Diversity and Black-owned Businesses

Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana is a blend of diverse cultures and people. Like many cities across Louisiana, we celebrate one another through food and music. With delicious Creole cooking and toe-tapping Zydeco traditions, we enjoy our cultural gumbo every day of the year! To truly get a taste of Lake Charles, supporting local businesses is the way to go. The area is brimming with entrepreneurs and creatives, and we have a variety of Creole and black-owned businesses in Southwest Louisiana from coffee shops and restaurants to retail, venues - even local musicians with merchandise for sale.

So, what does "Creole" mean for Southwest Louisiana? Creoles are Louisiana natives with a mixture of African-American, American Indian, French and Spanish heritage. The term has evolved over several centuries, at one time being the descriptive phrase for the children of first generation French and Spanish immigrants who populated the Louisiana Territory and after Louisiana became a state. But over time, with the intermixing of Africans, white settlers and Native Americas, a whole new identity was created, and the word “Creole” was the term that brought a melting pot of people under a social umbrella. The Creoles were some of the “first families of Louisiana,” and official records reflect that they have been here for over 300 years. Creole soul can be recognized in the religious, culinary, social, and entertainment expressions of these people with deep Louisiana roots.

To learn more about Creole Culture, check out VisitLakeCharles.org/creole, and for a list of black-owned businesses, go to VisitLakeCharles.org/blackowned.