Here are 10 reasons why Port Arthur secured this fitting designation and why you should visit:

1: You’ll Experience the History of “Port-Are-Ture”

Cajuns flocked to Port Arthur in 1927 when the Great Mississippi Flood brought farmers seeking black gold. Big refineries meant big jobs in Southeast Texas. The stunning coastline, bayous, rivers, and marshlands allowed Cajuns to provide for their families while living the same bayou lifestyle reminiscent of their years spent in southern Louisiana – just across the Causeway Bridge from Pleasure Island. The Cajuns settled in this area and brought with them their language, music, lifestyle, Cajun food, and joy de vivre.

2: Attend Port Arthur’s Alligator Wedding (Group Tours)

Port Arthur’s Alligator Wedding Ceremony began more than four decades ago in 1980. The Port Arthur Convention & Visitors Bureau has used the Cajun Capital phrase in marketing efforts clear back to the ’70s to describe the historical, cultural, and modern makeup of Port Arthur and Sabine Pass. Allie and Ellie Gator have fallen in love and exchanged wedding vows in front of motorcoach tourists since 1980 while enjoying multi-course meals and that famous Cajun Cake baked by their very own Cajun Queen, Esther Benoit.

3: Learn About the Shrimping Industry 

Port Arthur’s coastal economy and appetite are fueled by the shrimping industry serving up Cajun delicacies such as etouffee, crawfish, gumbo, and boudain that bring joy to restauranteurs, shopkeepers, residents, and visitors. JBS Packing in Port Arthur supplies 125,00 lbs. of Grade “A” Wild Caught Gulf and Imported Shrimp per day and Jefferson County accounts for 22.4% of the total Texas Shrimp Harvest by weight. Your tastebuds will thank you as you dig into these authentic dishes! 

4: Jam Out to Extraordinary Music

Music lovers will love immersing themselves in the one-of-a-kind Cajun tunes that surround you in Port Arthur. Residents have been two-stepping and toe-tapping for generations to Cajun, Zydeco, and Creole music, including that from Harry Choates, called “Godfather of Cajun Music’ and “The Fiddle King of Cajun Swing.” Choates lived in and is buried in Port Arthur, and his 1946 recording of “Jolie Blon” is considered iconic. On his tombstone is written, “left us with his Cajun Music in our hearts forever.”

The lowly washboard, patented in 1833 and sometimes used as a percussive instrument, reached international status in Cajun Zydeco music. It fused with Creole music. Clifton Chenier and metalworker Willie Landry designed the wearable frottoir in 1946 when they worked at Port Arthur’s Texaco Refiner. This wearable board frottoir, (FWA-TVJAH) meaning “to rub” in French, is considered one of the few musical instruments invented entirely in the United States. Chenier received a Grammy for his music and his brother, Cleveland, created music on these boards using bottle openers. If you love the classic reedy sounds of the accordion, you’ll likely be able to hear its reedy notes wafting from dance halls, crawfish boils and back porches, with many of these instruments made by local Jude Moreau.

5: Take Part in Authentic Celebrations

Let the good times roll by attending an authentic Cajun-style celebration like the Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas, which was founded in Port Arthur and first celebrated in 1993 – or the Cajun Heritage Festival which just celebrated its 9^th year. Not in town then? Stop by the Museum of the Gulf Coast’s Cajun house exhibit or take a tour of a replica Cajun home called La Maison des Acadienne.

6: You’ll Be in Cajun Paradise at Sabine Pass

Sabine Pass is a neighborhood of Port Arthur and sits on the shores of Sabine Lake, a bay that forms part of the Texas-Louisiana border and connects to the Gulf of Mexico through Sabine Pass. Blue crab is the number one commercially important fishery species in Sabine Lake, and it’s no wonder Sabine Pass is known as the birthplace of barbecued crabs. Seafood lovers will love sinking their teeth into deep-fried (not actually barbecued) crabs tossed with Cajun-style seasonings.

In the deep darkness of the era known as Prohibition, Cajun extraordinaire and whiskey smith Jack LaBove would also emerge to bring light into the darkness by establishing two historic distilleries here to produce his much sought-after libations that were hailed as “the best corn and rye whiskeys in the region.”

7: It’s Crawfish Galore

The late State Senator Carl A. Parker introduced Port Arthur Days in Austin, with Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce members and Cajuns gathering at the capitol, and proposed Jim Braud and A.J. Judice as Crawfish Racing Commissioners, and that the days grew into ever-larger events dubbed Golden Triangle Days in Austin.

Personalities including A.J. Judice, “The Crazy Frenchman” became ambassadors of Cajun culture, and Judice’s mother, Lariza “Maw Maw” Judice, and family opened Judice’s French Market in 1927 in their single-car garage. This was the first store in Texas to sell live crawfish and hot boudain, and other seafood said to have “slept in the Gulf last night.” Extended family operated Judice’s French Market in nearby Groves and the family is credited with making crawfish season as popular as football season in Port Arthur. Not to mention, Texas Gov. Preston Smith appointed him as Texas Crawfish Racing Commissioner.

8: Got Gators?

Port Arthur’s coastal marshes and wetlands are the ideal home for alligators to sun themselves. In fact, thanks to J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area and McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Port Arthur is known to have the largest concentration of wild alligators in the state of Texas.

9: Outdoor Adventures Await.

Sea Rim State Park offers a quiet stretch of natural beach with more than five miles of reflective shoreline to share with shorebirds, or your family and friends. Search for shells, bring your pole to fish for the day, or step up to platforms and boardwalks to spot gators, otters, mink, and birds who call Sea Rim home. For camping enthusiasts, consider visiting Sea Rim State Park’s boardwalk, Willow Pond, and then pitch a tent beachside or paddle to a private camping spot atop a floating platform in the marsh unit.

10: You’ll Feel Welcome.

Port Arthur is a city of diverse cultures: Mexican-American, Vietnamese, African-American, Italian, and more! Each celebrates their own proud identity and continues to include the “bon ami” or “good friend” welcoming relationship of the Cajun culture to all residents and visitors as they “laissez les bons temps rouler,” or “let the good times roll.”

Whether it’s a bit of history you’re interested in, a plethora of Cajun foods that make your tastebuds sing, or a combination of new experiences to cross off your bucket list, now’s the time to visit Port Arthur if you’re ready to immerse yourself in all things Cajun!  #cajuncapitaloftx