January can be 30 degrees or 80 degrees. Louisiana tends to be rainy in January. Good thing is cold fronts don't last long. If it drops below freezing it will warm up in a couple days.
Don't be afraid to try Mom and Pops in small towns. I used to like Mulattes but it was average and overpriced the last time I ate there. Mike Anderson's in Baton Rouge used to be good. It's been a long time since I lived there. I can tell you po-boys in NOLA but you don't mention it.
Great place for birding. There is an estuary somewhere around Lafayette or Breaux Bridge. Google it. I've never been but would like to go with my camera. Any of the cyprus lakes/swamps are full of birds. Crawfish season for live crawfish won't start until late February most likely.
I can ask on the LSU forum about restaurants. Don't be afraid to eat boudin. Don't believe the lies about pig intestines. It's a seasoned rice dressing stuffed in a sausage casing and steamed. It is spicy though if you don't like spicy. Best boudin is from Mom and Pop meat markets. I also recomend Tasso or Chicken Sauce Piquant. Wonderful tomato based gravy served over rice. Tasso is smoked pork butt with cajun seasoning. Most know to try gumbo and you will be in "gumbo weather" which to a local means cold. In Lafayette region (Acadiana), they eat chicken and sausage gumbo instead of seafood gumbo as a rule. Both are excellent choices and should be available in local restaurants. Best case get seafood gumbo in BR and chicken and sausage in Lafayette.
LSU has a beautiful campus that is worth visiting. Ditto plantations as suggested. Nottoway is nice. Twelve Oaks is one of the standards you see on movies all the time. On history, there is an Acadian Village in Lafayette. Again, sorry I've never been. Classic local. Never saw the need to go to tourist stuff when I grew up there (60 miles north of Lafayette) but's worth checking reviews on Yelp.
