Bayous

Why the Bayous are special
The small, narrow, secluded, slow-moving coastal streams called Bayous cut through tranquil forests. The Cajun people who live in these American waterways have a rich culture of music and food, and an interesting history.

Bayous tips and insights
Getting around
Though some roads now crisscross the bayous, the boat is still the most efficient means for many denizens to get around.

Tours from New Orleans
Tours from New Orleans are readily available. The waters are shallow, so the craft has to be a pontoon boat, airboat, or other shallow-bottomed vessel.

Farther west
While most New Orleans based tours go to bayous near that city, the ones farther west offer several advantages. You'll get a more authentic feeling of bayou life. The surroundings will be quieter (fewer motors running). Sometimes your vessel will be the only one in your neck of the woods.

Gators
The waters teem with alligators (locals call them "gators"). They can grow 15 feet or so in length. Though normally extremely circumspect, alligators will come very close to your boat because they have become habituated to receiving free handouts from the tour boat guides. Be sure the hand out isn't yours.

Cajun ancestry
The ancestors of the Cajuns were Acadians, people of French descent who lived in Nova Scotia, Canada. In 1755 the British began to kick them out and many eventually relocated to the remote Louisiana bayous.

Cajun culture
Cajun music is folk, energetic and a treat. Visit a local nightspot that features it. The star of Cajun cuisine is the crawfish (looks like a tiny lobster). The area has many crawfish festivals and restaurants specializing in cooking that crustacean.

Creation
Bayous are created by river delta systems (in the case of Louisiana, the Mississippi's). They empty into the Gulf of Mexico.

Geography
The bayous stretch along the Gulf of Mexico west to east from Houston, Texas to Mobile, Alabama. The Louisiana bayous lie between those two states. You will generally find the most interesting bayous in Louisiana even though Houston is nicknamed the "Bayou City".

Location in America