A Visit to Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles possesses many of the appealing characteristics and qualities of a great urban center, yet maintains that "personable feel" of a smaller town. There are premier casinos, and the community hosts over 75 annual festivals.

With beautiful natural habitats, fresh water marshes, scenic rivers, inviting sunsets on the lakefront, sandy beaches, coupled with smiling faces and warm hearts, Lake Charles is an inviting place. There is a variety of dining, shopping, and entertainment experiences in Lake Charles. Attractions include the Charpentier Historical District, the Port of Lake Charles, Millennium and Adventure Cove parks, 1911 Historic City Hall, and the Central School Arts and Humanities Center.


We decided to go to Lake Charles on a whim. We are very glad we did as we had a completely delightful time. When we got in, it was late and we were tired after a long day in the ditch, so we stayed on the boat and relaxed. The following morning, the fun began.

We awoke relatively early and hit the town. We discovered the Fat Cat Café and had a great breakfast. Then we walked, and walked, and walked. We found a map of the town and discovered the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. This museum was established in 1963 on land donated by Charles Sallier, a guy after whom a street is named. This museum houses artifacts and memorabilia depicting life in the region from the time of the native Americans to the present. In fact, we had a chance to read letters written by civil war soldiers to their loved ones. The museum is unique in that it displays artifacts and memorabilia in small sections designed like rooms. For instance, there was a bedroom, a kitchen, a post office, a barber shop, and an old fashioned apothecary. Each room displayed pieces from the relevant time frame; mostly from the late 19^th century and early 20^th. The curator there was a nice guy named Stephen. He gave us a map of the town and showed us on the map where all the good restaurants and bars were as well as other museum and art attractions. We used the hell out of that map.

From the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, we walked back across town to the Central School of Arts and Humanities. This building is the home of the Mardi Gras Museum. We did not know this, but Lake Charles hosts the second largest Mardi Gras in Louisiana. The museum displayed Mardi Gras costumes and history all the way back to the mid 1960’s when they really started it all in Lake Charles. The costumes were elaborate and quite impressive. You simply cannot imagine the head-gear folks would wear. Each room you walk through had an audio-animatronic “dummy” explaining what was in the room. Each room was dedicated to some facet of Mardi Gras. 


In the same building, we were also able to visit the Associates Gallery, a collection of artwork by students of the Central School. There was some very creative work done with parts of the oil industry. I liked the cut pipes with the corrosion and rust air brushed florescent colors highlighting the nooks and curves. Very cool.

By the time we got done with this museum, it was late in the day, so we headed back to the boat. We were just kicking back when my phone rang. It was Leon. You may recall that Leon is the guy who responded to my request for information regarding entering Lake Charles. He called because he wanted to invite us to a Christmas party the next night hosted by the Lake Charles Power and Sailing Squadron. What a treat to be invited. We absolutely said “yes.” How could we not. This would prove a great opportunity to meet some local folks and get a better flavor of what it is like to be part of this Southwestern Louisiana community.

Well, the next morning, we managed to get our bikes off the boat, into the dinghy, and to the pier. Lake Charles has this beautiful brand new municipal marina that just opened in October. It is an important part of the city’s downtown waterfront redevelopment. Interestingly, Leon told me that when we were crossing the lake, we would encounter this hole that was over 50 feet deep. We did. This hole was dredged out and the materials used as landfill for the construction of the new Civic Center. We had the privilege to meet the Harbor Master, whose name is Denver. When we got into town, I called the visitor’s bureau to find out if there was a public dock where we could tie the dink for a few hours while we explored the town. A very nice lady got me Denver’s number. I called and spoke with him. He could not have been more accommodating. We were given complete access to the dock at any time, and only if we stayed over night would we be charged a whopping $10. Although we did not stay the night at one of these beautiful docks, we did spend four nights anchored out in front of them, and we did avail ourselves of the access to the town.


Denver is definitely, “The Man.” He was variably described as the Sergeant who could get more done than the Colonel. He is known and appreciated by all who have anything to do with boating.

So, back to our bikes. We had some errands to run. We had supplies and some groceries to get. My Droid led us to a WalMart and a West Marine. It’s funny how the droid tells you it is only ½ mile to some place, but when you actually get out there and do it, it seems like it is more like 7 miles…..each way. This is what we went through this date. We rode and rode and rode. To make matters worse, Lake Charles is not a real bike friendly town. There are few sidewalks and no bike lanes. In fact, if you walk on the sidewalks that there are, it is entirely possible to get picked off by the rear view mirror of a passing pick up truck. So, riding our bikes was a rather harrowing experience. We got it all done, and we got to see even more of the town than we would have otherwise.
That night, we had a great time with our new friends at the Lake Charles Power and Sailing Squadron. What a nice bunch of folks. We were made to feel very welcome. There are some serious boaters in this club. They are quite experienced and well trained. This Squadron has its own building with a beautiful upstairs where they hold their classes and meetings. Their downstairs screened patio, however, is very cool. There is a bar down there made from a cut off transom of a boat. They have their own long dock down below where they can probably stack more than 20 of their club’s boats for summer social and water events. It turns out that, in Louisiana, you have to have completed a boaters training course before you can operate a boat in the State of Louisiana. The LCPSS teaches most of the courses in the area. They have a number of Senior Navigators, and more than most of their members have achieved the rank of Pilot or better. We met so many really nice people. We appreciate all the information we obtained from locals. Most importantly, however, we cherish having had the opportunity to meet all these great folks. Thank you Leon. You made an indelible impression and a real difference. We will always remember you and your lovely wife, Lola.


The next day was the evening Lighted boat parade and fire work extravaganza. But, we were not leaving without sampling some of the local specialties, to wit: Beignet and Boudin. Beignet is like a fried doughnut covered in silky powdered sugar.

Awesome Beignet at Stellar Beans

Boudin is sausage made with meat. Some say that, around here, “meat” could mean anything that is not a vegetable. We walked over to Stellar Beans for beignet and coffee. Awesome! Then, we took over and hiked several miles (thanks Droid) to a deli on “the other side of town” to find boudin. Having walked so far, we decided we would bring some back. We humped approximately 12 lbs of boudin back to the boat. The walk was great. Again, we saw parts of town we would not have seen otherwise. There was a very cool cemetery with a funny billboard at the back end.



This is one hell of a way to advertise.

 That was quite a hike. We finally made it back to the boat after a late lunch at around 3:00 in the afternoon, just in time to make a couple water runs and relax some before the Parade of Lights and Fireworks Extravaganza. The parade was nice. There were 9 boats all lit up. They paraded across the waterfront for thousands of adoring fans. This was a judged parade, so there were winners. I think they were all winners. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a small barge pushed into the middle of the lake in front of the civic center. The fireworks were about to begin. It was a great display. It was literally rightheads. For a few days, we were the only boat anchored out on the lake. However, for the parade and fireworks, there were many boats out, mostly carrying their families, kids, pets, whatever, for a closer look at the boat parade and overhead lights.

We truly had a great time in Lake Charles, are glad we went, and highly recommend it as a destination for others cruising the Gulf Coast.

Where's Waldo?

Where's Waldo goin?

Brenda and her 'gator.