes from Lafayette, LA.
Address: 121 S New Market St, St Martinville, LA 70582, United States
12. Parc Sans Souci
Parc Sans Souci
You can’t explore Downtown Lafayette without going to Parc Sans Souci.
The constantly revolving “LAFAYETTE” sign is painted in different themes by various community groups all year round, but the Y is not present, inviting you to represent the Y.
It is the ideal photo op to mark your trio and share with pals on social media.
Admire the downtown scene while kids play around in the splash pad.
Expand the tour with a visit to the nearby Lafayette Science Museum or Children’s Museum of Acadiana.
Address: 201 E Vermilion St, Lafayette, LA 70501, United States
13. Longfellow- Evangeline State Historic Site.
Longfellow- Evangeline State Historic Site.
It is the oldest park site in the state. It was established in 1934 as the Longfellow-Evangeline State Commemorative Area.
Once part of the hunting area of the Attakapas Indians, this site became a portion of a royal French land grant fire used as a cattle ranch.
The First Acadians to reside in Louisiana established themselves here on the banks of Tortue and Bayous Teche.
In the early 19th century, Pierre Olivier Duclozel de Vezin, an affluent Creole, obtained this property to raise cattle, cotton, and sugar cane.
He constructed the Maison Olivier, the circa 1815 plantation house, which is the main feature of the Longfellow- Evangeline State Historic Site.
His son Charles modified the home in the 1840s. The structure is an outstanding example of a Raised Creole Cottage, a simple and unique architectural form that blends Caribbean, Creole, and French influences.
A replica of the Acadian Farmstead is located along the bank of Bayou Teche. The Farmstead is an illustration of how a typical single-family farm would have looked like around 1800.
The site comprises the family home with an outdoor kitchen, bread oven, barn, and slave quarters.
In 1934, the Longfellow- Evangeline State Historic Site became the first part of the Louisiana State Park System.
In 1974, Maison Olivier was established as a National Historic Landmark.
Address: 1200 N Main St, St Martinville, LA 70582, United States
14. Lake Fausse Pointe State Park
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park
The area surrounding the park was previously the home site of the Chitimachi Indians.
From the middle 18th century, the region was dominated by rue Acadian farmers, French, and trappers. However, the Spanish were in charge of the land from 1763 to 1802.
Many Spaniards relocated to the New Iberia area during this time, contributing to the cultural diversity of this part of the state.
Visitors can enjoy boating, fishing, and canoeing at this park. A boat launch gives guests easy access to the labyrinth of waterways that meanders through the Basin.
Overnight visitors can stay on the campgrounds or in the lake-front cabins.
The visitor center complex here contains a boat dock with rentals, three hiking trails, and a canoe trail that offers a close view of the area’s plants and wildlife.
Blend your wilderness adventure with a tour of close historical areas, such as the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site and the city of St. Martinville.
You will remember your stay at Lake Fausse Point State Park as an introduction to the incredible diversity of South Louisiana.
Address: 5400 Levee Rd, St Martinville, LA 70582, United States
15. Cypress Island Preserve
Cypress Island Preserve is 9,500 acres of secured nature composed of bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-and tupelo swamps. Numerous trees growing in the preserve are dated to be about 500 years old.
The leading visitor attraction is Lake Martin, only ten minutes away from downtown Lafayette.
One of the many species growing at Lake Martin is the American alligator which can reach 14 feet.
There is also a habitat for nesting waterbirds, including white ibises, roseate spoonbills, great blue herons, great egrets, and snowy egrets.
From late January, these species build their nest in the rookery, and the views are breathtaking from March to June. You can also stroll a 2.5-mile levee trail from fall through spring.
If you are captivated by the alligators at Lake Martins, ensure you see many by driving along Rookery Road, encircling the lake.
To get even nearer, Champagne Swamp Tour offers many experiences, from airboat rides to kayak rentals and guided boat tours.
The Nature Conservancy operates Cypress Island Nature Preserve, aiming to renovate and preserve the wildlife and environment of the swamp in this part of the state.
You can visit this preserve for free during daylight hours. The Visitor Center is open from 10 am to 4 pm on Wednesdays to Sundays.
Address: 1264 Prairie Hwy, St Martinville, LA 70582, United States
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Plan Your Trip to Lafayette
There are many things to see and do in the stunning city of Lafayette.
Check out these parks and natural outdoor destinations listed above for a fun and unforgettable outdoor experience in Lafayette, LA.
Start planning your trip to Lafayette, LA.