Post 114: Vermilionville, Lafayette, La

Vermilionville, Lafayette, La

April 4th, 2018

We  returned to a lovely place that we stayed at once before back in November 2017. Vermilionville, Lafayette, La. We parked in the parking lot beside a beautiful pond with water fountains, real Alligators, herons, turtles and other colourful birds which flew in and around the pond.

There was a sign there warning people to “Do not feed the Alligators”. We made sure that our dogs were not their night time snacks haha. Joy does admit, as she let the dogs out at night she took a flashlight out. Joy checked under the trailer first before stepping down. When Joy felt it was safe, she would let the dogs out lol.

If you were lucky enough to stay there over night, you would have “Lite” internet with T-Mobile.  Just keep your eyes peeled for that alligator, we think he was stalking our dogs. lol

What is Vermilionville?

Vermilionville was very similar to our own Upper Canada Village back in Ontario. Vermilionville was a living history museum and folk life park. They claim to be the world’s largest physical representation of an early Acadian settlement. They have original structures dating from 1775 to 1890. Many of the buildings were restored to the original homes. This park was situated on a 23 acre site which housed local artisans. The artisans  happily demonstrated a variety of crafts  performed by early settlers.

The layout of the park is similar to a small village or town and quite interesting to wander through. It takes about 2 hours or more if you stop and chat with the friend people you find in the various homes and businesses. The people are bilingual and very knowledgeable about their particular craft. Their costumes were authentic looking.

About the buildings

Some buildings had air conditioners hidden in them. The cold air preserved the wood from the temperatures in Louisiana. There was an absolutely gorgeous church on site. The church is available for weddings and there is a reception area close by as well.

Borrowed from their website;

LA CHAPELLE DES ATTAKAPAS

Vermilionville’s chapel is a reproduction of the style based on the Catholic churches at Pointe Coupée (1760) and St. Martinville (1773). Catholicism was the only legal religion in Louisiana before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Since the Roman Catholic Acadians loved their religion and the priests visited infrequently, the Acadians celebrated la messe blanche (a prayer service conducted by laymen). Slaves practiced the religion of their masters. Free men of color enjoyed social prestige, were economically independent, engaged in many trades, and worshipped in the same churches used by whites. Slaves sat in small pews on the side aisles. Rosary making is sometimes demonstrated here. The rosaries are made of seeds of the coix lacryma jobi plant, known as Job’s Tears. You can see a Job’s Tears plant outside the chapel in Le Parterre garden.