Houma can be explored through several distinct themes: Cajun and Creole cultural heritage, local military history, trails through wooded areas, and nearby wetlands. This mix offers different perspectives on the city and region. When planning, it helps to distinguish between attractions in Houma and natural destinations in the surrounding area.
Culture and History in Houma
The Regional Military Museum preserves the memory of local heroes who served throughout American history. It features stories of local veterans and authentic military vehicles. During tours, volunteer guides who are veterans themselves share firsthand accounts of their service.
The Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum in Houma celebrates the industries and traditions that together shape the region’s unique culture. The museum’s Le Grand Dérangement monument, also known as “The Great Upheaval,” commemorates the expulsion of the Acadian people from their homeland in Canada. It was erected on October 11, 2011. The Bayouside Gallery is an exhibition space in the museum for rotating art exhibits.
Southdown Plantation in Houma also offers a distinctive historical perspective, providing insights into Louisiana’s sugarcane history and plantation life. The Southdown Plantation house was built in 1858. The Terrebonne Folklife & Culture Center celebrates the Cajun and Creole cultural heritage of Houma and the surrounding bayou region. At Bayou Terrebonne Distillers, Cajun heritage meets a story that began on the banks of Bayou Terrebonne during Prohibition. The company is an authentic Cajun distillery.
Trails and Wetlands
The Southdown Trail System is located at 800 Valhi Boulevard in Houma and runs through nearby wooded areas. In the surrounding area, about five miles southwest of Houma, Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge covers 4,212 acres. Freshwater marshes, cypress-tupelo swamp, and man-made canals shape the landscape; activities include fishing, wildlife viewing, photography, boating, and hunting. The wooded trails and wetlands offer different landscape experiences.
The Mandalay Nature Trail in the surrounding area follows a three-quarter-mile route to an elevated boardwalk and ends at an observation platform overlooking the wetlands. Its clearly defined route offers a different way to explore than the expansive refuge: here, visitors can take in a trail with a boardwalk and overlook, while the refuge encompasses multiple habitats and activities.
More Experiences and Finding a Hotel
Annie Miller’s Sons Marsh and Swamp Tours in Houma takes visitors through lush marshlands and winding waterways. Check tour availability before your trip. The Wetlands Event Center is an outdoor learning center in Houma that offers field trips for students in grades K–6; arrangements for these field trips may change.
When looking for hotels in Houma, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your stay: will museums and cultural history be your main priorities, or would you also like to include trails, wetlands, and wildlife viewing in the surrounding area? This distinction makes the city’s varied attractions and those nearby easier to consider when planning your trip, without turning them into a set itinerary.
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