Last week we had a guest on the morning show from TRAIL, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to building and maintaining parks, paths and trails for hiking, walking, running, kayaking, biking and canoeing.

Our friend Kevin Wallis with TRAIL was telling us about some of the great nature trails we have in the area and I immediately thought, "hey, I should take my son on a walk next time we have some time".

We just love the outdoors, exploring and seeing new things. So, yesterday afternoon we hopped in the truck and headed to Acadiana Park off of E. Alexander St. in Lafayette to do a little exploring.

I had been to the park several times as a kid to play on the swings and use the basketball courts, but never realized that there was a big ole nature trail on the property.

Elevated Wooden Paths at Acadiana Park Nature Trail
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We had such a great time! It is a really nice nature trail with some of the trails being elevated wooden "paths".

There's a couple of nice bodies of water that you will encounter during your hike -- the François Coulee which runs through the heart of the park and the Bayou Vermilion which borders the property.

Overall, the Acadiana Park Nature Trail is 42 acres and was actually purchased by the City of Lafayette all the way back in 1967.

Other features of the park include a very nice campground and centrally located Nature Park Station. There are some very nice animal and plant displays inside the station that the kids really get a kick out of checking out.

The Park Station is also the meeting point for the monthly "night hikes" where you go out with a guide at night and explore the grounds. Kayaking trips are also set up on a monthly basis.

Trees at Acadiana Park Nature Trail
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The next time you need to get the kids out of the house and do something interesting and different, I'd highly suggest Acadiana Park. Heck, why wait, the weather's nice right now. Try to set aside some time this weekend. You'll be glad you did!

 

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