New Iberia

Understand

New Iberia is the largest city in Iberia Parish. Known as "Queen City of the Teche", it was settled by Spaniards in 1779 who called it Nueva Iberia after the Iberian Peninsula, hence the name New Iberia. In 1980, a drilling fluke by Texaco personnel punctured a hole in a salt mine below nearby Lake Peigneur, causing a crazy whirlpool that sucked down the drilling platform and eleven barges and suddenly created the deepest lake in Louisiana at 200ft. New Iberia is known for its Sugar Cane Festival in September with a sugar cane queen and parade, etc.

See

Main Street in itself is pretty charming, having been revitalized and the site of many boutique stores and cafes. Bouligny Plaza at 128 W Main offers some good views of Bayou Teche.

1 Shadows-on-the-Teche, 317 E Main St, ☏ +1 337-369-6446. Th-Sa 10AM-4PM. A very photogenic Greek Revival sugar cane plantation house (no photography inside though) and garden. (updated Apr 2021) 2 Bayou Teche Museum, 131 E Main St, ☏ +1 337-606-5977. Th-Sa 10AM-4PM. Kind of your basic local history museum. But also, check out the Sliman theater next door with its art-deco style and large vertical Evangeline sign. 3 Alice Plantation, 9217 Old Jeanerette Rd or Hwy 87. Also known as the Fuselier home after its original builder, Agricole Fuselier de la Claire, who was married to the daughter of the owner of Oak Alley, along with a host of other names. It was originally located near Baldwin but was floated up the Bayou Teche to this location. It was built in French Colonial style; however, it's not open to tourists and only viewable from the road. (updated Aug 2025)

Do

1 Rip Van Winkle Gardens, 5505 Rip Van Winkle Rd, ☏ +1 337-359-8525. Daily 9AM-5PM. Someone's labor of love near the shores of Lake Peigneur, with a cafe and statuary and roaming peacocks and dreamy sunset lake views. 2 Cypremort Point State Park, 306 Beach Ln, Cypremort Point, ☏ +1 337-867-4510. Daily 7AM-10PM. For a distinctive Louisianan experience, try this Gulf Coast beach where a sea of sawgrass peters out before a muddy brackish Gulf of Mexico. $3, free for children 3 and under and seniors 65+. Camping $18-33. (updated Aug 2025)

Eat

Bon Creole Lunch Counter, 1409 E St Peter St, ☏ +1 337-367-6181. Gumbo, po'boys and other Southern-style seafood. (updated Apr 2021) Duffy's Diner, 1106 Center St. A diner in 1950s-style decor. (updated Jul 2021)

Sleep

Ramada by Wyndham New Iberia, 2915 Highway 14, ☏ +1 337 367-1201, fax: +1 337 367-7877. This quality motel near to both the Tabasco factory and the Jungle Gardens, and only 25 minutes by car from the Cypress Bayou Casino has a trilingual (English, French, and Spanish) staff. Basic rooms start at $40.

Go next

Avery Island, a salt dome, features Jungle Gardens and the Tabasco factory