New Iberia sits at the centre of a rich day-trip radius. Lafayette, 30 km north, is the urban hub of Acadiana with good museums (the Acadian Village, NUNU Arts and Culture Collective) and the best zydeco live music scene in Louisiana. Breaux Bridge, 20 km northwest, is the self-proclaimed crawfish capital of the world and worth visiting during festival season.
The Atchafalaya Basin to the northeast — the largest river swamp in North America — is accessible by boat tour from Henderson and Breaux Bridge, and swamp tours through the cypress-tupelo forest are one of the defining Louisiana experiences. Lake Martin, 25 km north, offers accessible wildlife viewing from the road: great blue herons, roseate spoonbills, anhingas, and American alligators visible from the lakeside path without a boat.
Abbeville, 40 km west, has the best downtown square in Acadiana and several excellent Cajun restaurants. St. Martinville, 15 km north, is the heart of the Evangeline story — the old Acadian settlement where Longfellow set his famous poem.