Culture in DeQuincy Louisiana

When you make a list of all the unique things Louisiana has to offer visitors, you quickly see the long-lasting influences of our French, Spanish and African ancestry. Our past is well-preserved in our architecture, music, food and lifestyles—which include our amazing festivals—and of course in our museums of history and fine arts.

It is not an accident that Louisiana clings to the phrase "Laissez les bons temps rouler," meaning "Let the good times roll". Let yourself get lost in the traditions passed down through generations. Come visit us during Mardi Gras when costumed riders parade and magnificent balls are thrown from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport and beyond. Peek back across the centuries, as you walk under lavish ironwork and through the lush courtyard gardens of a meticulous French Quarter hotel. Touch history with a tour of a plantation where the daily activities of the past are recreated. Let nature's mysteries inspire and awe you via a boat tour through a cypress studded bayou.

Here, in Louisiana, history and lore don't merely live in books on a shelf; they're reflected in our everyday lives.

DeQuincy, north of Lake Charles, has a colorful history as a railroad town. In 1897, with a crossing of rails from two company lines, the town of DeQuincy was formed. Today, you can visit the DeQuincy Railroad Museum which houses a 1913 steam locomotive, passenger car, caboose and other railroad artifacts. People in DeQuincy take great pride in their history as a railroad town, and nearly every major festival celebrates railroad heritage. The major festival held in DeQuincy is the Louisiana Railroad Days Festival held each April with live music, model railroaders and other railroad themed events such as the canine caboose dog pageant or the dining car cook-off! During the holidays, the festive KCS Holiday Express Train with candy cane stripes on its engine arrives at the DeQuincy Railroad Museum with Santa and his elves greeting visitors, usually preceding the lighting ceremony and Taste of the Holidays home tour.