Morgan City (Louisiana)
Morgan City is a town of 11,000 people (2019) in Coastal Acadiana that revolves around shrimp and petroleum, so much so that it's major annual event is the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival.
Understand
It used to be known as Tiger Island due to its watery boundaries and the occurrence of wild cat sightings there. It was in Morgan City that the Union was dealt a crushing blow during the Civil War when Confederate forces managed to ambush the star fort-shaped federal military depot in 1862 and accrue enormous Union supplies for themselves.
Get in
Morgan City is 68 miles (109 km) southeast of Lafayette, 64 miles (103 km) south of Baton Rouge, and 86 miles (138 km) west of New Orleans.
Morgan City is along Highway 90, the main east-west thoroughfare through Coastal Acadiana. You'll cross a lot of bayous getting here.
See
- 🌍 Rig Museum "Mr. Charlie", 111 1st St, ☏ +1 985 384-3744. M-Sa 10AM-noon, 2PM-4PM. This is one of the few opportunities available for the public to access and explore an offshore oil rig, although this one is actually in the rather shallow waters of the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Boeuf. You can explore the platform, and the International Petroleum Museum & Exposition, Inc. with exhibits such as underwater diving dioramas to check out.
- 🌍 Fort Star, 600-698 Barrow St. The Union base that the Confederacy seized and obliterated in the most clandestine manner. Today just modest remnants of earthworks are about all that remain.
- 🌍 Southwest Reef Lighthouse, 3246 Bellview Front St, Berwick. An 1858 Egyptian Revival-style light that used to guide ships around the Southwest Reef and into the Atchafalaya River before being relocated to its present location across from Morgan City.
- 🌍 Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum, 118 Cotten Rd, Patterson (few miles west of Morgan City), ☏ +1 985 399-1268. Tu-Sa 9:30AM-4PM. This is like a hodge-podge of aviation and sawmill curation that can be quite engrossing. Free.
Do
- 🌍 Lake End Park, 2300 LA-700, ☏ +1 985 380-4623. Daily 8AM-5PM. A swamp beach of sorts on Lake Palourde but surprisingly one with nice almost white sand, and the quintessential cypress trees here and there popping out.
- 🌍 Brownell Memorial Park & Carillon Tower, 3559 LA-70. Another park with water views and access, but this one with an appealing carillon tower.
- 🌍 Swamp Gardens & Wildlife Zoo, 725 Myrtle St, ☏ +1 985 384-3343. Petting zoo, probably more for kids.
- Last but not least, don't forget to attend the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, usually held the first or second week of September along Front Street, next to the EJ "Lionel" Grazzafi Bridge.
Eat
- 🌍 Rita Mae's Kitchen, 711 Federal Ave, ☏ +1 985 384-3550. M-Sa 8AM-9PM. Gumbo vendor for sure.
Sleep
- .
- 🌍 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Morgan City - Tiger Island, Jr Blvd, 704 Martin Luther King Jr Cir Dr, ☏ +1 985 300-5300. Indoor pool/hot tub.
Stay safe
Morgan City was damaged by hurricanes in 1992 and 2019.