Maison Madeleine B&B in a Louisiana Bayou

Hidden away among moss-draped oaks and palmetto palms sits Maison Madeleine, an enchanting B&B in a southern Louisiana bayou. This French Creole cottage is a tranquil retreat, surrounded by lush greenery and birdsong. Catering to just one guest party at time, it offers plenty of privacy and peace.

 

Guests have the unique opportunity to take a Cajun cooking class right onsite. Learn how to make gumbo, crawfish ettouffee or shrimp Creole from a local couple who are eager to share their love of food and music with you during a fun private class. Then enjoy your 3 course meal in the cozy dive bar, a kitschy space decorated with Jesus pictures and memorabilia.

A stone’s throw away is Lake Martin, a bald cypress swamp that snowy egrets, gators, and blue herons call home. Watch nature unfold from shore. Or join a guided kayak tour and paddle quietly around a maze of cypress trees in a mystical fog at dawn– or any time of day. Wildlife and beauty abound all around.

 

Welcome to Cajun Country!

Maison Madeline is located smack dab in Cajun country, where Joie de Vivre radiates among the local people. Embrace the “joy of living” as they do. Watch people dance the two-step to lively Zydeco music or swamp pop as musicians play fiddles, accordians and washboards. Their smiles and energy are so contagious, that you might just decide to join them. Listen carefully, and you’ll hear that most of the lyrics are sung in French.

This is, after all, the heartland of Acadia– where the French settled in Lousiana during the 1700s, leaving their distinctive mark on the culture, language, spicy food, upbeat music and love for festivals. Live Cajun music is played almost daily at different venues in nearby towns, Breaux Bridge or Lafayette. There are many cultural places to learn about the history of the Acadian people and their Cajun descendents in the surrounding parishes near Maison Madeleine. And lots of festivals to attend!

There are festivals devoted to traditional Louisiana foods– Cracklins, Boudin, Crawfish, Shrimp, Gumbo, Étouffée — or tasted all together at Lundi Gras, an old-time boucherie. And festivals centered around Zydeco, swamp pop and jazz, Creole & Cajun Christmas, and even alligators. Find a festival for your travel dates here.

Take scenic drives through rural countrysides to explore the surrounding parishes (towns). There’s so much to see and do. And eat.

Then come back to this tranquil retreat and fall asleep to the rhythmic sound of frogs… You won’t be the first. Although the location feels remote, this charming place attracts celebrities and international guests. Reservations are a must. It fills quickly.

 

Staying at Maison Madeleine B&B

My friend Donna and I stayed 3 nights here on our 10 day road trip through Louisiana, taking a much needed break from working in nursing homes during the Covid pandemic.

Traveling from our last destination, the Myrtles Plantation, we drove 80 miles south through Baton Rouge, crossed the long elevated highway over the Atchafalaya Basin and reached Breaux Bridge in about 1.5 hours. Following back roads for another 15 minutes or so, we arrived at Lake Martin and found Maison Madeleine just off of Rookery Road.

 

Owners Madeleine Cenac and her husband Walt welcomed us on the wide porch and gave us keys to our upstairs rooms. Guests have a private entrance from the front porch. We climbed the staircs, unlocked the door and entered the guest quarters. As the only guests, we had the whole upper floor. And it was a beautiful, clean and inviting space!

Guestrooms

At the top of the stairs, a hallway leads to the two bedrooms that share a central bathroom and kitchenette. Conveniently, there’s a microwave and minifridge to use. Tea, coffee, and snacks are provided plus a variety of books.

 

Both guestrooms have honey-colored cypress paneling, comfy queen sized beds, soft chairs and writing desks. They also have traditional curtained closets. The larger room has more seating and looks out over the front of the home toward the swamp.

 

The smaller room  sleeps 3. It has a secret hideaway, which would be fun for kids. If you climb through the curtained window, you’ll discover a little nook with a double bed and a shelf of books.

 

The shared bathroom features an old-fashioned clawfoot tub with a shower and a blue ceramic sink.

Rates vary. Two guests traveling together can either book one room for $195, or reserve both rooms for an extra $55. Combined guest quarters sleep a max of five people for $325. A hot breakfast is included in the rate, and served between 8-9:30am downstairs.

Madeleine’s breakfasts were delicious. Boudin sausages, cracklin’ and other local products were served alongside eggs. One morning she made her puffed French toast specialty, Pain Perdue. The decadent sweet bread soaked in milk and brandy, and topped with pecans and powdered sugar hardly needed the local Steen’s cane syrup, but when in Cajun country…

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Both were gracious hosts. Walt was a wealth of information about the surrounding parishes and quick to make recommendations on sites to visit. He also made us dinner reservations in Breaux Bridge at Sydnie Mae Cafe, and snagged us a great table outdoors across from musicians playing on a porch across the street.

 

History of Maison Madeleine B&B

Maison Madeleine is on the National Register of Historic Places. Less than 50 authentic French Creole cottages from the 1840s exist today.

Back in the late 1990s, Madeleine spotted a deteriorating French Creole cottage in a sugarcane field that instantly appealed to the interior designer in her. She bought it, dismantled it, and moved the numbered boards to her new property on Lake Martin where she painstakingly reassembled it. Exposed beams, bricks and bousillage (Spanish moss mixed with mud as mortar) are testament to its authentic construction.

This 5 year project resulted in a beautiful extension to her original family home–another French Creole cottage– that she also moved onto the property. Native to southern Louisiana, Madeleine wanted to pay homage to her roots. Her great-grandfather immigrated from France to Houma (southern Louisiana) in 1821. Both cottages have wide recessed front porches, painted shutters, and sit raised on bricks or cypress logs, typical from that era. The family home is white, but the historic 1840s cottage, perpendicular in the back, has rustic cypress siding.

 

Stepping inside, the merging of the two cottages seem seamless. Guests walk through the living room of her original family’s home and into the dining area of the 1840s cottage where a galley beyond connects the two homes.

Madeleine’s talent as a designer is evident everywhere you look. Rustic rooms, full of character, blend beautifully with French antiques, her children’s bold artwork and family heirlooms. She raised her teens here. When they left home, she turned their bedrooms into guestrooms, and opened her home as an inn back in 2005. Walt Adams was one of her first guests.

Before long, Walt and Madeleine married. In 2011, they hosted perhaps their most famous guest, Anthony Bourdain. He filmed an episode here for his television show, No Reservations, and invited other chefs and musicians to join him for a Cajun crawfish boil. They had so much fun that evening, that it inspired the owners to start hosting Secret Suppers to showcase their Acadian culture.

 

Maison Madeleine’s Secret Suppers

Grammy award-nominated musicians. James Beard award-nominated chefs. Intimate dinner parties under live oaks by candlelight. Imagine! Lucky guests dine on seasonal farm-to-table Cajun dishes created by top culinary chefs who pair the four courses with wine. Sounds of nature mingle with accordians, fiddles, or acoutic guitars as daylight fades into starlight.

Tables set with linens and fine china are arranged in front of the rustic French Creole cottage. Just a few yards away is a renovated building where the invited chefs share space cooking in the commercial kitchen that Walt and Madeleine built for the Secret Supper Series.

It is a rare opportunity to rub elbows with famous talented chefs and musicians in a casual environment and to experience the intermingling of good food and music, Cajun style. Get on their mailing list for quick dibs.

Just don’t expect to snag a room on these nights..they are reserved for the chefs! Use Uber or Lyft for your transport back to your hotel in Breaux Bridge or Lafayette.

 

Cajun Cooking Classes at Maison Madeleine

Savor a slice of the Secret Suppers by signing up for a Cajun cooking class!

Private hands-on classes are taught by a local Cajun couple inside the commercial kitchen behind the cottage. Select the entree and dessert to make when you reserve a class. Entree choices include Crawfish Étouffée, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Seafood Gumbo, Gumbo Z’ Herbes (meatless gumbo), Shrimp Creole (tomato based), or She-Crab Stew, seasonal full moon special. And for dessert, choose either Lemon Meringue Pie, Bread Pudding, Pecan Pie or Pralines.

The 3 hour class includes a three course meal and complimentary wine. Instruction is taught in English or Cajun French.

Donna and I reserved a class for our first night. We chose to make Gumbo, the traditional favorite that originated in Louisiana in the 18th century. Chicken and three types of local sausages went into our pot. And while it was simmering, we whipped up lemon meringue pie. Oh, yummm.

What a fun night! I knew it would be from the moment I first heard the Cajun music drifting out of the kitchen as we walked across the lawn. The couple was instantly likeable–relaxed, happy, and eager to share their love of good food and everything Cajun. Vickie and Hubert taught us about the Holy Trinity of all Cajun food–bell peppers, onion and celery, how to make a roux, and the secret seasonings.

 

We had lots of laughs, drank great wine and feasted on delicious food. The gumbo and lemon pie were outstanding, and so was the company! We enjoyed our meal in the adjacent dive bar and were handed recipes to take home after parting hugs.

Classes must be reserved in advance when making your room reservation. Don’t miss this! Rates are $125 adult/$75 children under 12, and worth every penny.

 

Outdoor Spaces

A honey-colored, one-eyed cat named Dude may saunter up to you if you’re lounging on the front porch. This friendly fellow likes company. The porch is a great place to sip coffee in the morning or read in the afternoon. Surrounded by greenery, with no sounds other than birds, it’s easy to relax in this sunny space.

 

But pull away from your book to explore the nearby lake!

 

Lake Martin near Maison Madeleine

This wildlife preserve attracts egrets, cormorant, osprey and alligators who live in this swamp studded with Cypress and Tupelo trees. And it’s just steps away from the B&B!

Walk along the gravel Rookery Road looking for natural openings to the water. Be still. You may spot egrets or blue herons wading in shallow water stalking their prey.

If you visit in the spring, expect to see a greater variety and number of birds, incuding roseate spoonbills (Cajun flamingoes), that migrate through this area. Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills make their nests and rear their young in the nearby rookery from March through June.

Rise early and you may witness an eerie dawn. This particular morning in mid-November looked like a painting as a light misty fog rose from the water.

I spotted this scene the next morning a little further north of Maison Madeleine on Rookery Road around 6am.

Hiking

To explore more of Lake Martin on foot, drive south on Rookery Road to access boardwalks over the swamp.

A 2.5-mile walking levee trail is open from fall to spring. Thousands visit for the incredible wildlife viewing opportunities each spring. A Visitor Center (Rookery Road near Hwy 353) is open 10-4 on weekends year round, and Wed-Sun during the spring. Near here is a boardwalk extending over the swamp.

Photographing

The only downside to setting up your tripod along the shore to capture birds is that the sound of cars traveling by on the gravel tend to scare away the skittish birds. Best opportunities to see animals is on the water or from the boardwalk. Note to those looking to capture the famous shot of isolated cypress trees standing in water–it’s no longer possible. The vantage point from the public boat launch was closed to the public March 2020.

Fishing

Tourists who want to fish on the lake can rent a kayak or canoe from Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours on Rookery Road ($15-25 per hour). Or launch your own boat from their pier for $5. They also sell fishing supplies: live bait, shinners, worms & crickets.

Kayaking

A few different tour operators lead guided kayking trips around Lake Martin. But Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours is the only business directly on the lake. They’re your best bet for stopping by to see about joining a last minute tour. The other operators come from Lafayette. Some require meeting in Lafayette–not handy if you’re already staying here!

Maison Madeleine’s website recommended Duc In Altum and that’s who I chose to go with. The owner guide Janenne deClout offers private tours which was perfect for me, as I wanted to stop often and photograph scenes. Janenne picked me up at Maison Madeleine’s B&B, and the two of us spent a magical morning on the lake! It was truly a beautiful experience, and a highlight of my time in Louisiana. (Read my post about it here.)

Atchafalaya Basin Swamp

Wanna take an Airboat tour? Then head to Henderson, Louisiana, 12 miles away, about a 20 minute drive.

There are two tour operators on the levee practically next to each other. Atchafalaya Basin Landing Airboat Swamp Tours & McGees Louisiana Swamp & Airboat Tours. Both offer 90 minute tours year round. Check websites for hours as they vary per season. Rates are around $55 per adult.

We impulsively decided to stop here on the way, when traveling from Baton Rouge to Maison Madeleine. Pulling off I-10, we called both operators to see who could squeeze us in for an airboat ride. With an hour to kill, we ate froglegs and gator for lunch at Pat’s Wharf in Henderson. The proprietor came out to our table while we were waiting for our food and led us to a huge  dance hall in the back. The live music at the Atchafalaya Club attracts lots of locals who dance to Swamp Pop. He invited us to come back that night, but we already had plans—our Cajun cooking class!

Before long we back on the levee at McGees. We joined a handful of others and boarded our boat. Our guide gave us ear protection, and away we went…

After traveling along the lake awhile, we entered narrow inlets that looked impossible to get through. Green vegetation covered the surface of the swamp. It looked like a tangled mess that would surely clog the boat motor. Nope. Fear not. The whirring vessel simply zipped across the dense mess and turned on a dime. What a fun, exhilerating ride!

Other times we skimmed across placid waters, past bald cypress trees standing in the swamp. And we slowed to a stop whenever the guide spotted alligators.

These gators can grow up to 13 feet long, and weigh over 500 pounds. Your best chance of seeing one is Atchafalaya Basin with a guide who knows where they hang out. Our adrenalin packed airboat tour provided us the only opportunity of actually seeing them on our 10 day trip, despite having taken many boat tours elsewhere. Don’t know why. The other swamps we visited were shallower. Perhaps they’re more active in deeper water, like Atchafalaya, in November?

 

Venturing Further

South

We took Walt’s advice and headed south one day. There are so many small town parishes to explore!

We began with a stop in St. Martinville parish, the birthplace of Cajun Acadia where thousands of French Catholics settled when exiled from Nova Soctia. Longfellow’s poem features a famous oak tree, where an Acadian woman (Evangeline) finally reunited with her lover after searching the bayou in vain for too many years. But it was so late that he died in her arms. After seeing the tree, we visited the Cultural Heritage Center to read the exhibits about Acadians.

Our next stop was New Iberia parish. We walked around the lush grounds at Shadows-on-the-Teche, a Greek Revival mansion built for wealthy sugar plantation owners in 1834. The interior was closed due to Covid.

Also closed was Avery Island, which we had really hoped to see. Tabasco sauce originates from here. Tourists can learn about how the red peppers grow on a salt dome and see how it’s manufactured before tasting Cajun dishes seasoned with their hot sauce. (Now it’s open again.) Their 1868 restaurant serves Crawfish Etoufee, chili, fried catfish, boudin egg rolls, red beans and rice, or gulf shrimp all smothered in Tabasco, and of course a Bloody Mary! Yep, we were hungry…

So we headed to the Rip Van Winkle House and Gardens for a late lunch. The expansive property includes gardens, a cafe and a historic house, built in 1870, on Jefferson Island in Iberia Parish. The home was built for Joseph Jefferson, an American stage and silent film actor. After lunch we toured the beautiful home, where no photos are allowed.

At this point we were about three miles from the Gulf of Mexico. We decided to try to find the shrimping boats a little further south in Delcambre.

It was like a scavenger hunt, but we eventually found them. The boats were lined up in a narrow canal that eventually empties into Vermillion Bay. Only one boat captain was around. He told us a bit about shrimping and how he goes out for a week at a time. We met another man who was busy mending nets for shrimping. The community hosts a shrimping festival over several days in late August.

 

North

Late afternoon we headed back north to visit Breaux Bridge, the Crawfish Capital of the World. Walking around downtown, we browsed through some of the stores before enjoying local fare for dinner. We ate at 2 different restaurants in Breaux Bridge during our 3 night stay. Both had live music. The irrestible upbeat sounds of accordians and fiddles urged people to jump up, grab a partner and two-step across the dance floor. All ages too, not just old folk! Was fun to people watch the locals get up to dance then go back to eating.

A big tourist draw is Buck & Johnny’s Saturday zydeco breakfast. Word is that if you’re not there by 7am you won’t get in–it’s that popular. Quite a few famous musicians come from here, including Hunter Hayes, the only child of Cajun parents who grew up singing in English and French.

Most of the restaurants here feature Louisiana’s famous mudbugs, including Crawfish USA, a red barn where it was first served in 1959. The 8,000 residents celebrate these tasty crustaceans in a Crawfish festival each May, along with live Cajun music of course!

West

Lafayette is the capital of Acadiana, with a population of 130,000. There’s plenty of live music venues and cultural sites. We visited on a Sunday to hear live Cajun music at the Vermilionville Living Folk Museum (plays every Sunday 1-4pm). Driving downtown, we saw people coming out of church. Not just any church, but the turreted Dutch Romanseque Cathedral of St. John. Stopping for a quick peek inside, we entered the 1916 landmark to appreciate this beauty.

Also downtown was the painted Lafayette sign with the missing Y. So of course we had to take a cheesy snapshop of ourselves.

The Vermilionville Living Folk Museum is a 23 acre village with 7 original homes on the edge of a bayou. Costumed artisans, demonstrating different skills, portray settlers from 1765-1890. Before walking around and listening to the music, we ate lunch in their simple cafe. And I have to say, other than our cooking class, the inexpensive bowl of gumbo I ate here was the best in Louisiana! Don’t pass it up. The Cajun music was good too.

Musicians played accordian, guitar, drums and washboards while locals danced the two-step. Check their website to see which musicians are scheduled for their Sunday dance series, Bal du Dimanche.

Our final stop was the University of Louisiana. Smack dab in the middle of the campus is a 2 acre cypress lake. We saw egrets, turtles and yes, even alligators.

Sometimes gators and alligator snapping turtles escape and wander out of the swamp. Imagine having to be mindful of creatures that could bite you as you’re heading to class. This is the only university in the world with a wetland on campus. To celebrate that, UL Lafayette hosts a crawfish boil and canoe races in the swamp during Lagniappe Week. Wonder how many students fall in?

Only in Louisiana…

Taking in one last scene of a swampy pond with moss-draped oaks, we stretched our legs around the pond before heading to the Lafayette airport for our flights home.

 

Maison Madeleine B&B’s Location

Maison Madeleine is located in a great central position. Situated on the edge of a nature preserve, the setting is calm and peaceful. Yet lively music and attractions are a short jaunt away. It sits halfway between two towns–15 minutes from Breaux Bridge and 20 minutes from Lafayette. The small, easy to navigate airport in Lafayette is just 9 miles away, a 17 minute drive.

 

 

Life on the Bayou

The friendly, laid-back people and soul-nourishing places linger long in my mind since I’ve visited Maison Madeleine. The upbeat Cajun music, spicy food, cypress scenes and this perfect little place to stay all played a part in helping us destress during the pandemic.

This was truly an escape from everyday life where stress and fear could dissolve into joy, or Joie de Vivre…

 

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