-Center for Cultural & Eco-Tourism-

Of the twenty-two Acadiana parishes, St. Martin Parish is the only to have non-contiguous parts. There are three major geographical areas dividing the 739.9 square mile parish, including the Atchafalaya Basin, the prairie, and the Bayou Teche area, on which several major cities, including the parish seat, are located.

Over one third of St. Martin Parish's 48,000 inhabitants are Cajun, and the area certainly boasts large African-American, white Creole, and Creole of Color communities. The parish celebrates its diversity through some of the state's most important festivals, parks, and museums.

St. Martin Parish was established in 1807, five years before Louisiana was admitted into the Union. In the late 1700's, French immigrants from Canada and France moved into the area, laying the bases for two local myths—the Evangeline story and the migration of French aristocrats to the banks of Bayou Teche. British eviction of French settlers in Canada after the French and Indian War resulted in many Acadian farmers settling in Louisiana. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem Evangeline immortalized the Acadian exile from Nova Scotia, and created two mythical lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel. According to local tradition, a few years later, French Royalists, in an effort to escape the horrors of the French Revolution, settled in the same region, supposedly re-creating a society of wealth and luxury that became known as "Le Petit Paris." Although the Evangeline and Petit Paris stories are legends, both play a major role in the continuing historic appeal of St. Martin Parish.

St. Martinville, the parish seat, Henderson, Breaux Bridge, the "Crawfish Capital of the World," and Cecilia are the parish's largest communities. Area attractions include the Evangeline Oak where Evangeline and Gabriel were supposedly reunited, St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church, and the Petit Paris Mardi Gras Museum. The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival (May), Henderson's Cajun Crab Festival (June), St. Martinville's Pepper Festival (October), and the Atchafalaya Heritage Festival (October), are all fun ways to experience the vibrant Cajun culture of St. Martin Parish.