Thibodaux, LA Summary

This traditional Cajun city of 15,000 was once a thriving trading post in the late 1700s, when transportation from New Orleans was limited to the bayous. Named for one of the early settlers of the region, the city today is still surrounded by sweeping plantation estates including the Laurel Valley Plantation, built in the 1840s. Featured in the Laurel Valley Village, a massive restoration project has brought back to life the plantation’s former slave quarters, barns, and a schoolhouse. Guided tours of the quarters are available.

Downtown is rather deserted and lacks the liveliness found in other bayou towns in the Cajun wetlands. Nevertheless, Thibodaux has preserved its courthouse, built in 1861, together with St John’s Episcopal Church, one of the oldest churches west of the Mississippi River. Efforts are now being made to re-create the city’s historic district and promote its French heritage through the Jean Lafitte Acadian Wetlands Cultural Center (see entry on Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, page 360).

Thibodaux is served by New Orleans International Airport and bus service along Hwy 1/90.