Crooning in Cajun Country

Though relatively small in size, Louisiana in southern United States is surprisingly diverse in its tourist offerings, from lavish outdoors with bountiful nature and landscape to architecture, culture and music.

- VARSHA SINGH

It was a rather unusual sight for a Saturday morning. The clock had just about struck 10:00 and the dance floor was already packed, with locals and visitors, young, middle-aged and old, swinging to beautiful melodies being played by a live band.

The setting above may sound fictional in most parts of the world, but in Louisiana, in southern United States, it is pretty much a normal sight as the state is defined by its music, cuisine, community bonding and amazing outdoors.

We had just reached Naq's N Duson, a relatively new addition to the food and music scene in Duson near Lafayette, a city in Louisiana, where we had arrived as part of a visit to Louisiana at the invitation of Travel South USA. Along with other members of the global media, India Outbound had been invited to attend the Global Media Summit of Travel South USA, held in Louisville, Kentucky, in early April.

Established at the former site of a popular restaurant at Duson, Naq's N Duson has revived a space that holds decades of local memories. With live music in the evenings every week from Thursday to Saturday, it comes alive every Saturday morning with its special Cajun and Zydeco breakfasts that combine rhythm and flavour, which is what we were fortunate enough to attend.

The founder Kevin Naquin himself is a Cajun musician and accordion player who also performed while we were there.

In that hall, on that morning, the best elements of Louisiana were on display, from Cajun music and cuisine to the feeling of community and the ambience of a warm and welcoming friendliness that pervaded all around, embracing not just the locals, but also visitors like us, in the spirit that Louisiana and southern United States is so well-known for.