Wow, what a great experience. We were in Cajun country, staying at Chicot state park just north of Ville Platte, Louisiana just off highway 167. Winter rate is $6.00 with a Golden Age Pass. While in Ville Platte a lady told us to be at Fred's Lounge in Mamou, which is just west of Ville Platte at the junction of highways 13 & 104, at 8 o'clock Saturday morning. We arrived at 8:30 a.m., driving through an area with many rice fields. The inside of the lounge was very small with a bar that might hold just over a dozen patrons. At that early hour we ordered coffee. Shortly, the musicians started to arrive. At about 9 a.m., a small band consisting of some local folks, started playing Cajun music. By then the wife & I decided to order a beer. The lady in charge of Fred's Lounge was Tante Sue, meaning Aunt Sue in English. It was an experience just to watch Tante Sue to see what she would do next. There was only a small dance area & it was always filled with dancers moving with the rhythm of the music. What a great time we had getting initiated into the Cajun music scene.
We met some nice folks that we had dinner with a week later when we camped near their town. What a friendly group of people.
If you want the Cajun experience visit Ville Platte, Fred's Lounge in Mamou(8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday only)Eunice(Liberty theater on Saturday nights)Breaux Bridge, Abbyville, New Iberia, Crowley & Lafayette. We were just going to spend a fews days in the area but ended up spending almost 2 weeks. We even learned about eating Boudin. Good stuff.
Big Rig