The perfect launching pad to explore a plethora of nearby attractions such as Breaux Bridge (the crawfish capital of the world) and the Atchafalaya Basin, where you can search for gators on a swamp boat tour!
About
Nestled amidst the enchanting Louisiana bayou, the Bayou Wilderness RV Campground stands as a tranquil oasis for adventurers seeking solace in nature’s embrace. The Bayou Wilderness RV Campground is open year round, and all 120 sites in the campground are pull through. Most sites offer 30- or 50-amp electric service, are level, and have plenty of space for big rigs. There’s also a general store in the campground in case you forget your s’mores fixin’s, need ice, or run out of RV safe toilet paper!
As far as activities on-site, The Bayou Wilderness RV Campground has a playground, a sparkling in-ground pool, and a natural pond with cypress trees, gray moss, wildlife, and fishing (no license required)! It’s also but a stone’s throw away from famous Lafayette, Louisiana. Henderson, Louisiana is also a short drive from the campground where you can jump on an Atchafalaya Basin Boat Tour to see some ‘gators! And if you like crawfish – the crawfish capital of the world, Breaux Bridge, is right around the corner.
Visits
- April 3 – 5, 2023 – This was a short, couple of days, stop on our way from Austin to New Orleans during our 4F (Florida, Family, Friends, Fun) ? adventure. The mom of one of our close friends grew up in the region (and now lives in New Orleans where we were meeting up with her and her husband). She told us a lot about it so we definitely wanted to make a point to check it out. Our only regret was not having a lot more time here because there are a plethora of things to explore.
Review
The Bayou Wilderness RV Campground was all about location for us. It was close to the famous and historic city of Lafayette and also Henderson which was where the Atchafalaya Basin Boat Tour was that we wanted to take. It was also near Breaux Bridge, the ? crawfish capital of the world (unfortunately we were there a couple of weeks too early for their annual crawfish festival), but we still got to enjoy a 5 lb pile of those tasty mudbugs.
The area and the campground were both a very serene setting. You really get that Bayou feeling with the swamps, ponds, cypress trees, and wildlife sounds, but far as the campsites went, it was your standard private rv park with rows of rigs kind of close to each other. Though there wasn’t much by way of privacy, the spots themselves had full hook-ups, which we always appreciate, and they were fairly level.
This was the first time in our travels that we had to be on the lookout for alligators! The large pond on the property made sure to post warning signs all around it. Thankfully, we only saw them on the swamp boat tour and not at the campground, which was what we’d have called a “mostly controlled” environment.
Though it was pretty cloudy the days we were there, the heat and humidity of the south were quite abundant, which made swimming in the pool really refreshing. Plus, we had it all to ourselves which made it even better!
Trailerability
Depending on the way your driving to the park, there were some narrow, paved, country roads and bridges with no shoulders. They weren’t bad to drive as long as you take it slow. There was also a gate that required a code to enter, so if you are going to be arriving late, make sure you call ahead to get it. Navigating to our site and pulling into it was a breeze. Gotta love pull-throughs!
Towmads Top Tips
- You can’t come to the crawfish ? capital of the world and not get down with some mud bugs. If you get a chance though, get tips from locals on the how to eat them.
- Be careful next to the water cause there be gators ? in them there ponds.
- Sites are fairly close together so going in the less busy season, or search for a spot without reservations around it is recommended.
Nearby Things We Enjoyed
- Atchafalaya Basin Landing & Swamp Tours in Henderson, LA – Atchafalaya Basin Landing & Swamp Tours is a family-owned and operated tour destination located in the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin, America’s largest freshwater swamp. This airboat tour was the highlight of our visit to the area. Our tour guide/boat captain, Nick, was knowledgeable and hilarious. He even offered to cut Leigh Anne’s hair with his swiss army knife when it got stuck in the noise reducing earmuffs ?. Seeing ‘gators in the wild was well, WILD. They were as terrifying as we’d (or at least as much as Leigh Anne) expected. Even the ones just lounging on the rocks in the sun were intimidating.
- Prejean’s in Carencro, LA – Our first night in Cajun country had to include some Cajun food, and Prejean’s did not disappoint. From the smoked old fashioneds, the firecracker shrimp, the fried catfish and oysters, to the seafood gumbo and smoked duck gumbo, none of us left feeling any kind of hungry. Everything was mouth-wateringly delicious.
- Crazy ‘Bout Crawfish in Breaux Bridge, LA – ? Breaux Bridge is dubbed “the crawfish capital of the world” so of course, we had to grab a big pile of them at Crazy ‘Bout Crawfish. The sign may need a new coat of paint, but the food was fantastic! We started with the crab fingers, gator bites, and crab cakes, but of course, the star of the show was the gigantic bucket of crawfish. They were incredibly spicy to the point that there may have been some sweat and tears, especially when we sucked the heads and found that that was where the majority of the spice was hiding! We were not even close to being efficient eaters of this southern delicacy but you’ll hear later about how we learned the best way to make sure we got all the goodies!
How to Book
You can reserve on the Bayou Wilderness RV Campground website. We had a few issues using their online system, so if it gives you any grief, just give them a call or text because they are pretty responsive over the phone.
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