The People. The History. The Culture. The Industry.
Your front door to the magnificent Bayou Teche region!
Step into the Bayou Teche Museum to explore one of the country’s most colorful, bountiful and historically significant areas. Fun for the whole family, interactive exhibits showcase the spicy blend of cultures, artists, industries and lore that sprang from the land surrounding the snake-like curves of the peaceful South Louisiana bayou.
Historic, Charming Downtown
The Bayou Teche Museum is located on Main Street in charming downtown New Iberia, recognized by Forbes Magazine as America’s Prettiest Town and immortalized as the home town of James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux. New Iberia is also the hometown of the late Blue Dog artist, George Rodrigue and Louisiana’s first female governor, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.
Local cuisine, historic sites, shopping and hotels are all within walking distance. And be sure not to miss the beautiful Bayou Teche and it’s floating kayak/canoe dock, just steps from the museum’s doors.
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Photos from Paul J. Allain, Architect APAC's post ... See MoreSee Less


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Arti-Fact Friday, Take One! 🎬 Roll Film!When people think of archives, they often picture dusty shelves filled with old documents and artifacts. But did you know that our collection also includes a treasure trove of vintage films—on VHS, cassette, and DVD? Our dedicated archivist is hard at work digitizing these pieces of the past, preserving them for future generations.This week’s featured clip comes from an unidentified home video capturing the lively opening celebrations of the Naval Air Station New Iberia (NAAS). Commissioned in 1960 and operational until 1965, the base covered over 4,347 acres just outside of New Iberia. It was home to Training Squadron TWENTY SEVEN (VT-27), where pilots trained on multi-engine aircraft, land-based naval planes, and seaplanes.Though the NAAS had a short life as a military installation, it got a second act when it reopened in 1970 as the Acadiana Regional Airport, serving civilian aviation needs ever since.🎥 What other hidden gems do you think might be tucked away in home videos like this one?#digitizedfilm #vhs #cassette #USNavy #navyairbase #airplanes #airport #newiberianative #cajun #artifacts #newiberiatravel #bayoutechemuseum #historyfacts #history #askanarchivist #louisiana #bayouteche #askacurator #museumcollection #museum #acadiana #newiberia #museumlife #louisianatravel #artifactfriday #savinghistory ... See MoreSee Less
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US Service Members — This One’s for You. 💪🎟️You've stood watch for our country — now it's our turn to give back.This summer, from Armed Forces Day, May 17th, through Labor Day, September 1, you and your family can enjoy FREE admission to 2,000+ museums nationwide through the Blue Star Museums program, including the Bayou Teche Museum!Wherever you’re stationed or traveling, there’s a museum ready to welcome you.✅ For active-duty military, National Guard, and Reserve✅ Includes up to 5 family members✅ Just show your military IDTo find other participating museums: www.arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums#BlueStarMuseums #MilitaryFamilies #MilitaryLife #PCSPerks #FreeFamilyFun #ThankYouForYourServic ... See MoreSee Less

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This king may be tiny, but he rules the treetops with style! 👑Welcome to this week’s edition of #TecheThursday: Birds of the Bayou, where we find ourselves in the presence of royalty: the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.Don't let his petite stature fool you. Measuring at most at just four and a half inches long and tipping the scales at under half an ounce, this little monarch carries himself with all the energy of a caffeine-fueled squirrel. Known for their twitchy, hyperactive behavior, Kinglets flit through the trees with movements best described as “swift, jerky, and erratic”, like me when I've had too much caffeine .These "smol kings" (as the internet lovingly dubs them) are clad in olive-green plumage accented by white eye-rings and striking black-and-white wing bars. But their crowning glory—literally—is the vivid ruby-red patch atop their heads. Usually hidden, this brilliant crest flares up when the Kinglet is excited, turning him from woodland wallflower to forest royalty in an instant.Come fall and winter, you can catch glimpses of the Kinglet darting through the lower brush of piney woodlands along the Teche and across much of North America. But during the summer, they ascend to their leafy thrones high in the conifer canopies.Diet-wise, they are meticulous foragers. Kinglets feast on insects, spiders, and their eggs, and occasionally indulge in berries, seeds, or a sip of tree sap. A menu perfectly curated for a pint-sized king.Have you ever spotted one of these ruby-crowned dynamos in action—and did you catch a glimpse of his fiery little crown?#TecheThursday #rubycrownedkinglet #kinglet #birdswithcrowns #BayouBirds #BayouTeche #LouisianaWildlife #BirdsOfTheTeche #BirdwatchingAdventure #BirdwatchingParadise #LouisianaWildlife #EcoTourism #newiberianative #cajun #artifacts #newiberiatravel #bayoutechemuseum #historyfacts #history #askanarchivist #louisiana #bayouteche #askacurator #museumcollection #museum #acadiana #newiberia #museumlife #louisianatravel #savinghistory ... See MoreSee Less



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Thank you to Wess Robison, Iberia Parish Deputy Clerk of Court, for organizing and bringing the Clerks of Court and Deputies to New Iberia! We enjoyed seeing everyone who visited the Bayou Teche Museum. Know you are all welcome to come anytime! ... See MoreSee Less

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🌸 Happy Mother’s Day! 🌸Today, we celebrate the strength, creativity, and love of mothers everywhere — past and present.From the powerful matriarchs in our exhibits to the mothers who inspire us every day, their stories shape our history and our future. Here's some moms from our collection.Bring your mom by the museum today and enjoy lovely day out! We say thank you to the women who make history every day. 💐#MothersDay #MuseumLove #MomsMakeHistory #FamilyDayAtTheMuseum ... See MoreSee Less




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It’s time for your annual cleaning… I mean, it’s time for Arti-Fact Friday, and today we’re brushing up on a little bit of dental and barber history. You might even get a shear delight out of it.This barber-dental chair, possibly from the 1870s, is made of wood with green leather cushioning on the seat, armrests, and headrest. The headrest is adjustable with a screw system, while the back reclines and is adjusted by ratchet and pawl. It was most likely used by a barber-dentist right here in New Iberia. Thanks to the research and findings of archeologists, we know that dentistry has been practiced since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Typically, until the 1790's, a patient would be seated between the barber-surgeon's knees unless they were lucky enough to snag a seat in an armchair while he extracted a tooth. In 1790, Dr. Josiah Flagg gave dentistry a real head start by adding a headrest to an armchair, effectively creating the first dental chair. In the century that followed Dr. Flagg's invention, there were a large number of patents for dental chairs. Some that were simply rocking chairs and others that more resemble what we know today. In the late part of the 1860s and 1870s, a greater emphasis on patient comfort arose, leading to chairs cushioned with leather or velvet and ornate designs. This is also when popular designs were once again based off armchairs, because they were much more portable for traveling barber-surgeons. Dental chairs, as we know them today, with their fixed reclining seat, were designed in 1958, and can be credited to either Dr. Sanford Golden or to John Naughton. Either way, it was a cutting-edge development that still holds up tooth-day.And that's the tooth!#antiquedentalchair #dentalchairs #DentalCare #getyourteethcleaned #newiberianative #cajun #artifacts #newiberiatravel #bayoutechemuseum #historyfacts #history #askanarchivist #louisiana #bayouteche #askacurator #museumcollection #museum #acadiana #newiberia #museumlife #louisianatravel #artifactfriday #savinghistory ... See MoreSee Less




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#TecheThursday just got brighter with our Bird on the Bayou: the Indigo Bunting! These little sparrow-sized superstars actually navigate by the stars, how cool is that!? Scientists believe they adjust their path based on the angle of the starlight. Basically, they’ve got built-in celestial GPS!During mating season, the males rock a dazzling blue coat—but here’s the twist: they’re not actually blue! Their feathers don’t contain any blue pigment; they bend light to make that shimmering indigo magic happen. Females and off-season males keep it low-key in shades of brown.You’ll find Indigo Buntings hanging out in the eastern woodlands of North America in spring and summer. But come fall, it’s vacay time—they head south to the Caribbean and Central America. On the menu? Berries, herbs, spiders, and all kinds of tasty bugs which are picked from trees or right off the ground.Who says you have to be big to chase the stars? What do you enjoy about looking at the the stars?#TecheThursday #indigobunting #bluebird #BayouBirds #BayouTeche #LouisianaWildlife #BirdsOfTheTeche #BirdwatchingAdventure #BirdwatchingParadise #LouisianaWildlife #EcoTourism #newiberianative #cajun #artifacts #newiberiatravel #bayoutechemuseum #historyfacts #history #askanarchivist #louisiana #bayouteche #askacurator #museumcollection #museum #acadiana #newiberia #museumlife #louisianatravel #savinghistory Photos by: Dominic Sherony, All About Birds ... See MoreSee Less



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Crawfish season may be winding down, but the party’s just getting started—today marks the kickoff of the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival! And what better time to dig into the fascinating history behind one of Louisiana’s most iconic industries? Don’t worry, I won’t be cage-y with the details this #ArtiFactFriday!Long before crawfish boils were backyard staples, Native American communities across the country were already catching these tasty critters along riverbanks and lakes as a reliable source of food. When the Acadians settled in what we now call Acadiana, they adopted these time-tested techniques—baiting and harvesting crawfish from natural waterways. Eventually, some plantations even carved out small ponds dedicated to raising the “mudbugs.”It wasn’t until the late 1800s that crawfish started being harvested commercially. During the Great Depression, when crawfish went for just 4¢ a pound, harvesting methods evolved—nets became the go-to tool for the job. By the 1950s, wire traps had taken over, and farmers began the clever practice of re-flooding rice fields to support crawfish farming during the off-season.The earliest crawfish traps made in Louisiana were fashioned from hexagonal chicken wire and looked a lot like pillowcases—earning them the nickname “pillow traps.” But in the 1990s, a new design started making waves: the “pyramid trap.” Built from square mesh wire and shaped like a pyramid, it features three entry tunnels and a handy plastic collar that allows farmers to easily lift and empty the trap. Bonus: the collar also keeps crawfish from making a great escape!The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival runs from May 2-4 in downtown Breaux Bridge. Visit bbcrawfest.com/ for more details.So as you crack open those shells and soak up the festival vibes, just remember—there’s a rich and crafty history behind every bite. What's your favorite way to eat crawfish?#breaubridgecrawfishfestival #crawfest2025 #crawfish #cajun #artifacts #bayoutechemuseum #historyfacts #history #askanarchivist #louisiana #bayouteche #askacurator #museumcollection #museum #acadiana #museumlife #louisianatravel #artifactfriday #savinghistory ... See MoreSee Less


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