This Unexpected Destination Has Been Called the 'Happiest City in America'

"At first glance, Buck & Johnny's, a restaurant just outside Lafayette, Louisiana, looks unremarkable: a warehouse-like space with exposed brick, a large dance floor, and walls decorated with football helmets and old oil company signs. Then, a five-piece band strikes up in the corner. Louisiana zydeco rolls across the room, driven by accordion and the full-body washboard frottoir (a percussion instrument). Couples of all ages gravitate to the dance floor, stepping, spinning, and swaying with varying degrees of confidence."

"I should have seen the morning spectacle at Buck & Johnny's coming. Fire hydrants and power boxes across town are painted with bright murals declaring " allons danser " (let's dance). Casual Uber-driver chats escalate quickly into genuine concern when you admit you haven't yet eaten at their favorite spot, sometimes followed by an invitation to join them there for lunch."

"Locals believe in friendliness as a social obligation and enthuse about a culture shaped by multiple influences: French, West African, Native American, German, Sicilian, Mexican, and Lebanese, all layered rather than separated. The effect is felt everywhere-in the music, food, even the way people welcome strangers. Local historian Barry Jean Ancelet puts it succinctly. Everything that makes Lafayette distinctive-how it dances, sings, and eats-is the result of fusion"

Buck & Johnny's, a warehouse-like restaurant near Lafayette, features exposed brick, a large dance floor, and walls decorated with football helmets and old oil company signs. A five-piece band plays Louisiana zydeco driven by accordion and washboard, and couples of all ages fill the floor as early as 9 a.m. Lafayette sits in Cajun Country, 135 miles from New Orleans and 215 miles from Houston, and has been named the happiest city in America. Fire hydrants and power boxes display murals reading "allons danser." Locals treat friendliness as a social obligation and celebrate a layered cultural fusion evident in music, food, and welcomes.

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