WELCOME TO LAFAYETTE! A place unlike any other.

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2 WELCOME TO LAFAYETTE! A place unlike any other. Long the historic heart of our community, Downtown Lafayette has redefined itself as the contemporary, civic, cultural and economic heart as well. Key public facilities and the business center of our region are incorporated into a vibrant palette of public art, festivals, and events celebrating the Acadiana of yesterday, today and tomorrow, all within easy walking distance in our pedestrian-friendly urban center. The history of Lafayette is tied to the Acadians, French descendants from Nova Scotia who migrated to Louisiana in the 1760s after the British forced them out of their new world home. Lafayette s French and Creole heritage has created a multicultural center for all to enjoy here in Lafayette. We invite you to explore, experience and enjoy all that makes Downtown Lafayette a wonderful, vibrant, unforgettable place to visit, live and do business.

3 DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE THE CENTER OF LAFAYETTE IS THE OF ACADIANA FOOD SHOPS ARTS & CULTURE PARCS Each meal is a celebration of taste and culture with over 30 restaurants. Window shopping is real Downtown. See something you just have to try on. Surprise yourself with something unexpected such as art, music, and performance daily. Pack a picnic, visit the fountain, or just enjoy the premiere people watching at four Downtown parcs. LIVE MUSIC LIVING CONVENIENCE BUSINESS Dance the night away and dance home after. Living Downtown means Live and work footsteps away from everything you need and want. As the business center of the region, your business needs are met within a few blocks. NIGHTLIFE FESTIVALS SCHOOLS WORSHIP With so many options, you can go from causal beers to a fancy cocktail party. Home of the Best World Music Festival, Festival International, Mardi Gras, and so much more! A quality education is a short walk from everywhere Downtown starting with Pre-K. Seven places of worship are located Downtown with services for many religions.

4 The governmental, financial, legal and cultural center of Lafayette the regions largest employment center The region s center for nightlife and entertainment with over 30 restaurants and bars. 7,000 + employees and 700+ businesses Eight multi-tenant office buildings providing a wide range of space offerings for business. Occupancy rate in 2016 is 88% Taxable sales in 2015 of $58,754,943 with steady growth since 2002 A new Downtown Action Plan completed in 2015 is guiding further development Downtown. From 1994 to 2016 over $175+ Million in capital improvements. From 1994 to 2016 over $115 Million in private investments 80+ Cultural events annually 1.3 million attendees Downtown Alive!, free live music concerts every Friday in the Spring & Fall welcome an average yearly attendance of 120,000 Festival International de Louisiane 450,000+ attendance in 2016 Mardi Gras parades, Downtown Alive!, 2nd Saturday Artwalk, Bach Lunch, the Latin Music Festival, Official City Christmas Tree lighting in November, the Boudin Festival, ArtStomp, Movies in the Parc and many more weekly cultural events Downtown. Home of the Lafayette Science Museum & Planetarium, the Acadiana Center for the Arts with museum space and a 300 seat performance center, the Lafayette Museum/Alexander Mouton House, the Children s Museum and the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Located within two miles of the Downtown area are the Lafayette Consolidated Government offices, Lafayette Regional Airport, the Cajundome and Convention Center, the 19,000 student University of Louisiana, the U.L. athletic complex, the University Research Park, the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE), South Louisiana Community College, City Park Golf Course and the Wetlands Golf Course Currently there are 103 residential units in the CBD with several more developments in the planning stage. A total of 3,300 residents live in the overall district New and potential developments include residential/mixed use projects in several key locations, renovations of several key historic buildings, and infrastructure and street character updates. Downtown has the highest concentration of parks in Lafayette with four strategically placed parks. The parks are used for musical performances, the arts and as a variety of other public and private function activities.

5 FOOD As Southern Living s Tastiest Town of the South, Lafayette is full of great, local restaurants and you ll find the largest concentration of them Downtown. Foodies and families alike can savor cuisine from around the world in restaurants from fine-dining to casual, all within walking distance.

6 SHOPS Downtown retailers are not only locally-owned, they specialize in unique items such as chic apparel, art and gifts with local flair. There s something for everyone!

7 ARTS Throughout Lafayette s parcs, buildings, and local artists as well as internnationally renowned muralists. For interactive fun while you re here, challenge yourself with our Public Art Scavenger Hunt! CULTURE Our cultural district is a place to recharge through local culture for everyone. The Children s Museum of Acadiana provides hands-on fun for kids, while the Lafayette Science Museum fuels the imaginations of explorers of all ages with its stateof-the-art planetarium. If live theatre is what you re after, Cite des Arts and Theatre 810 have you covered. Plus, Acadiana Center for the Arts presents over 120 shows annually, featuring both local and national talent! For those quiet moments of reflection, the Lafayette Parish Library, St. John s Cathedral Museum or the Alexandre Mouton House offer a quiet escape.

8 PARCS Downtown Lafayette is home to four public parcs and a parklet that provide opportunities to enjoy everything from concerts, picnics or simply hanging out with friends Parc International, located on the corner of Garfield and Polk Streets, hosts the largest outdoor community events including performances for Downtown Alive! and Festival International. Parc Sans Souci, located at 201 E. Vermillion St., Parc Sans Souci is the most loved parc and a favorite among locals. The parc includes a gazebo stage for events, traditional lawns, native landscaping, public art, #YLAFAYETTE sign and large splash pad as its centerpiece. Parc Putnam, located in front of the Federal Courthouse on Lafayette Street, provides beautiful landscaping and benches for a quiet place to sit or open space for events. Parc de Lafayette, located at 539 Jefferson St., serves as a charming passage between the parking garage and Jefferson. A quiet place to relax in the middle of an urban environment, this gem of a pocket parc features a waterfall fountain and the historic cupola from St. Mary s Orphanage.

9 Acadiana is home of Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp in Downtown Lafayette. From weekly Cajun Jams where anyone can play with local musicians to long nights at the dancehalls fueled by local chank-achank, Downtown is your home for local, live music with over a dozen venues.

10 LIVING Whether you live Downtown in one of Lafayette s historic neighborhoods or just here for the night, wake up feeling refreshed to all that s available right outside your door.

11 CONVENIENCE Whether you re in need of a new do, a dry cleaner or a trip to the dentist, Downtown has you covered. Take a walk to the bank or to pick up a prescription on your way to lunch or enjoy happy hour with friends. Even errands are on the way when you re Downtown.

12 BUSINESS Whether you need a nearby post-office, meeting rooms, the Rosa Parks Transportation Center, co-working space or your own offices, Downtown is in the center of the action. As the home of local government and financial institutions, you and your customers are in the middle of it all Downtown.

13 NIGHTLIFE Take the Downtown fun into the night at one of our live music venues, lounges, sports bars, martini bars, or nightclubs. Everything is centrally located, so relax, socialize or take in a great show, while you immerse yourself in Acadiana culture.

14 FESTIVALS Join us for over 80 annual events, such as ArtWalk, Downtown Alive!, Movies In The Parc, Festival International, Mardi Gras, and many more throughout the year.

15 Downtown schools offer a delightful school commute with coffee on the way to school and museums, gelato, the library and parcs on the way home from school.

16 WORSHIP Downtown is home to seven houses of churches built in Lafayette. For a complete listing, visit downtownlafayette.org

17 DOWNTOWN ALIVE! DTA! Has been a family-friendly event and local favorite for over 30 years as a showcase of local musicians spanning generations of talented artists in the heart of Lafayette every Friday night in the Spring and Fall. MOVIES IN THE PARC Downtown Lafayette s Movies in the Parc offers family-friendly movie events featuring crowd favorites under the stars in the Spring and Fall in Parc International. ARTWALK Every 2nd Saturday, Downtown s art scene comes alive with over 25 art galleries featuring local artists and their work throughout the cultural district with live music, outdoor art markets and street art and animation along the way from 6pm-9pm every month.

18 Ready to be Downtown? When you re Downtown, you re family! Whether you re looking for a place to locate your business or home, let us help make it an easy choice for you to be Downtown to do business, work, live or enjoy Lafayette. We d love to have you and we d love to help! CONTACT THE NICE FOLKS DOWNTOWN: or INFO@DOWNTOWNLAFAYETTE.ORG Be a member of Downtown Lafayette and enjoy even more perks of being Downtown: PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS NETWORK OPEN HOUSE DTA! VIP TENT MEET WELCOME GIFTS AND MORE! Being a Downtowner means supporting all of the things you love about Downtown Lafayette. Be part of the community by becoming a member of Downtown Lafayette. MEMBERSHIP DUES RANGE FROM $125-$350 ANNUALLY.

19 FIND YOUR WAY DOWNTOWN