12 Awesome Things to Do in Lake Charles, Louisiana
09 Aug 2022
If you’re touring the deep south, make sure to find time to check out Lake Charles, Louisiana’s Playground.
Why the designation? Because it is the festival capital of the state with over 100 festivals and carnivals per year! It’s also known for gaming, blues music, and food and drink!
Here are 12 awesome things to do in Lake Charles.
Tour of Imperial Calcasieu Museum
If you wanna know more about the area and its history, culture, and visual arts, a great place to begin is the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. They have tons of artifacts and memorabilia from the area, dating back to its Native American pre-history, all the way up to the present.
The Imperial Calcasieu Museum is also home to the Historic Sallier Oak Tree. Tree experts approximate the age of the oak to be between 200 and 300 years old. This massive oak is registered with the Live Oak Society of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation. The shade provided by the canopy of the Sallier Oak Tree is a wonderful place for a picnic on a sunny day.
The Imperial Calcasieu Museum is located at 204 W Sallier Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Sunset Cruise on Lake Charles with Lake Area Adventures
If you love the water, then you’re gonna love Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Bayou. I mean, the city is named after the lake!
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And what’s a cooler way to check out the lake than on a boat cruise at sunset? With Lake Area Adventures, you’ll get a personalized, private tour of the amazing natural flora and fauna, while watching the sun go down over the lake.
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Be sure to have a few cold Louisiana Lagers with you!
Lake Area Adventures is located at 5959 Common Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Pintail Drive and Boardwalk on the Creole Nature Trail
Is wildlife your thing? Then take the car down Pintail Drive, where you’ll see tons of different bird species living in scrub, prairie, and marsh habitats.
In the late fall and winter, you’ll see huge concentrations of Snow and Greater White-fronted geese!
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And there are gators… lots of them! So much so that one part of the loop is called Alligator Alley. We saw around 75 swimming, sunbathing, and just hanging out having grand ole time watching us drive by.
Make sure to stop at the half-mile loop to walk the boardwalk out into the marsh. You’ll see tons of gators, year round. Snap a few hundred photos of alligators, egrets, and great blue herons as you walk, but keep your toes outta the water…
Pintail Drive and Boardwalk on the Creole Nature Trail is located at 1428 LA-27 in Bell City, just south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Rutherford Beach
If you love sunsets, then make sure to check out Rutherford Beach, along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road. It’s one of many beaches along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
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This shell-covered beach is a great place to catch a sunset while listening to the crashing waves. You can watch the sunset while collecting seashells by the seashore.
Rutherford Beach is located at the south end of Parish Road 359 in Creole on the Gulf of Mexico, an hour south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles
If you’re feelin’ lucky, then you have to schedule a night at L’Auberge Casino Resort. Eighty-five table games and over 1400 slot machines sit waiting to entertain you under the grand, vaulted ceiling, as well as live entertainment, and more. High stakes, low stakes, or “I’m just here for the show stakes,” they have what you’re looking for. As always, it is a casino, so game responsibly.
The L’Auberge Casino Resort is located at 777 Ave L’Auberge in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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Spa Du Lac
All that gaming, traveling, and eating can be tiresome. It is supposed to be a vacation after all. Indulge in a massage, facial, pedicure, or a host of other spa treatments while your partner is working the slots!
The Spa Du Lac is located in the L’Auberge Casino Resort at 777 Ave L’Auberge in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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Bayou Rum Distillery
If you’re a pirate at heart, and love rum, then you wanna yo, ho, ho, it on over to the Bayou Rum Distillery, just east of Lake Charles. They make their rum the old fashioned way… from sugar cane grown right in Louisiana. The molasses comes from the oldest family-owned sugar mill in the country. They use classic copper pots to distill the rum, then it is aged (mostly) in Bourbon casks. Bourbon and Rum? Arrrgh, Matey!
The Bayou Rum Distillery is located at 20909 Frontage Road in Lacassine, just east of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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Grosse Savanne Eco-Tours
Are you into Eco-Tourism? Then this will be right up your alley! Southwest Louisiana is one of the top birdwatching areas in the country, with over 400 species migrating to and through during the year.
Grosse Savanne Eco-Tours has unlimited access to over 50,000 acres of fresh and saltwater marshes, cypress swamps, coastal prairies, and pine forests. They offer private hiking and boat tours, and secluded bird blind spots where you can wait for the perfect photo of a rare bird.
Grosse Savanne Eco Tours is located at 358 Chalkley Road in Bell City, just south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Farm-life at Almosta Ranch
This one is great for kids of all ages, especially animal lovers. Almosta Ranch is a 39 acre farm and petting zoo, where you’ll find chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, horses, turkeys, cows, guineas, and mini donkeys!
Almosta Ranch is located at 5290 Choupique Road in Sulphur, just west of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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Sam Houston Jones State Park
If you love nature, and trees, then you wanna check out Sam Houston Jones State Park. With over 1,087 acres of forest and lagoons, including pine and hardwoods, it’s known for its 70 acre longleaf pine forest, the oldest living pine species in the South.
There are three hiking trails to explore the park. If you love water sports, there are two boat launches to give you access to miles and miles of waterways.
Sam Houston Jones State Park is located at 107 Sutherland Road in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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The Charpentier Historic District
If you wanna know what Lake Charles was like in the late 1800s and early 1900s, then make sure to tour this historic district.
The Charpentier Historic District in Lake Charles, Louisiana is one of the most well-preserved neighborhoods in the United States. Covering 40 blocks of downtown Lake Charles, the district is home to a diverse collection of architecture, including extravagant homes, mansions, museums, art galleries, and a performing arts theatre.
The Charpentier Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the district is a popular tourist destination, with many of its historic buildings being open to the public for tours.
The Charpentier Historic District is located at 1205 N Lakeshore Drive in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center
The 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center is a beautiful facility that features three floors of gallery space, a clock tower, and a landscaped brick courtyard. This city-owned-and-operated gallery has displayed solo exhibitions by renowned artists such as Norman Rockwell, Pablo Picasso, Tasha Tudor, and Ansel Adams. They’ve also featured many group exhibitions.
The 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center is a wonderful place to view art and learn about cultural history.
The 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center is located at 1001 Ryan Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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Have Fun in Lake Charles!
There ya have it, 12 awesome things to do in Lake Charles, Louisiana. If you’re feeling a bit hungry while out having fun, be sure to check out these 11 Places to Eat and Drink in Lake Charles.
Cheers,
Big Daddy
If you are a PR agency or brand and would like me to review a travel destination, vehicle, restaurant, product or service, please send me an email at craig@bigdaddykreativ.ca
Craig Silva
Craig is a husband, father, team leader, travel and food writer, senior youth group coordinator, designer, brander, community builder, volunteer, and social media strategist. He likes to travel, go camping, go on road trips, watch movies, build stuff, operate the grill, and sing with his band. Craig is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association and Travel Media Association of Canada. If you are a PR agency or brand and would like Craig to review a travel destination, vehicle, restaurant, product or service, please send him an email.
