Ebby: The day may have started off rainy but that did not stop me from satisfying my New Orleans food craving by attending the Lowcountry Cajun Festival. I would say that this festival which is held at James Island County Park is the one time of the year where you could get an authentic taste of all the popular New Orleans Creole and Cajun dishes without actually going to NOLA.

I’ve attended the Lowcountry Cajun Festival for the past few years, but this year it seemed that the drizzly whether may have caused some delays with vendors being completely prepared, as well as a lower attendance in the beginning. But once the rain had slacked up and the sun came out, the good times began to roll! Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler ~

The music started playing and the cooks started slaying! The main food that everyone seemed to charge for was the boiled crawfish served by Smilin’ Jack’s Cajun Catering. The crawfish were weighed and served in trays which cost $14.00. Although the quantity seemed to be a bit less than the years before and the price was raised, the taste did not disappoint – the crawfish were juicy and nicely spicy.

Other dishes I tried included fried alligator, red beans and rice, Cajun jambalaya and boudin sausage. It was all so tasty! There was also a delicious peach strawberry lemonade that was sold by one of the vendors I really wish I could recall. While savoring all of the food, I also delighted in the New Orleans vibes being played by Randy Mcallister and the Scrappiest Band in the Motherland.

I left the festival with a full belly. It was like I had spent a piece of time in New Orleans itself. Other than the food however, another thing that I appreciated about the festival was that there were no long waits for most of the food vendors. There was also a variety of other activities to make this a family oriented event including pop up boutiques and a kids fair.

I did wish that there were more vendors serving crawfish since they were the main food attraction of the festival. I also wish that the ticketed food cost had not increased. The admission cost for the festival remained at $15.00 as the year before so complaints are at a minimum. In the end, I had a great time and left very satisfied.