About this city
Also known as: Queen City of the Teche
Located along the scenic Bayou Teche in southwestern Louisiana's historic Acadiana region, New Iberia is the county seat of Iberia Parish and a city steeped in multicultural heritage. Founded in 1779 by a group of Spanish settlers from Malaga, who named it after the Iberian Peninsula, the town later absorbed a massive migration of French-speaking Acadians, creating a unique fusion of Spanish and Cajun cultures. The city grew incredibly wealthy during the 19th century as a major sugarcane milling and steamboat shipping capital. Contemporary New Iberia tightly preserves its rich architectural heritage, characterized by grand Greek Revival plantation mansions shaded by centuries-old live oaks, while functioning as a vital center for the state's sugarcane cultivation and maritime industrial construction industries.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1–2 days
Tour the breathtaking Greek Revival architecture and grand rooms at Shadows-on-the-Teche plantation historic site. Stroll beneath massive centuries-old live oaks and view blooming sub-tropical flora at Jefferson Island Rip Van Winkle Gardens. Explore Cajun heritage exhibits at the Bayou Teche Museum.
