• Image of swamp, bayou, and marsh

    Jean Lafitte

    National Historical Park and Preserve Louisiana

The Treasure of Jean Lafitte

In Jean Lafitte's day, silver and gold filled a pirate's treasure chest, but today's treasures are people, places, and memories. Discover New Orleans’ rich cultural mix. Learn Cajun traditions from people who live them. Watch an alligator bask on a bayou’s bank. Walk in the footsteps of the men who fought at 1815’s Battle of New Orleans. Follow the link to find out about the park’s six sites.

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Features

  • Men in uniforms and a little boy put flags on national cemetery graves

    Memorial Day at Chalmette National Cemetery

    Honor American troops: Chalmette National Cemetery volunteer projects and Memorial Day ceremony and living history program at Chalmette Battlefield.

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  • Image of hands playing an accordion

    Free Cajun Music and Dance Workshops

    Find your accordion and dust off your dancing shoes---the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center will host free Cajun dance and music workshops in June.

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  • Image is green conversation balloon with National Park Service arrowhead

    Join Jean Lafitte's Crew!

    Stay connected to Jean Lafitte and the whole crew with by following the park on Facebook and Twitter.

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  • Image of people in an open boat going down a bayou

    Livin' on the Bayou

    Music, history walks, speaking French, boat tours---it's all about life on the bayous at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux.

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  • Image is low building with tall white monument behind it

    Discover the Battle of New Orleans

    Walk in the footsteps of Major General Andrew Jackson and the American troops who stopped a British invasion in 1815 at Chalmette Battlefield.

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  • Jean Lafitte Visitor Center sign

    Welcome to New Orleans!

    If you're visiting New Orleans and need a quick review of your delta history and culture, check out the park's French Quarter Visitor Center.

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  • Image of a spoon stirring a pot of gumbo

    A Taste of Cajun Culture

    The Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice celebrates the Cajun way of life---join the fun!

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  • Imge of black-crowned night heron

    Wild in the Wetlands at the Barataria Preserve

    Just 20 miles from New Orleans: alligators basking on bayou banks, 200+ species of birds, and more than 10 miles of trails. Let's go outside and play!

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  • Image of boys looking at an exhibit

    Explore the Heart of Cajun Country

    Old traditions, new home---see how Canada's Acadians became Louisiana's Cajuns through exhibits and programs at Lafayette's Acadian Cultural Center.

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Did You Know?

Men dressed as 1815 soldiers fire cannon.

January 8 used to be a national holiday. That's because January 8, 1815, was the date of the Battle of New Orleans.