 |
Culture
Leia Lewis
Founder of Sankofa Community Garden
Food, music, outdoor excitement – what gets you out of the house in your spare time? Northwest Louisiana has it all, often wrapped up together in one of our many outdoor festivals taking place year round. Explore the links below to find the perfect fit for you, whether you are single or planning for the whole family.
Arts & Entertainment
Folks in Northwest Louisiana are a hard-working bunch, but they also make sure not to let life pass them by, and in this area entertainment options abound.
Musical Entertainment
You can catch high profile nationally-touring musical artists at the CenturyTel Center or riverboat casinos in Shreveport-Bossier, a South Louisiana Zydeco band at one of the many year-round festivals taking place in the region, or up-and-coming artists at one of the smaller live music venues in the area. If your musical tastes lean more toward the classics, the region has both an opera and a symphony that provide a number of performances throughout the year, and starting in 2008 the newly opened Robinson Film Center is bringing Italy’s famous La Scala Opera to local audiences through its state-of-the-art, super comfy theatres (you can even enjoy a glass of wine while having your eyes and ears dazzled).
Visual & Performing Arts
Artists of all stripes find tremendous and long-standing support in Northwest Louisiana. The area hosts the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet, several reputable theatre troops and a wide variety of museums and galleries that support local artists as well as those of national and international recognition. The Shreveport Regional Arts Council has been inspiring the hearts and imaginations of people in Northwest Louisiana, from children to retirees, for over 25 years and is a tremendous resource both for residents and area artists. There are also many organizations in the area dedicated to providing youth with cultural and artistic opportunities, such as Cultural Crossroads' The Farm in Minden and ArtBreak in Shreveport, the South’s biggest student art festival.
Entertainment Assets that Cross Boundaries
The brainchild of inspired locals and fueled by momentum from the burgeoning film industry in Northwest Louisiana, the Robinson Film Center opened as the first film center of the South in historic downtown Shreveport in the spring of 2008. It has quickly evolved into a cultural meeting ground for the community and the Hollywood set through its art-house theatre movie offerings, modern bistro and bar and extremely adaptable event spaces.
Across the street from the Robinson Film Center is Artspace, Shreveport's first arts center dedicated to the creation, production, presentation, promotion and exploration of all of the art disciplines for multi-generational audiences. Artspace is not a museum or a gallery, rather it is a place where the public can connect to the arts in wonderful, new, and exciting ways. Artspace features art exhibitions, poetry readings, music concerts, and anything else that can be imagined. The artistic director of Artspace is himself one of the area’s greatest cultural assets, Mr. William Joyce, creator of children’s favorites Rolie Polie Olie and Meet the Robinsons among his many others.
Also in historic downtown Shreveport, The Strand Theatre, built in 1925 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a reliable venue for high-quality entertainment including top touring Broadway productions, concerts, and comedy shows.
The CenturyTel Center in Bossier City regularly brings entertainment for the whole family, from The Wiggles to the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular to top-name musical acts.
Offering entertainment options for kids of all ages is the Sci-Port Discovery Center, a 92,000 square-foot science and entertainment center in Shreveport-Bossier, featuring over 290 science, math and space exhibits, daily changing programs, an IMAX Dome Theatre, open-access, interactive, laser SPACE DOME Planetarium, gift shop and café.
If learning about unique aspects of American history is what gets you excited, then spend some time getting to know the town of Natchitoches (say it with me: nak-uh-dish), the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase. Settled by the French in 1714 (and long before that by Native American tribes), this beautiful historic town on the Cane River Lake is chock full of plantation homes, various important tribal sites, and a historic downtown that is dripping with charm. And the Natchitoches Christmas Festival of Lights, as featured in the motion picture Steel Magnolias and countless issues of Southern Living, is not to be missed!
Festivals
Northwest Louisiana has no problem holding up its end of Louisiana’s reputation for great food and long-lasting parties. You almost can’t throw a dart at a calendar without hitting one of the many year-round festivals hosted here, honoring everything from Mardi Gras to crawfish to Poke Salad (What is Poke Salad you ask? It’s an edible (cooked) and medicinal leafy green plant that has a long history of use by Native Americans and in alternative medicine).
The granddaddy of them all, the Louisiana State Fair, is held in Shreveport every fall. Your pets even get a chance to join the fun during the annual parade of the Krewe of Barkus and Meoux during the Mardi Gras season. Click here to learn more about the abundance of festivals and annual events hosted in the area.
If this is not enough to convince you that Northwest Louisiana has options to meet all of your cultural cravings, then click here to check out our most comprehensive community calendar to see what’s going on in the area. Shreveport Bossier Fun Guide
Fishing, whether off a pier in your backyard or as part of a high-stakes Bass tournament, is a highly popular activity for those who like to be outside on the weekends. It’s no wonder, with the abundance of lakes, rivers and bayous in the area that teem with bass, catfish, perch and bream. Caddo Lake, the largest natural lake of fresh water in the south, is one of the area’s most beautiful natural assets. It covers about 26,800 acres, which can grow to 35,000 acres at times of high rain. Caddo Lake saddles Louisiana and Texas and is within 20 miles of the Arkansas border. Stories abound about Caddo Lake’s creation, from earthquakes to the Great Raft of fallen trees in the Red River that was ultimately responsible for Shreveport’s name (Captain Henry Miller Shreve was the boat captain that broke the log jam in the Red River caused by the fallen trees). You can tour the lake from the deck of a steamboat or behind a ski boat; whatever your vantage point, you will certainly be awed by Caddo Lake’s natural beauty.
There are also a number of 
Golfers fall in love with Northwest Louisiana for the many options they have to practice and improve their games. There are over 15 golf courses in the area, including challenging signature courses designed by Hal Sutton and Fred Couples, and a course designed with input from PGA Champ David Toms, a native of North Louisiana. The Audubon Golf Trail, made up of twelve pristine courses that wind throughout the state, begins in Northwest Louisiana at Olde Oaks Golf Club, the first signature course of area native Hal Sutton. The Audubon Golf Trail was named for naturalist/artist John James Audubon who, enchanted by the natural beauty of Louisiana, painted a number of his famous bird studies here. Coincidentally, all the courses on the trail are members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary for Golf Courses, a program dedicated to protecting the environment and preserving the natural heritage of the game of golf.
Even if you are not the one breaking a sweat while enjoying your sport of choice, you can still enjoy cheering on a favorite local Little League team, the state’s leading high school soccer champs or one of our professional sports teams including the Shreveport Sports Baseball team, Bossier –Shreveport Mudbugs Central League Hockey team, Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings Arena Football team, and the NCAA’s Independence Bowl.
Gaming opportunities abound in Northwest Louisiana with the presence of five riverboat casinos and Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, a first-class thoroughbred horse-racing track, all of which attract thousands of spectators to the area year-round. Many of these venues serve double duty by bringing first class music events to the area.
One of the first words that springs to mind when you hear mention of Louisiana is food, and Northwest Louisiana does not fail to deliver outstanding dining opportunities. You can wipe your chin with paper napkins at funky holes-in-the-wall or dab it with white linen at haute cuisine establishments, but no matter where you dine, it will surely be fine! While the area certainly has its share of typical Louisiana fare (think Cajun and Creole classics like gumbo, poboys, etoufee and lots of fried seafood), you can find hints of Texas (BBQ!), California (wine bars), Italy, Mexico, China, India, Greece, Vietnam, Lebanon and Japan. We’ve even got options for the vegetarian in you!
While many of the more well-known chain restaurants have a presence here, we take great pride in our one-of-a-kind local eateries, many of which have been featured by national media (Strawn’s Eat Shop is a favorite among tourists for its ice box pies). Come try the Shrimp Buster at Herby K’s in Shreveport, or a juicy grilled steak and some killer live music at Rabb’s Steakhouse in Ruston, boiled mudbugs at the Crawfish Hole Number Two in Minden, or a Natchitoches meat pie at Lasyone’s in Natchitoches (are you hungry yet?). It won’t be long before you have a favorite (or two or three . . .).
You also have the option of creating your own feast made from fresh local resources if you shop at one of the many farmers’ markets found throughout the area. Local farmers are feeling the love from the growing presence of groups and individuals supporting the global movement towards regional and seasonal eating, as embodied by organizations such as 
Folks in this area take their food seriously, whether it’s at a weekend crawfish boil or a special feature wine dinner at a white linen restaurant. Enjoying food with friends and loved ones is not only how we nourish our bodies here, it is a major social outlet and a celebration of our culture.
Whether shopping for something to dress your body or rest your body, you can find a wide range of options to satisfy the inner shopping demon in you. Throughout the area you can find local boutiques mixed in with national chains, antique stores and modern furniture galleries. The Louisiana Boardwalk on the Red River in Bossier City has over 50 major brand outlet stores and countless restaurants to keep you fueled so you don’t drop while you shop.
The 
Youth in the area are also given a wide range of options for exploring their creative sides, from the Peter Pan Players youth theatre organization to art programs for children at 
Year-round festivals and annual events, like the Louisiana State Fair each fall in Shreveport and the Natchitoches Christmas Festival of Lights in December, ensure that you will never run out of ways to spend time with your loved ones, whether learning or laughing. Many of the area festivals offer a wide variety of kid-centric activities and events that allow them to be spectators and often participants.
| << Prev | Next >> |