Here in Lafayette, on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the rougarou found a place in the English Department. From Griffin Hall, the department published an online literary journal named Rougarou. Its pages describe the creature as a shadow that haunts late night walkers, a ravenous beast, a ghost, a boogeyman, and a jealous lover transformed. They note that rougarou stories vary among families and locations in southern Louisiana. The man folks call on about those stories is Barry Jean Ancelet, the university's expert in Cajun folklore. Ancelet will tell you there is no single legend. In his telling, there are a number of stories that feature this legendary character in various ways. He has also said, "In one way or another, everybody believes in it." Whether anyone seriously believes a character roams the night, Ancelet says, is unimportant. "They believe in the stories. And they believe in the ability to scare people through the stories." And then the line that explains why we are telling you this at all. "It becomes a way of connecting one generation to the next." So as you pass the campus tonight, take Ancelet's point with you. You do not have to believe in the rougarou. You just have to hear the story, and pass it on.

RoadyGoat → · 12.7 mi away

The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge — Interstate 10 RoadyGoat

The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge carries Interstate 10 across the Atchafalaya Swamp between Baton Rouge and Lafayette — a span of just over eighteen miles, making it the third-longest bridge in the United States and the second-longest on the entire interstate system. It opened in nineteen seventy-three. The crossing is four lanes, two in each direction, and for long stretches it has no shoulders — there is nowhere to pull off. Because of that, a single minor accident near the narrow river crossings can stop traffic for miles, with no breakdown lane and little room for emergency vehicles to get through; the sparse population of the basin makes response slower still. The speed limit on the bridge is sixty miles per hour, lowered from seventy in nineteen ninety-nine. Beneath the bridge lies the largest river swamp in America: black water, cypress draped in Spanish moss, and a dense population of alligators. Roughly thirty thousand vehicles cross it every day.

18.0 mi away

Vermilionville Living History Museum

1765

Living history museum in Lafayette recreating the Acadian, Creole, and Native American cultures of the Attakapas region from 1765 to 1890.

12.5 mi away

Atchafalaya Basin

The largest river swamp in North America at nearly one million acres, where the Mississippi River is slowly trying to change course.

13.4 mi away

Avery Island - Tabasco Factory

1868

Home of McIlhenny Company, makers of Tabasco sauce since 1868, located on a salt dome island in the Louisiana marshes.

16.3 mi away

Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site

1765

State historic site in St. Martinville associated with Longfellow's 1847 poem 'Evangeline,' which told the story of the Acadian expulsion and became the founding myth of Cajun Louisiana.

15.9 mi away

Things to Do in St. Martinville

food 15.9 mi away

Avery Island (Tabasco)

Where Tabasco sauce has been made since 1868. Tour the factory and the beautiful Jungle Gardens.

Everything Near St. Martinville

17 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site · 0.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here for a minute; this spot is steeped in legend, thanks to a famous poem! This is Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, and it's all about the story of Evangeline. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published…
Shadows-on-the-Teche · 8.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine the whispers of generations echoing through the Spanish moss. Shadows-on-the-Teche isn't just a beautiful house; it's a window into a complex past. Built in 1834 for David Weeks, this was once a thriving sugar…
Conrad Rice Mill · 8.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder where your rice comes from? Right here in Iberia Parish stands the Conrad Rice Mill, the oldest independently owned rice mill in the US, established way back in 1912! They've been milling rice here ever…
Vermilion Inn · 12.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
You're near a landmark that witnessed the Civil War: the Vermilion Inn, now known as Café Vermilionville. Built around 1835, this Greek Revival building started as a rural inn near the Vermilion River. During the Civil…
Holy Rosary Institute · 12.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over, history buffs! You're just two miles from a truly remarkable place: Holy Rosary Institute, a cornerstone of Black Catholic education during segregation. This isn't just an old building; it's a testament to…
Vermilionville Living History Museum · 12.5 mi · Historical Marker
Living history museum in Lafayette recreating the Acadian, Creole, and Native American cultures of the Attakapas region from 1765 to 1890.
Where the Rougarou Goes to School · 12.7 mi
Here in Lafayette, on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the rougarou found a place in the English Department. From Griffin Hall, the department published an online literary journal named Rougarou.…
Lafayette, LA · 13.0 mi · Local history
The land around Lafayette is flat, almost imperceptibly rising from the coastal marshes towards slightly higher ground. This gentle slope, barely noticeable to the eye, is the legacy of the Mississippi River's ancient…
Lafayette, LA · 13.1 mi · Wikipedia
Originally established as Vermilionville in the 1820s and incorporated in 1836, this place developed as an agricultural community. A significant shift occurred with the introduction of retail and entertainment centers,…
Atchafalaya Basin · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker
The largest river swamp in North America at nearly one million acres, where the Mississippi River is slowly trying to change course.
Avery Island (Tabasco) · 15.9 mi · Things to Do
Where Tabasco sauce has been made since 1868. Tour the factory and the beautiful Jungle Gardens.
Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site · 15.9 mi · Historical Marker
State historic site in St. Martinville associated with Longfellow's 1847 poem 'Evangeline,' which told the story of the Acadian expulsion and became the founding myth of Cajun Louisiana.

Show all 17 nearby places

Bayside (Jeanerette, Louisiana) · 16.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine strolling along Bayou Teche in the mid-1800s, where you might have encountered Francis DuBose Richardson building his dream. This is Bayside Plantation, and it has quite a story to tell. Around 1850, Richardson,…
Avery Island (Louisiana) · 16.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over if you want to taste some history! This unassuming island is where Tabasco sauce was born. In the years after the Mexican-American War, around 1849, Edmund McIlhenny married Mary Eliza Avery and moved to her…
Avery Island - Tabasco Factory · 16.3 mi · Historical Marker
Home of McIlhenny Company, makers of Tabasco sauce since 1868, located on a salt dome island in the Louisiana marshes.
LeJeune's Bakery · 17.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Since 1884, this bakery has been serving up Louisiana treats, making it the oldest family-owned bakery in the state. Oscar J. LeJeune opened the Old Reliable City Bakery here in 1884. In 1918, O.A. LeJeune and Walter…
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge — Interstate 10 · 18.0 mi
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge carries Interstate 10 across the Atchafalaya Swamp between Baton Rouge and Lafayette — a span of just over eighteen miles, making it the third-longest bridge in the United States and the…

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Where the Rougarou Goes to School RoadyGoat