Cut Off is a small town with a population of about 5,000, just 66 miles southwest of New Orleans. It sits right on Bayou Lafourche, making it a great place to take in a trip through the bayou, an ecological wonder as magnificent as any national park.
Human settlement and modifications to the bayou have changed it considerably, but you can take a canoe or kayak up and down the 65-mile stretch known as the "Longest Main Street in the World." Although civilization has pressed itself up against Bayou Lafourche, it maintains its watery charm, with the flora and fauna you'd hope to see in a bayou --- including alligators! The bayou has its problems, due to human encroachment, and agencies from the state and federal government are working to alleviate some of those issues.
Cut Off is centrally located in Acadiana, so a short trip to Pointe Aux Chenes Wildlife Management Area to the south will put you right in an area relatively untouched by humanity. A short trip to the north brings you to the Salvador Wildlife Management Area and the Jean Lafitte Preserve, both of which are on Lake Salvador.
The mouth of the Mississippi River, with its connected bayous and waterways, is one of the great natural wonders of America and if given the chance, every traveler to Louisiana should explore the area, at least for a day.
European settlement began in the mid-18th century and sometime around 1879, French Canadians from Nova Scotia, commonly known as "Acadians," settled in the Cut Off area. As a result, Cut Off and Larouche Parish became the center of Cajun culture.
If Zydeco style music is your thing, this is where you'll find it. There are dancehalls throughout the area that feature Zydeco and Cajun music every night of the week. Although Tipitina's in New Orleans is known throughout the world for its food and music, head southwest into Acadiana for the culture that spawned it all.
Oh yes, the food. Jambalaya, gumbo and boiled crawfish are readily available, made every which way but the same. Every restaurant has its own recipe for the jambalaya and gumbo, but you can expect them all to be varying degrees of spicy.
