BEAUX’S TAKE
A Note from Beaux
Same Roads. Better Weekends.
Most of us around Southwest Louisiana already know these places. We’ve made the Lafayette run, spent a weekend in Natchitoches, driven the Mississippi coast, or headed north when we needed to get out of town.
So this isn’t another list telling you where those cities are or what their biggest tourist attraction is. The goal is to give you a reason to go back and do the trip differently — stay somewhere with personality, find the stop you didn’t know existed, eat somewhere worth remembering, and maybe take the scenic route on purpose.
Some of these work as an easy overnight. One is built around doing the whole weekend on a budget. All five are close enough to Lake Charles that you can make them happen without burning vacation days or spending half the trip in an airport.
Pick the one that sounds good, steal a few ideas, and make the weekend your own.
— Beaux LeBeak
Inside: Lafayette, Natchitoches, Bay St. Louis, St. Francisville, and a budget-friendly Toledo Bend escape.
Jump to a Getaway
Getaway 01
Lafayette
~1 HR
Drive
FOOD
Best For
EASY
Overnight
The Angle
You’ve probably done Lafayette before. This version skips the standard hotel-and-famous-Cajun-restaurant routine and builds the weekend around a live-music guesthouse, handmade Cajun accordions, dinner in an old gas station, and a breakfast detour most visitors would never think to make.
Blue Moon Guesthouse — a historic Lafayette stay with live music right on the property.
View Blue Moon Guesthouse →Stay Somewhere Different
Blue Moon Guesthouse
Skip the standard hotel. Blue Moon is a locally owned guesthouse inside a restored historic Acadian home — and it shares the property with one of Lafayette’s best-known live-music hangouts.
That means your room can be part of the weekend instead of just somewhere you sleep after it.
See the GuesthouseTwo Stops Worth Building Around
Do
Martin Cajun Accordions
See how handmade Cajun accordions are built and get a closer look at one of the instruments most tied to Acadiana’s sound.
A much better story than “we went to another museum.”
Eat
Spoonbill Watering Hole
Dinner in a converted old gas station with creative Louisiana-inspired food, seafood, and a setting that feels more memorable than the usual stop.
Good pick when you want Lafayette flavor without defaulting to the obvious.
The Wildcard
Ton’s Drive-In • Broussard
Make the short detour to Broussard for breakfast and ask about the fried chicken biscuit — a local off-menu favorite that most Lafayette visitors never think to look for.
This is exactly the kind of stop that makes a familiar trip feel different.
Beaux’s take: Lafayette is easy to do on autopilot. This version gives you a reason to slow down, stay overnight, and come home with a few stories instead of just another restaurant receipt.
Getaway 02
Natchitoches
~2.5 HR
Drive
HISTORY
Best For
COUPLES
Vibe
The Angle
Skip the Christmas-lights-only version of Natchitoches. This weekend is about staying somewhere with character, following Cane River into Creole country, eating beyond the obvious downtown stops, and seeing the city from a slower, more local angle.
Sweet Cane Inn — a historic Victorian B&B within walking distance of Front Street.
View Sweet Cane Inn →Do
Melrose on the Cane
Head south of town and trade the usual downtown stroll for one of the Cane River region’s most interesting historic stops. Melrose combines Creole history, distinctive architecture, and the story of folk artist Clementine Hunter in one place.
This is the stop that gives the weekend more depth than just Front Street and dinner.
Eat
Cane River Commissary
Get off the main tourist strip and head into the Cane River corridor for meat pies, Creole dishes, po’boys, and a setting that feels more connected to the region than a standard downtown stop.
Better when the drive itself feels like part of the meal.
The Wildcard
See Cane River from the Water
Don’t just walk the riverfront. If the weather works, build in time for a kayak or boat outing and see Natchitoches from the water instead.
A simple way to make a familiar destination feel completely different.
Beaux’s take: Natchitoches gets pigeonholed as a Christmas trip, but this version gives you a slower, more interesting weekend even when there isn’t a light display in sight.
Getaway 03
Bay St. Louis
~3 HR
Drive
COASTAL
Best For
WALKABLE
Vibe
The Angle
Skip the casino-coast routine. This version of Bay St. Louis is about staying in Old Town, walking between the water and downtown, finding local art, browsing century-old shops, and eating somewhere that still feels unmistakably Gulf Coast.
Bay Town Inn — a small Old Town stay just steps from the water, shops, galleries, and restaurants.
View Bay Town Inn →Stay Somewhere Different
Bay Town Inn
Bay Town Inn puts you right in Old Town, across from the water and within easy walking distance of shops, galleries, restaurants, and the beach.
The setting is the real win here: instead of driving back and forth all weekend, you can leave the car parked and let the town become part of the stay.
View Bay Town InnDo
Alice Moseley Folk Art Museum
A free museum inside the historic train depot with more than 100 original works by Mississippi folk artist Alice Moseley.
Eat
Cuz’s Old Town Oyster Bar
Keep it casual with oysters, seafood, po’boys, and local beer in a spot that still feels like the Gulf Coast rather than a resort restaurant.
The Wildcard
Shops of Century Hall
Browse art, antiques, gifts, home goods, and oddball local finds inside a century-old building in Old Town.
Beaux’s take: Bay St. Louis works best when you treat it like a walkable small-town weekend with a beach attached, not just another stop on the casino coast.
Getaway 04
St. Francisville
~2.5 HR
Drive
OUTDOORS
Best For
QUIRKY
Vibe
The Angle
Skip the plantation-tour-only version of St. Francisville. This trip is about staying somewhere with personality, getting into the hills and woods, finding a great local meal, and letting one of Louisiana’s prettiest small towns do the rest.
3-V Tourist Court — a restored 1938 motor court with vintage character and a much more memorable feel than a standard hotel.
View 3-V Tourist Court →Do
Tunica Hills Wildlife Management Area
Trade the usual sightseeing loop for something that barely feels like South Louisiana. Tunica Hills is all steep ravines, wooded ridges, creek bottoms, and hiking trails through terrain that feels far more rugged than most people expect this close to home.
This is the stop that gives St. Francisville a completely different personality.
Eat
Magnolia Café
A long-running local gathering place with po’boys, pizzas, salads, live music, and the kind of laid-back atmosphere that feels much more useful than chasing the fanciest table in town.
Bonus: it’s on the same property as 3-V Tourist Court.
The Wildcard
Butler Greenwood
If you want to lean harder into the historic side of the trip, Butler Greenwood offers private cottages on a property with roots going back to the 1790s.
Good alternate stay if you want the weekend to feel more secluded and romantic.
Beaux’s take: St. Francisville gets much more interesting once you stop treating it like a history assignment and start mixing the town with the hills, backroads, and places locals actually use.
Getaway 05
The Budget Escape
South Toledo Bend
~2 HR
Drive
CAMP
Cheapest
CABINS
Comfort Option
$18+
Tent Night
CHEAP
Outdoor Fun
$4
History Stop
The Angle
This is the trip for when you want to get away without turning the weekend into a financial event. Camp by the lake for next to nothing, upgrade to a cabin if sleeping on the ground isn’t your thing, spend the day outside, then work in roadside food and a little Louisiana frontier history on the way.
South Toledo Bend State Park gives you the full lake weekend without forcing you into one kind of stay — tent, RV, or cabin all work here.
View South Toledo Bend State Park →Stay Your Way
South Toledo Bend State Park
This is where the budget angle really works. Tent campers can keep lodging extremely cheap, RV travelers have improved sites, and anyone who wants four walls and air conditioning can step up to a cabin instead.
Pick Your Comfort Level
Tent: cheapest option
RV / Improved Site: still budget-friendly
Cabin: easiest option for non-campers or groups
The best part is that all three versions put you in the same place, so the trip still works whether you’re sleeping in a tent or splitting a cabin with friends.
View Campsites & CabinsDo
Build the Weekend Around the Lake
Keep this one simple. Hike the trails, swim, fish, paddle, rent a small park boat, or spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing by the water.
The less you schedule here, the cheaper — and probably better — the weekend gets.
Eat
Gas Station Eats Trail
Skip the expensive dinner stop and make the food part of the road trip. Think fried catfish, burgers, roadside favorites, and a detour for Zwolle tamales.
Cheap, local, and much more interesting than another chain restaurant.
The Wildcard
Fort Jesup + No Man’s Land
Work in a cheap history detour through Louisiana’s old Neutral Strip, an area once associated with outlaws, rebels, and a stretch of land claimed by neither the U.S. nor Spain.
Fort Jesup makes an easy add-on without blowing the budget.
What This Weekend Can Cost
Pick the version that fits your wallet
Tent weekend: roughly $40–$60 for two nights
Improved campsite: roughly $60–$85 for two nights
Cabin: roughly $350+ total for two nights, but it can sleep a group
Fort Jesup: around $4 per person
Rates can vary by date, availability, taxes, and reservation fees. Food and fuel aren’t included.
Beaux’s take: This is proof that a weekend getaway doesn’t have to mean a hotel bill, expensive reservations, and $18 cocktails. Bring a cooler, pick your comfort level, and let the lake do most of the work.
Get the best of Lake Charles every week
Events, food, local finds, and weekend ideas from around Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana — delivered free.
100% free. Unsubscribe anytime
