Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum

Subject: Industry, Science, Nature

7910 Park Ave. (PO Box 3678)
Houma, LA 70361

(985) 580-7200 | General Information
(985) 873-6890 | Reservations
(985) 873-6795 | Fax

What you need to know!

General Public Hours and Admission Rates: Tuesday – Friday, 10:00am – 5:00pm; Saturday, noon – 4:00pm; $3.00 Adults, $2.50 Seniors, $2.00 Children 2-12 years old; $2.00 Adult groups of 15 or more

School Tour Hours and Admission Rates: Monday-Saturday, 10:00am– 5:00pm; $1.00 per person (Group rate for 15 or more students and one teacher); $2.50 Additional adult chaperones

Student to Chaperone Ratio Requested: 15:1
Advance Time Needed to Make Reservations: Two weeks
Number of Students per Visit: Up to 75
Suggested Length of Time for Visit: 90 minutes
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Grade Level Appropriate: PreK – 8th
Lunch Facilities: An indoor eating area for brown bag lunches is available on-site with advance planning. An outdoor picnic area and full service restaurants are nearby.
Gift Shop: Yes
Bus parking available

Tell Us About It!

Living off the water in Houma, Louisiana is a long-standing tradition. The Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum looks at the area’s dependence on the seafood and water transportation industries and the natural wonders of southeastern Louisiana’s wetlands. The attractive permanent exhibit highlights the economic, social, and natural history of Terrebonne Parish through an array of interactive displays. Located in historic downtown Houma, the new museum resides in a transformed canning factory building along Bayou Terrebonne. The museum features a well-planned, activity-based, permanent exhibit that shows connections of commercial and recreational fishing and harvesting from the area’s waterways. A changing exhibit gallery features area artists and programs. An outdoor covered wharf extends the museum experience with the bayou.

What Can We See and Do There?

Louisiana is the nation’s sportsman’s paradise and the cradle of the south’s fishing industry. The Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum’s self-guided exhibits are devoted to commercial and recreational fishing, as well as to the oyster, shrimp, and trapping industries. The permanent exhibits are family-oriented and kid-friendly.
Visitors can drive a shrimp boat out into the Gulf, try their hand at using oyster-tongs, and listen to stories told by people who have dedicated their lives to harvesting and distributing “our submerged bounty.” Through videos and a simulated forecast, students learn about hurricanes and the weather’s impact upon the region. The collection and distribution of oil and gas are important modern industries featured at the museum with an interactive oil rig display. Visitors can choose to watch an orientation video, in English or French.

How Do We Get There?

From New Orleans: Travel west on U.S. 90 to first Houma exit (La. 182). Take a left on La. 182. Stay on La.182 until it intersects with La. 24. Take a right turn on La. 24 and go two blocks. The museum is on the left.

From Lafayette: Take US 90 East to second Houma exit (La. 24 South). Turn right on La. 24 to downtown Houma. Turn left on Barrow Street and cross Bayou Terrebonne. Left at traffic light and the museum is two blocks on the left.

From Baton Rouge and Thibodaux: Travel south on Hwy.1 through Thibodaux. Turn right on La. 24 into downtown Houma. Turn left on Barrow St. and cross Bayou Terrebonne. Turn left at the traffic light. The museum is two blocks down on the left.

Louisiana State Educational Benchmarks and Standards

K-4th grades: SI-E-A1; SI-E-B1; LS-E-A1-3; LS-E-B1-2; LS-E-C1-3; ESS-E-A2, 4; SE-E-A1-3, 5; G-1C-E5; G-1D-E3-4; E-1A-E5; E-1B-E5; H-1C-E1, 4
5th-8th grades: SI-M-A1; SI-M-B1; LS-M-A3; LS-M-C1-4; ESS-M-A8, 11, 12; SE-M-A1-7; E-A1-M9; H-1D-M1, 4-6

Bad Weather! Now What Do We Do?

The Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum is an indoor facility with climate control.

What Can We Do In Class Before Our Field Trip?

Visit the museum’s web site, www.tpcg.org for a virtual preview. The museum will mail teachers a copy of the “Exhibit Concept and Teacher’s Guide” and the “Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum Student Workbook.” Call or send an email request to apicou@tpcg.org.

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

The 34-page Student Workbook has a variety of great worksheets and lesson plans to do back in class. Think about having a class shrimp boil, and be sure to let the students peel the shrimp themselves.