The Gulf Coast of Southern Louisiana is one of the richest cultural gems in the United States. While the Creole gastronomical delights and legendary Sazerac bars of New Orleans garner most of the appreciation, the rest of the region beckons if you want to experience small-town Cajun life without the crowds and commercialization of the Big Easy. It’s especially worth letting one under-the-radar town in particular reel you in with its maritime lifestyle: Intracoastal City.
Intracoastal City is an unincorporated community tucked away on the coast of Vermilion Parish. It boasts copious shrimping, a strong cultural heritage, and peaceful natural beauty. The fact that its tourism industry isn’t yet booming is all the more reason to go — you’ll be met with the charm of an authentic Gulf Coast community. There may be a dearth of souvenir shops here, but what you will find are bustling shrimping boats and a community of hardworking people keeping tradition alive.
Gulf shrimp and maritime traditions in Intracoastal City
This town is particularly suited for seafood lovers, as there’s no lack of it here. The shrimping industry has been the metronome of Intracoastal City’s daily rhythms since the early settlements of the 19th century, and you’ll find numerous docks for recreational shrimping and fishing. While wild-caught Gulf shrimp may be frustratingly hard to find in New Orleans, all you have to do to find them here is stroll down to the docks. To win the freshest fruits of the sea, go to the source — you’ll find working fishermen and many of them will sell you some of their day’s catch.
If you’d prefer to enjoy your seafood already prepared, you don’t need to go far to find restaurants serving the local catch. While Intracoastal City doesn’t have a wide restaurant selection as it’s not a touristy area, drive just 20 minutes to nearby Abbeville and you’ll be met with seafood haunts like Shucks. This restaurant serves up not only fresh shrimp, but crabs and oysters too, so come hungry!
Another must-do in Intracoastal City is to check out the Leland Bowman Lock, a historic maritime site. This expansive gate system controls the flow of barges, shrimping boats, salt and freshwater, and overall water levels throughout Vermilion Parish, and is crucial for the functioning of the coastal economy along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Located on the southern outskirts of Intracoastal City, you’ll need permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to visit the facility. Even if you can’t enter, you can still watch the activity from the pull-off spots. Or, do some wildlife spotting in the surrounding bayou, a great birdwatching destination in the U.S.
Arriving to and lodging in Intracoastal City
