The Lake Charles center is around the area of Lake Charles Civic Center and the area of Golden Nugget Casino.
Lake Charles enjoys a sub-tropical Southern climate. Its summers are hot and humid, while its winters are generally mild. This means you can take the boat out any time of the year. Life is oriented around the water, so much so that you can park your boat at the Bord Du Lac Marina at Bord Du Lac Park and walk to the downtown. Kids love playing at the new Millennium Park right next to the waterfront, too, and it's a nice spot for fishing or to enjoy the sunset over the water.
If you're a nature lover, you can hit the trails any time. Locals have always loved Sam Houston Jones State Park, which is known for its abundant deer population. For waterfront trails and scenic boardwalks, head over to Prien Lake Park. This waterfront park is easily accessible, located near I-210. Its beautiful grounds include a fountain, waterfront seating, and buildings that are large enough to accommodate wedding parties, family reunions, and, of course, Mardi Gras revelries. Just be sure to book these spaces well in advance so you don't overlap with the numerous city festivals.
Similarly, Lake Charles' many festivals can cause hotels to book fast. You will want to book well in advance to secure your favorite property, especially when it comes to Mardi Gras. It is also important to check the city calendar for key dates. There are multiple parades and events that can span a week or more. You won't want to miss out, so do your homework before booking!
Mardi Gras isn't the only game in town, though. The Original DownTown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival takes place in April, and families should also consider the Louisiana Pirate Festival in May, which boasts its own pirate parade. The festivities roll on throughout the year, culminating with Cajun Christmas.
Guests that are AAA members will discover excellent discounts at Comfort Inn Lake Charles. This centrally located Lake Charles hotel is convenient to major shopping centers and numerous dining options. The Comfort Inn Lake Charles is known for its stellar customer service, and the hotel can accommodate large groups with ease.
Guests at the Comfort Inn Lake Charles will enjoy the free breakfast served daily, including favorites like yogurts, pastries, coffee, cereal, and fresh fruit. You can also bring your own snacks and microwaveable meals to be cooked and stored in your room's mini-fridge and microwave. Before you head out, be sure to take advantage of the Comfort Inn's outdoor pool and fitness facilities.
When you're looking for a Lake Charles hotel that feels like home, look no further than TownePlace Suites by Marriott Lake Charles. This modern hotel offers generously sized guestrooms that are good for small families or business professionals. Room layouts feature king beds and a sofa bed, while the kitchenette comes stocked with a full refrigerator, stovetop, and microwave, allowing you to save by cooking in your studio suite.
There's no need to cook breakfast during your stay, because you can simply head downstairs and partake of the free daily hot breakfast. Guests can also barbecue on the hotel grill, take a swim in the outdoor pool, or exercise in the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Lake Charles' on-site fitness center.
Outside of New Orleans, nobody does Mardi Gras in the USA like Lake Charles, Louisiana. The city's 50+ krewes are the masters of merriment, and you'll find multiple parades taking place across the week leading into the Royal Gala on Monday evening, before the Krewe of Krewes Parade on Fat Tuesday afternoon.
At the Royal Gala, the krewes unveil their Mardi Gras royal wardrobes, each with a court of kings, queens, dukes, duchesses, captains, courtesans, and jesters. You can get tickets at the door, and children are welcome to accompany you for a night of music and dancing.
Leading up to the big day, there are themed events catering to all tastes, from gumbo to king cake cook-offs to a Mardi Gras lighted boat parade. The Krewe of Barkus features costumed pets with their owners, and Motor Gras hosts a parade of hot rods, classic cars, and motorcycles.
Even if you missed the official Mardi Gras festivities, you can still get in the spirit with a visit to the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu. This museum showcases an awe-inspiring array of Mardi Gras costumes, in the hundreds! You'd never guess that so much glitter and spangles were displayed on the second floor of a school building. It can be a bit hard to find, so be sure to call ahead to confirm hours and directions.
Whether you are heading to Lake Charles for a festival or simply plan to play at the area's casinos and waterfront, enjoy your stay and let the good times roll!
Lake Charles is located on the actual Lake Charles, Prien Lake, as well as the Calcasieu River. It is also the 5th largest incorporated city in the state of Louisiana in the U.S., along with being a major cultural, educational and industrial hub of the entire southwestern region. The city hosts more than 75 festivals in one year, which makes it easy for any tourist to find a great hotel for their stay all year round. Hotels in Lake Charles host volumes of guests almost every month, and the influx of people coming to participate or simply enjoy the vividly captivating festivals of this city is never low. Lighted boat parades, carnivals for children and Cajun cook-offs are conducted on a regular basis in many areas of this region, and Lake Charles celebrates its heritage with the famous ˜Contraband Days', which is a party hosted in honor of the great pirates who once sailed atop the local lake and goes on for two whole weeks. Lake Charles has a great amount of significance, since it is a major center for refining of petrochemicals, tourism, gaming, as well as education. You'll find a number of waterways and lakes within the metropolitan areas too, which is what really makes Lake Charles special.
Lake Charles has a number of fairly priced cheap hotels that provide sufficient facilities and swift services at a better price than fancy hotels. You can find great rooms in cheap hotels like Springhill Suites, La Quinta Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express, or Best Western Bayou Inn & Suites.
If you are looking for Lake Charles hotels with the best modern day amenities that any tourist could ask for, there are quite a few places that you can choose from. Places like Red Roof Inn, Comfort Suites, L'Auberge Casino Resort, or Golden Nugget Hotel offer great accommodations and excellent services to make sure you enjoy your stay. Hotels in Lakes Charles are highly particular in their services, and you'll find all of them housing some great cafes and restaurants to wine and dine in as well.
Since there is a large number of tourists constantly traveling in and out of the city, Lake Charles hotels started to adapt to the crowds. If you look in the right places, you can find great independent hotels at a very low price and still enjoy great services in a quaintly designed facility. The Isle of Capri Casino, Steamboat Bill's, Days Inn, Super 8, and Howard Johnson express all are names of some great boutiques that you will find in Lake Charles, catering to a humble clientele and offering a home away from home.
Below are reviews of the city of Lake Charles, LA from an actual visitor's perspective.
Mainly the casinos. As that is what our trip was for to LC.
Happy little town!
The Casino
I've visited LC pretty often. We usually go to the casino in Westlake but due to Hurricane Beryl we found lodging at the Holiday Inn. We now have another hotel to come to in the future. Thank you again for your hospitality.
Lance Burton magic show.
Ease of getting around and a wide choice of restaurants.
Very shopper friendly!
Various places to visit like restaurants and shopping centers.
The room was clean, and the staff was friendly! Chart House was excellent
GAMBLING!
I was there on business at McNeese University so I really only saw the campus.
The Casinos!
Casino and food!
The Mardi Gras Parade in the city of Lake Charles on Sunday, Feb 4th, was so fun and was a blast! The city was clean and safe.
The view from the 7th floor of the hotel was great. We saw the lighted skyline and it was great.
Great places to eat.
The lake!
It's nice!
Entertainment!
We discovered other things besides the casino when driving around! Nice place to visit.
The food was amazing! I had some fried crab and I never had that before.
The local shops downtown and the local eateries: i.e. the old drugstore type of atmosphere.
Food! Friendly people!
Very good food and plenty to do!
Historic. People are so polite and the food, WOW.
NEXT TO CASINOS
McNeese softball facilities are very nice!
A very good place to stay!
Nice
Friendly people and great food!
Feels like home!
Feels like home!
My son lives here and we really enjoy our time here in Lake Charles. We will be back and stay at Motel 6! Thank you for your hospitality!
We really enjoy our time here in Lake Charles and we will come back again and stay at Motel 6. Thank you for your hospitality.
It's a very nice place to visit!
Southern hospitality at hotel!
Near good restaurants and the casinos.
Near good restaurants and the casinos.
The city is clean!
We were there for the pow wow in Kinder.
Disc golf in Ragley
Everything was good!
Good food next door at Steamboat Bills!
The food and the shopping!
Highly recommend Loggerheads Restaurant and bar.
It was nice.
Lots to do!!
I was able to gamble at the casino. There were a lot of good restaurants in the area.
Lake Charles is quaint with small town charm. The park downtown and both of the casinos make a visit totally worth a trip!
Easy to get around.
We stayed at the Sulphur, LA location. Our group enjoyed local tours of Adventure Point Museum (Sulphur), DeQuincy Railroad Museum, Nichols Dept. Store in DeQuincy and ate at LeBleu's Landing (Sulphur). A great tour selection for this area. DeQuincy was just a short drive away and definitely worth the drive.
The friendly people.
There's a beach access that's just a few minutes drive from the hotel. We also liked that being right off the highway, we were able to get to most things relatively fast.
Lake Charles offers so many things to do from nature walks and parks, casinos, museums, to outdoor activities, and especially great Cajun cuisine.