French Twist:Exploring the Acadian Region of Louisiana Study Tour

Double Occupancy: $2800

Single Occupancy: $3100

Join the Seminar for a four-day motorcoach tour of the Cajun-Creole country in southwest Louisiana. We will depart from and return to Houston, and our lodgings will be in Lafayette, Louisiana. We will explore the rich cultures—architecture, cuisine, music—and the natural environment of this historic bayou country in the heart of Acadian Louisiana. Highlights include a visit to the historic Cajun-Creole village of Vermilionville and tours of Avery Island’s Tabasco Sauce Factory and Museum and Jungle Garden bird sanctuary. We will also make stops at the Shadows-on-the-Teche historic home in New Iberia and the Acadian Memorial and Evangeline Oak Park in St. Martinville. A swamp boat tour on Lake Martin will take us into the heart of this unique nature preserve and aviary rookery and will be followed by a “Secret Supper” underneath the oaks at Maison Madeleine. The tour will be led by Louisiana cultural historian and naturalist Charles Chamberlain and architectural historian Stephen Fox.

Charles Chamberlain is a professor of history at the University of New Orleans, concentrating on Louisiana studies and music history. He received his PhD in U.S. history from Tulane University, and his upcoming book Gumbo Ville (LSU Press, 2025) covers the complete history of New Orleans. Professor Chamberlain has worked as a museum professional, curator, and consultant on numerous exhibits throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. Since 2014, he has served as a licensed tour guide for the City of New Orleans. As an active musician, he performs a variety of styles— jazz, blues, American roots, and traditional French music.

Stephen Fox is an architectural historian and lecturer at the Rice University School of Architecture and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston. His work focuses on architecture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a particular emphasis on how architecture engages such social constructs as class identity, cultural distinction, and regional differentiation.

Reservations will be made on a first come-first served basis upon receipt of a $500 deposit, and the below registration forms found at this link.

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