Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site

Subject: Art, History

1200 North Main St.
St. Martinville, LA 70582

(888) 677-2900 | General Information
(888) 677-2900 | Reservations
(337) 394-3553 | Fax

What you need to know!

General Public Hours and Admission: Daily, 9:00am – 4:00pm; $2.00 Adults, Free for Seniors and Visitors under 14 years old

School Tour Hours and Admission Rates: Daily, 9:00am – 4:00pm; Free

Student to Chaperone Ratio Requested: 10:1
Advance Time Needed to Make Reservations: Two weeks
Number of Students per Visit: Up to 200
Suggested Length of Time for Visit: One to two hours
Handicapped Accessible: Partially, the second floor of the big house is inaccessible.
Grade Level Appropriate: 2nd – 12th
Lunch Facilities: A picnic area is on-site. Fast food and full-service restaurants are within one mile of the site.
Gift Shop: No
Bus parking available

Tell Us About It!

Two 19th century cultures sit side-by-side at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site for students to compare. This large park teaches visitors about the influence of two French speaking groups who settled along the Bayou Teche that of Acadian farmers and wealthy French and Creole planters. Once part of Louisiana’s royal domain, the historic site was first used as a vacherie, a cattle ranch, and later developed as an indigo plantation. A Creole family acquired the property and generations later it became a successful sugar plantation. The plantation house, Maison Olivier, is a raised Creole cottage. It is an excellent example of regional architecture because it shows students a mixture of Creole, Caribbean, and French influences. A charming Acadian Cabin vividly illustrates the other extreme of life styles lived by Acadians and Creoles. The cabin is typical of those constructed by the first generation of Acadian settlers. It is small and rustic, a stark contrast to the graceful Maison Olivier.

What Can We See and Do There?

Debarking from their bus on the shore of Bayou Teche, students will feel something special in the air. The group gathers in the Visitor Center and tours the interactive displays about the history of the Acadian and Creole people of the area. A costumed tour guide leads students in groups of 30 through each agricultural home. They stop at the Acadian Cabin and learn about the lifestyle of these hardworking immigrants. The next stop is at Maison Olivier circa 1815, a plantation house that was made more opulent in 1840. The tour of this home tells the story of a wealthy Creole sugar plantation family. Tours can be given in English or French. Arrangements can be made for students to see demonstrations of spinning, weaving, or firing black-gun-powder weapons. Interactive programs available to school groups include a touch-table, colonial period games, churning butter, shucking corn, or spinning moss. Ask the site’s staff about viewing video presentations about sugar and cotton production, the Acadians, Atchafalaya Basin and the film Evangeline.

How Do We Get There?

From I-10, exit at Breaux Bridge to Hwy. 31 to St. Martinville and travel about 15 miles. The site is on Hwy. 31 which is also Main St. in St. Martinville.

Bad Weather! Now What Do We Do?

Call the site to make special arrangements in case of inclement weather.

Louisiana State Educational Benchmarks and Standards

K-4th grades: G-1B-E1-4; H-1A-E1-3; H-1B-E1-2; H-1C-E1-4
5th-8th grades: G-1B-M1-4; H-1A-M1-6; H-1B-M3, 5, 9-13; H-1D-M1-6
9th-12th grades: G-1B-H1-4; H-1A-H1-6; H-1B-H1-2, 4-5

What Can We Do In Class Before Our Field Trip?

Call, write or visit the web site to request a copy of A Guide for Educators. Look into the “Junior Ranger” program offered by the Louisiana Office of State Parks. In addition, older students can read the poem “Evangeline” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

S-T-R-E-T-C-H Out Your Field Trip Benefits

Hold onto A Guide for Educators. The second half of the booklet is dedicated to classroom ideas to use when the class gets back to school. Teachers can involve kids in role playing, drawing, and quiz activities. Roll out a Louisiana map and ask kids to plot their bus ride from this site back to their school. Any bridges? See any waterways?