Lafayette is about a 2 hour drive southwest of New Orleans; a one hour drive from either the Baton Rouge or Alexandria airports; or, if you prefer, it is served by its own regional airport. It is in the heart of Cajun country and the city is as full of life as the residents who live there.

The flight from Atlanta on ASA takes a little over an hour. Normally, the route takes you south of Birmingham AL, over MS, Rouge LA  where the descent begins and flies over the beautiful Atchafalaya basin and into Lafayette.

The airport has all major rental cars available and is served by Delta, Continental, American, and Northwest Airlines. It is a very convenient airport for both commercial and general aviation. Unlike the New Orleans, the convenience of LFT allows for quick checkins and outs and you can be on your way in a matter of minutes.

This week I went down to watch my son's swim meet at the City of Lafayette Aquatics center; he is own his school swim team and swims the free and back stroke (he won his heat in the 50 meter free by 7 seconds!). It is a pleasure to watch him swim--he is a natural.

There are many hotels available in the area and I normally stay at the Hilton. However, this time I opted for the Fairfield because of the price. Although not as ideally located as some other hotels, it is not far from all of the areas attractions. The Fairfield has free wifi, breakfast, a nice gym and pool, and very comfortable rooms.

When in town, I often stop by to chat with Mark Miller of Precision Bikes. Mark is a 19 time full Ironman athlete who owns a great bike and tri shop in the area. Mark completed the recent Ironman New Orleans with me and always has a good word to say. This weekend, he was competing in the time trials being held in Baton Rouge. As a side interest, he had just completed working on a $20,000 tri bike owned by the former Mr. America "Red" Lerille; Red owns a Health and Racquet club located on Doucet Road in Lafayette.

After picking Sam up from school, we take some time to refresh then headed to the Festival International de Louisiane. This is an annual free festival that invites music talent from all over the world to celebrate the arts and French culture. It is a great opportunity to hear new music as well as some of the local styles. There are many stages and performers playing simultaneously in the different venues. Not only is there music, but crafts, food, drinks, parades are scattered among the performers. The entertainment is outstanding and is well worth the time to put it on your schedule.

We stayed at the festival for a couple of hours and then went to Gator Cove for dinner. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Lafayette -- especially this time of year when crayfish are in season. Located off of Evangeline thruway near the airport, the restaurant offers many of the local favorite foods, but tonight we opted for five pounds of boiled crawfish. Served up in a large plate with corn and potatoes, you can peel, dip and eat until you have had enough. Once done with the main course, the desserts are very tempting (not low cal either). Tonight we had a pineapple creme brulee to finish up. Perfect.

The next morning was the swim meet. My son's team did very well; swimming is such a great sport and it is a pleasure to watch those that are talented at it. Afterwards, we went to Avery Island, the home of Tabasco Sauce. This little side trip tool about twenty minutes of driving south of Lafayette. The island is entered after passing over the Bayou Petite Anse and then paying a one dollar fee at the bridge entrance. The 2,200 acre island belongs to the descendants of McIlhenny who started making the sauce  here in the mid 1800s (take the guided tour at the factory to learn the history and to receive free samples). The smell of Tabasco fills the air as you get close to the factory. You can have lunch here, buy souvenirs, and linger under big oak trees and enjoy this part of the world.

We left here and returned to the festival for some more music. Lots of it today and the crowds, although big, were very well behaved and polite. We enjoyed the groups Cherish the Ladies, Dengue Fever, Chic Gamine, Chica Libre, Morekeba Koreyote Kora Connection, and Walter Mouton. A fun filled day and, in many ways, typical of this part of Louisiana. Southwest Louisiana and the Cajun communities that are found here offer great travel and entertainment opportunities. If you are in the New Orleans area, I highly recommend spending a few days in Lafayette.