Will I see alligators year-round? Will I be safe? What about mosquitos? Thousands of people visit Alligator Bayou each year, and many of them are kind enough to send thank-you letters. Here are a few of our favorites.

Corporate and Private Events

Alligator Bayou is the perfect setting for your corporate or private event. We work with you every step of the way to make sure that your guests get a taste of down-home Louisiana and our friendly, hospitable way of life.

The sky is the limit! Here, you can take a swamp tour and return to our bayou-side pavilion to eat delicious food, dance and make merry. Or we will create a place of celebration for you anywhere on our vast acres of land.

Need to park 1,000 people? Dance to Louisiana’s finest Cajun or Zydeco bands? Play volleyball or have a Space Walk for the kids? Watch the creation of native crafts or learn about birds from a wildlife rehabilitator?

Dine on a few or a wide array of delicious foods? Spicy-hot or not?

Just let us know how to serve you. We can do it all!
Alligator Bayou winds into the 13,000-acre Spanish Lake Basin and a wetland habitat of bayous, swamps and lakes. This unique tour will take you deep into the heart of Louisiana swamps.
Walk through our 6 acre alligator eco-habitat, see our huge alligator snapping turtles in their habitat complete with frogs, fish and a few surprises, plus we've got cajun cottages, canoe rentals, gift shop and more.
The colors and textures of the swamp are some of the most amazing scenes you will ever see.
Stop by and shop for awhile. Located in the Alligator Bayou Bait Shop (and complete with snake and gator exhibits), the Duck's Nest Shoppe features unique, one-of-a-kind gifts made by Louisiana craftspeople.
Our bayou-side pavilion is the perfect place for your "fais do do." Let us design a unique and unforgettable wedding, banquet or party, with or without a swamp tour.
Louisiana's most historic wetlands habitat is the perfect place to learn about and celebrate history, biology and swamp ecology.
Located in Louisiana's Plantation Country, the Spanish Lake Basin is bordered by Bayou Manchac, an Indian short-cut from the Mississippi River to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1993, the co-owners of Alligator Bayou Tours learned that hundreds of acres of bottomland hardwoods in the Spanish Lake Basin would be cut for lumber. This valuable habitat was saved by Frank Bonifay, Jim Ragland and community members working in cooperation with local, state and federal government.
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WE EXCEL IN HOSTING:

"Thanks for the great job you did on our party party for 350 incentive guests. Everyone loved the delicious food, and we appreciated how you took care of everything, even last minute setup changes. Jim and Frank, you were wonderful to work with, along with the entire staff."

Harold Trosclair
U.S.S. Perkins, 8th Reunion

"Alligator Bayou was a perfect spot for our annual fundraiser. This beautiful South Louisiana setting provided a relaxed and casual atmosphere where everyone from the Governor down to the resident dogs had a good time!"

Jay Dardenne,
Louisiana State Senator
  • Corporate incentive parties
  • Events for visiting VIPs and foreign dignitaries
  • Bayou-side business meetings
  • Festive holiday gatherings
  • Wedding parties and receptions
  • Private parties for families, groups and businesses



Chef Mike

Alligator Bayou offers a true taste of Louisiana:

  • An entertaining boat tour with a narrative on Louisiana history, culture, wildlife, music, dancing and food
  • On-site catering, from appetizers to seafood boils and full-course meals. We specialize in exceptionally delicious Creole and Cajun dishes. (You haven’t eaten bread pudding until you’ve had Chef Mike’s fabulous specialties!)
  • Musical entertainment, from solo performers to five-piece Louisiana bands: Cajun, zydeco, easy listening, jazz, blues, swamp pop.

Chef Mike Thomas' crawfish fettuccini
is as elegant as it is delicious!



How Do You FAIS DO-DO?

FAIS DO DO - (fay dough dough) A communal dance held traditionally in rural dancehalls, the fais do-do attracted Cajun men, women, and children for long evenings of dancing and socializing. Adolescent girls attended under chaperons' watchful eyes, while young males were often restricted to a holding pen called une cage aux chiens, or "dogs’ cage" (unless they were dancing). Children were put to bed at the dance, giving rise to the term fais do-do (meaning "go to sleep" in Cajun French). Our bayou-side pavilion is the perfect place for your "fais do do." Call Jim Ragland to design a unique and unforgettable wedding, banquet or party, with or without a swamp tour.

We'll make your "fais-do-do" easy, cher!
  • Enjoy year-round tours in our comfortable, covered 49-passenger tour barge
  • Our schedule is flexible and tailored to your needs
  • Translators are available
  • We can handle up to 400 people comfortably.

"We were pleased all around. People from all over the United States came to our reunion, and many of them had never done anything like this before. They thoroughly enjoyed Alligator Bayou. Jim and Frank did an absolutely wonderful job with everything."

The ongoing boat tours, nature walks, the doll maker, the animal handler with the birds and Jim's hair-raising 'gator show--there was plenty for everyone to do. The Cajun band and dancers on the pavilion were great fun, and the open area for the evening concert was superb.

You're the only venue of this size and with these capabillities between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. For swamp parties, you're the best! We'll be back."

Melissa Solberg
Sales
U.S.A. Hosts Destination



"Jim and Frank are absolutely the most interactive and entertaining tour guides I have encountered in my eight years at Embassy Suites Hotel. I have visited many swamp tours and Louisiana attractions, but by far, Jim and Frank capture the hearts of all who visit by demonstrating the true meaning of Louisiana hospitality and showcasing it in their beautiful backyard at Alligator Bayou!

Our tour was very authentic with up-close and heart-throbbing alligator experiences complete with amazing scenery, zydeco dancing, and even a surprise visit from a slippery snake. There were many Kodak moments!

This particular group of meeting planners also attended a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, but when all was said and done, the Alligator Bayou tour was the hit of the day! This is a "must see" attraction for all
Louisiana visitors.

I will strongly recommend this tour to my clients, friends and family. Hats off to Jim and Frank on a job well done and for having fun while doing it!"

Lenore Elvir
Director of Sales
Embassy Suites, Baton Rouge



"Alligator Bayou is the epitome of the Sportsman's Paradise. The board of the Distinguished Restaurants of North America and I got a true taste of bayou country on our tour last May. Thanks for a great time!"

Chef John Folse, CEC, AAC
Internationally Recognized Cajun/Creole Chef and Author of 6 Best-Selling Cookbooks



"Want something unique, fun and informative? Go on an Alligator Bayou swamp tour!"

Amy Herskowitz
American Classic Voyages
(American Queen, Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen steamboats)



More Testimonials
Evening view of the pavillion.
Evening view of the bayou-side pavilion.
Suckin' de Claws
Suckin' de claws of de crawfish
is how we do it here, cher!
Dancing
Roslyn and Roger dance to one of our favorite groups, Thomas Fields and His Foot-Stompin' Zydeco Band. In the background, members of a local organization get ready for a boat ride.
Chef Mike2
Chef Mike displays a taste-tempting tray
of boudin balls and fried alligator!
Dancing on the Alligator Queen
Sunset dancing on the Alligator Queen.
We're Ready For Your Party!!!
Contact Us to discuss catering, entertainment and other special services.
 (225) 677-8297
1-888-3SWAMPS
info@infouancv.net