Explore the past. Enjoy the present. Rayne was not built in a day. It goes back to the 1800’s when the railroad came to town. First called Pouppeville, but was later changed to honor the engineer who laid the tracks – Rayne. Today, folks know us for our frogs, but it all started when a trio of Parisians, Jaques Weill and his brothers, began a profitable export business, shipping our hoppy residents to restaurants across the country. There’s also St. Joseph’s Cemetery, listed in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! as the only known U.S. cemetery facing north-south.
This is only the beginning, and to learn more, you’ve just got to come visit. Open your eyes to the beauty that surrounds you. In Rayne, art is everywhere. It is inescapable. Murals leap out at every turn, created by masters of the art form and citizens with an eye for capturing the uniqueness of the area. The Bernard-Bertrand Museum, a home with its own colorful history, is now home to wonderful works by area artists. Step by step down Louisiana Avenue, stroll into the pages of a Louisiana history book. Your eye is drawn to architectural details that take you back in time.
Antique shops are for browsing and buying or reliving a bit of the past. Historic charm, mesmerizing murals, antique attractions, Old Louisiana come to life. Welcome to Rayne, Louisiana, City of friends and frogs. Where the simple things leave the biggest impression. Simply strolling through the streets is one of the most pleasant experiences you can have. For a day or two, there’s just so much to do in Rayne!
In addition to the City of Rayne’s notoriety with numerous landmarks and historical places, it is known worldwide as “The Frog Capital of the World”, “the first official Old Spanish Trail City in the country”, “Louisiana-City of Murals’, and over 130 painted and named by it’s owners Frog Statuettes located at businesses and municipal focal points.
