As hard as it is for many dye - in - the - wool New Orleanians to believe , the intact body politic of Louisiana is n’t located in the 504 . There ’s a whole worldly concern out there beyond the Crescent City , and that Earth is just filled with excellent topographic point to eat , drink , and boogie your heart out . Whether you ’re on the lookout for game blues , swampland dada , or the plain sounds of zydeco , you ’ll be able to encounter all of them within a short drive of NOLA .
Whiskey River Landing
Breaux BridgeIn a town screw as the “ crawfish majuscule of the humankind , ” you ’d intimately trust there will be some skilful old - fashioned Cajun two - stepping going on to geminate with those hot mudbugs . Whiskey River , which prides itself on hospitality , is the lieu to rule both . It has a “ Not a local ? Not a trouble ! ” posture toward visitors from out of town ( or from out of continent , for that subject ) .
Teddy’s Juke Joint
ZacharyLike the infamous Snake & Jake ’s Lounge in New Orleans , Teddy ’s volunteer Christmas spark decor 365 days a yr in Zachary , LA . well still , it serves up some of the best blues in a state known more for country , common people , and zydeco . host by Lloyd “ Teddy ” Johnson himself ( in the house he acquire up in , no less ) , Teddy spins down - home base blues and R&B between hot acts . This post proudly draw itself as a clip warp to 1979 , the year it was founded . In this event , that ’s a sound thing .
Blue Moon Saloon & Guesthouse
LafayettePossibly one of the skilful aspects of Blue Moon – away from the consistently enceinte alive Louisiana root medicine – is the fact that it ’s also a little boarding firm , which means that you could get over from New Orleans , whoop it up all night , and then stumble into your room without worrying about the drive to a hotel ( or bad still , back to the city ) .
Roy Carrier’s Offshore Lounge
LatwellRoy Carrier ’s lies deeply in the centre of Cajun country , near Opelousas ( where you ’ll come up all the best boudin and cracklins ) . If you were making a film and needed the eccentric of bar that Louisiana fossil oil industriousness workers and their cohorts would patronize , this would be your ideal cream . The eponymic laminitis of the place was in reality an “ seaward driller , putz pusher , and roughneck , ” as he put it . Sounds like our kind of place : you ’ll find Roy here on Thursday nights , alongside a revolving cast of zydeco musicians , many of whom cut their tooth on its point with the homo himself .
Ruby’s Roadhouse
MandevilleIt might look like an old Southern blues joint , what with its quintessential tin roof and broken-down roadhouse decor , but Ruby ’s showcases both country and metropolis . Just northerly of Lake Pontchartrain , a trip here will afford you NOLA - style brass and funk , as well as boogie-woogie and Cajun music bear on the bayou . The office is a live history lesson , too : the 125 - year - old building has served as a popular venue for African - American performers since the 1930s . A weekend evening there will be hot , both on the level and off – guaranteed .
Roque’s Blues Hall
NatchitochesFirst off , a pronunciation lesson for all y’ all non - Louisiana indigene out there : It ’s “ NACK - uh - peach , ” nursing home of our Department of State ’s prescribed meat pie ( no kidding ) , among other things – include this killer blues club . Roque ’s is adequate parts music venue , grocery memory board , pool dormitory , and local gathering stain . If you want to get to the root of Louisiana roots music – especially the Cajun - squeeze genre known there as “ swampland blues ” – Roque ’s is where you demand to be channelize . You ’ll also see R&B , “ swamp pop , ” bluegrass and , course , zydeco , as well .
The Jolly Inn
HoumaGreat Cajun food , music , and dancing on haggard wooden floor : these are the authentication of the Jolly Inn , which is a perfect bit to visit if you desire the best a Louisiana roadhouse has to offer . If you want some large Louisiana chuck and family - friendly music and dancing , this is your best bet , mes amis .
Fred’s Lounge
MamouFred ’s , which is one of the adept place to hear Cajun medicine in all of Louisiana , is open a sum of six hours a week : on Saturday mornings from 8 am to 2 pm . You ’d better believe that the imbibing and dancing pop quickly when the door swing open . Beer and zydeco for breakfast … this is one of the few event we ’ll set a weekend alert ( or last out up all night ) for .
Magnolia Café
St FrancisvilleDuring the day , the Magnolia is a homey café and sandwich shop . But at night , it ’s all about the music , feature a solid lean of Cajun , common people , and Bluegrass Country represent you do n’t want to omit if you ’re anywhere near St. Francisville … which just might be the most painting - stark Cajun Ithiel Town in Louisiana . The Mag draws people out here from far and wide , and you just have to go through it to understand and apprise why they ’d make the journeying .
Richard Sale Barn
AbbevilleStrangely enough , this music locale used to be a cattle auction house date back to 1937 . The story of the home is passably fascinating , too – after closing the cow business , the proprietor were inspired by the melody of a singing hobo , and decided to get to the b up as a music joint . Its atypical origin history away , this position is the place to be if you ’re looking for an Acadian music localisation that ’s green goddess - free .
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Courtesy of Blue Moon Drawer
Flickr/LJ Hopkinson
Blue Moon Saloon
Infrogmation of New Orleans
Flickr/Derek Bridges
Magnolia Cafe
