Best Things to Do in Lake Charles, Louisiana: Mardi Gras, Wildlife, Beaches & Cajun Food

Louisiana was one of those states that surprised us.

During our travels, we spent a few days exploring Lake Charles, Louisiana, and discovered an area filled with colorful Mardi Gras traditions, beautiful wetlands, Cajun food, historic homes, Gulf Coast beaches, and plenty of wildlife.

We camped nearby at Sam Houston Jones State Park and used it as our base for exploring Lake Charles and the surrounding area.

What started as another stop along our RV journey turned into a place we genuinely enjoyed.

If you’re planning a trip through southwest Louisiana, here are some of our favorite things to do in and around Lake Charles.

Crossing Into Louisiana

Our Louisiana adventure began when we crossed the Sabine River, which forms part of the border between Texas and Louisiana.

After spending so much time traveling through different landscapes, it didn’t take long to realize that Louisiana was going to feel different.

We were back among water, wetlands, cypress trees and Spanish moss—scenery that reminded us a little of the Outer Banks and the coastal areas we had called home.

We made our home base at Sam Houston Jones State Park, and from there we set out to see what Lake Charles had to offer.

Visit the Mardi Gras Museum

One of the biggest surprises of our visit was the Mardi Gras Museum.

We knew Mardi Gras was a major part of Louisiana culture, of course, but we really didn’t understand just how elaborate the traditions could be until we saw the costumes up close.

The museum was packed with them.

Room after room displayed elaborate costumes, enormous headdresses, trains and other pieces associated with Lake Charles Mardi Gras celebrations.

Some were astonishingly intricate.

We learned about the local Mardi Gras krewes and how they select kings, queens and courts. We were also fascinated to learn how much time and money can go into creating the costumes.

Some can cost thousands of dollars.

From Costume Sketch to Mardi Gras Creation

One of my favorite displays showed the original conceptual drawings used to design Mardi Gras costumes.

You could see the idea on paper and then look at the elaborate finished creation.

Even the drawings were works of art.

The museum also had some simpler costume pieces visitors could try on for pictures, so naturally we had to have a little fun with that.

There were children’s costumes, displays about Mardi Gras parades and even part of a parade float.

We also learned more about Twelfth Night and king cakes, which left me wanting to try making a king cake myself.

We expected the museum to be interesting.

We didn’t expect to spend so much time there or enjoy it as much as we did.

Even Ed admitted afterward that it was fantastic.

Try Cajun Food in Lake Charles

After spending all that time exploring Mardi Gras, we were ready for lunch.

We headed to Steamboat Bill’s on the Lake for our first real experience with Cajun food.

Neither of us had tried much Cajun food before, and we were a little apprehensive. We assumed everything was going to be incredibly spicy.

We were wrong.

The food had plenty of flavor without being overwhelmingly hot, and additional seasoning was available at the table for anyone who wanted more heat.

I ordered a baked potato topped with fried shrimp and shrimp étouffée.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It was one of those meals you remember.

Ed ordered chicken and sausage gumbo and was equally happy with his choice.

If you’re visiting southwest Louisiana, trying some Cajun food really should be part of the experience.

Camp at Sam Houston Jones State Park

Our home while exploring the area was Sam Houston Jones State Park.

The park itself was beautiful.

Water winds through portions of the park, and we loved seeing the cypress trees and their unusual cypress knees sticking out of the ground.

After traveling through some very different parts of the country, the trees, water and lush scenery felt strangely familiar to us.

It was a peaceful place to return to after a day of sightseeing and made a convenient base for exploring Lake Charles and southwest Louisiana.

Explore Sabine National Wildlife Refuge

The next day we headed south toward the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.

This turned out to be one of Ed’s favorite parts of our Lake Charles adventure.

Even the drive was beautiful.

We passed marshes and canals running alongside the road and got a much better look at the wetland landscape of coastal Louisiana.

Eventually, we stopped at an area with a walking trail through the marsh.

There were also warning signs.

For alligators.

That certainly got our attention.

We started along the trail anyway.

Yes, We Saw an Alligator!

The vegetation along portions of the walkway was thick enough that it was difficult to see what might be hiding beyond it.

We found ourselves walking just a little faster as we went.

Then, near the end of the walkway, we finally saw one.

An alligator emerged from one of the canals.

Fortunately, it was on the other side of the water!

Seeing an alligator in the wild was exciting, although we were perfectly happy to appreciate him from a nice safe distance.

The refuge was one of those experiences that really made us feel like we were in Louisiana.

Visit Holly Beach on the Gulf of Mexico

From the wildlife refuge, we continued toward Holly Beach on the Gulf of Mexico.

We couldn’t be that close to the Gulf and not go see it.

The beach actually made us a little homesick.

After living on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, seeing the water and elevated beach houses brought back a lot of memories.

Many of the homes at Holly Beach are built on stilts, just as you’d expect in a coastal community vulnerable to storms and flooding.

The houses were generally smaller than many of the large beach homes we were accustomed to seeing on the Outer Banks, but the overall feeling was familiar.

It was wonderful to stand beside the Gulf of Mexico and enjoy the beach for a while before continuing our Louisiana travels.

Explore Lake Charles’ Historic District

We also spent some time driving through the historic district of Lake Charles.

If you love historic architecture, don’t skip this part of town.

There are some beautiful old houses here, and simply driving through the neighborhood gave us another look at the history and personality of the city.

This was one of those occasions when we didn’t need a major attraction or admission ticket.

We were perfectly happy driving slowly, looking at the architecture and taking pictures.

Drive Along Shell Beach Drive

Another area worth exploring is Shell Beach Drive.

This waterfront neighborhood offered a different side of Lake Charles.

The houses here appeared newer than many of those in the historic district, and some were spectacular.

Several homes had elaborate boathouses across the street along the water.

Some of the boathouses looked nearly as impressive as houses themselves!

If you enjoy architecture, waterfront homes or simply taking scenic drives, this is an easy addition to a day of exploring Lake Charles.

Our Celtic Dinner Adventure

We decided to try something completely different for another meal and visited a Celtic pub in Lake Charles.

We were looking forward to some traditional Irish and Scottish food.

The Scotch eggs we ordered as an appetizer were fantastic.

Unfortunately, we weren’t nearly as impressed with the rest of our meal.

You can’t win them all.

That’s part of traveling too.

Sometimes you find a meal you want to eat every day for the rest of your life, like my shrimp étouffée potato.

And sometimes the appetizer is the highlight.

An Unexpected Louisiana Wildlife Encounter

Louisiana wasn’t finished introducing us to its wildlife.

When we took General outside for his last walk one evening, we spotted a strange little creature wandering nearby.

We thought it might be an armadillo.

Coming from the Outer Banks, that certainly wasn’t something we were accustomed to finding during the dog’s evening walk!

Our travels have given us plenty of these unexpected little moments, and sometimes they’re just as memorable as the attractions we intentionally set out to see.

A Self-Service Dog Wash for General

After all that traveling and exploring, General needed a bath.

We found a local pet business offering a self-service dog wash, and this was one travel discovery we really appreciated.

Instead of trying to wrestle a big dog into a tiny RV shower, we had access to a raised bathing tub that was easy for General to get into.

At the time of our visit, the $15 fee included the shampoo, towels, comb and hair dryer.

Everything we needed was provided.

For anyone traveling with a large dog, a self-service dog wash can be a wonderful thing to find!

Our Favorite Things to Do Around Lake Charles

We packed quite a bit into our stay.

If we had to choose our favorite experiences, Ed would probably pick the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.

I loved the Mardi Gras Museum and our trip to Holly Beach.

And we both thoroughly enjoyed discovering Cajun food.

That’s what made Lake Charles such an enjoyable destination for us.

It wasn’t just one big attraction.

We experienced the culture at the Mardi Gras Museum, tasted Louisiana through its food, explored the wetlands, saw wildlife, visited the Gulf Coast, admired historic architecture and simply enjoyed being somewhere completely different.

Is Lake Charles, Louisiana Worth Visiting?

We think so.

Lake Charles turned out to be much more interesting than we expected.

If you’re planning a Louisiana road trip, especially if you’re traveling along the Gulf Coast or crossing between Texas and Louisiana, consider spending a few days here instead of simply passing through.

You can explore Mardi Gras history in the morning, eat Cajun food for lunch, search for alligators in the wetlands in the afternoon and watch the Gulf of Mexico roll onto the beach before heading back to camp.

That’s a pretty good travel day in our book.

Lake Charles gave us another reminder of exactly why we chose this life in the first place.

There is so much of America we had never seen—and so much we didn’t even know was out there waiting for us.

We’ll see you down the road…and Over The Hills!

Continue the Journey

If you’d like thoughtful road wisdom, practical RV tips, and reflections from life on the road, join our email list.