Acadiana Park Nature Station
About
150-Acre Nature Reserve With Six Miles of Boardwalk Trails
Acadiana Park Nature Station preserves 150 acres in northeast Lafayette - six miles of trails and raised wooden boardwalks wind through bottomland forest, swamps, and Vermilion Bayou floodplain. The Nature Station building opened 1978 as one of Louisiana's first dedicated environmental education centers.
What Kids Can Do
The Nature Station's interpretive exhibits include live snakes, alligators, turtles, and Acadiana wildlife displays - rangers do live-animal talks daily. The 3+ mile boardwalk system raises kids over the swamp safely to spot herons, alligators, and turtles. Trail maps and Junior Naturalist activity sheets at the welcome desk. Six miles of additional dirt trails for older kids and teens. Field-trip and workshop programs run year-round [marked: boardwalks safe even in floods - dirt trails close after heavy rain].
What's Included
Free day-use of all trails and boardwalks. Nature Station building exhibits free during open hours (Tue-Sat 9-5). Educational programs and workshops priced separately.
Experience
Plan 1-3 hours. Mix outdoor trails and indoor Nature Station building. Bring water, sun protection, bug spray (heavy mosquitos spring-fall). Stroller-friendly main boardwalks. About 3 miles northeast of downtown Lafayette. Free on-site parking. Trails open dawn-dusk 365 days.