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Coushatta Luxury RV Resort at Red Shoes Park Kinder, Louisiana |
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A+ Motel & RV Park Sulphur, Louisiana |
| Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau Morgan City, Louisiana |
Make a grand entrance into Louisiana’s Cajun Country through Allen Parish. The outdoor life reigns supreme in the southwest corner of this state, which runs rich with multicultural history and character. Carved out of Calcasieu Parish in 1912, Allen Parish is the historical home of the Atakapa tribe and the current home of the Coushatta people, a federally recognized Native American group.
Oberlin is the oldest settlement in the parish, named by its founders after their home city in Ohio, and also serves as the Parish seat. Allen Parish Courthouse is a pristine example of Classical Revival architecture, and the 1914 building still boasts its original stained glass skylights.
East of the city, you’ll find a uniquely Cajun experience at the Soileau Downs. Tailgates are a tradition at the horse track, where harness, or trottingbred, racing is the sport du jour, and the crowd lets the good times roll. The same can be said for many of the hometown eateries that serve up traditional Cajun favorites such as boiled crawfish and po’boy sandwiches.
The heart of the parish is the West Bay Wildlife Management Area. Mill Creek runs through the nearly 60,000-acre management region, and pine forest provides cover for game such as deer, turkey, rabbit, dove and woodcock. In addition to bow hunting, furbearer trapping is allowed in season. Outside the preserve, Dry Creek Ranch specializes in duck and quail hunts for guests, as well as clay shooting and guided photo safaris into the surrounding prairie and woods.
Louisiana Travel
You can find your own personal Zen on a peaceful canoe ride or inner tube float down the spring-fed Ouiska Chitto Creek in the town of Mittie. Local birds and smooth currents have earned Ouiska Chitto the distinction of being named one of Louisiana’s most beautiful waterways. Ouiska Chitto and the adjacent Calcasieu River both sport white sandy beaches that are perfect for soaking up the sun.
If you find yourself in Mittie in September, head out to the city’s Old Time Plow Days for a demonstration in old-fashioned plowing with the aid of sturdy mules and stately Belgian horses, then stay for a community supper. The fall fun continues with the Allen Parish Fair, a community tradition that includes a stock show and rodeo, live music and festival rides.
Head toward the sweet scent of syrup in the air after Thanksgiving and you’ll find yourself at Grant Christmas Tree Farm for the fall festival. The syrup mill is where sweet sugar cane juice is boiled over a fire until it’s ready to be poured over the farm’s just-baked biscuits. Bluegrass and gospel music fill the air while kids get a kick out of the on-site petting zoo.
In the northernmost reaches of Allen Parish lies Louisiana’s largest casino on dry land. Coushatta Casino Resort near Kinder boasts 3,200 slot machines, a children’s play area and an 18-hole championship golf course, Koasati Pines, which draws players of all skill levels.
Originally from the Eastern Seaboard, the Coushatta people migrated to western Louisiana and East Texas, settling primarily around present-day Allen Parish. The Coushatta people work to preserve tribal culture through teaching of the Koasati language and pine-needle basket weaving. Join the Coushatta tribe in October for its annual pow-wow and see men and women compete in dress competitions that reflect their heritage.
Louisiana Travel
There’s hardly a place in Louisiana that doesn’t celebrate Mardi Gras, and Allen Parish makes sure to kick off Lent with traditional and modern parades, as well as a Mardi Gras trail ride in Soileau. When you’ve recovered from the party, spend some time wandering through the Leatherwood Museum in Oakdale. The building that houses the museum dates back to 1888 and has also served as a railroad company house, boarding house, hospital and private home. Exhibits focus on zydeco music, war memorabilia and Native American culture.
Allen Parish Tourist Commission
888-639-4868
Louisiana Office of Tourism
800-677-4082