Let the Good Times Roll in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana

New Orleans gets all of the Louisiana tourism glory but there’s another, more affordable side of the state worth exploring too. Shreveport-Bossier is a metropolitan area bursting with Southern hospitality. This duo of towns located closer to Texas than the Big Easy offers travelers rockabilly history, a year-round love of Mardi Gras, and cuisine from Tex-Mex to Cajun and beyond.

Joined by the River
Shreveport-Bossier residents believe that their two towns are joined by the Red River, rather than divided by it. Take in the sites and scenery of both from aboard a Red River Cruise. Sail past five paddle-wheel casino boats and into the bayou, where you might spy blue herons, egrets, and even an alligator or two. Set sail from March 1-Nov. 1; $12 for adults and $8 for kids.

Cradle to the Stars

The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium was once home to the Louisiana Hayride, known as the "Cradle to the Stars" for helping launch careers of such notable rockabilly, country, and rhythm and blues singers as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. The Hayride started as a radio program in 1948 and eventually became a national TV sensation presented from this Art Deco building’s stage, with the last performance taking place in 1960.

I had the pleasure of meeting with a Hayride alum, Maggie Lewis Warwick. (Click on her name to hear a free sample of her music.) About her experience performing here as a teen, she said, "My eyes were as big as saucers and music was just flowing out of all the dressing rooms." When she started to quietly sing one of her throaty tunes, I could picture her as a 15-year-old girl, performing on this very stage so many years ago. Warwick and her husband, Alton Warwick, are leading efforts to revive the Louisiana Hayride with a TV special and subsequent series. 

Today, you can get a peek at the tiny dressing rooms backstage and even see the contract signed by the King himself (along with his mother, since he was still a minor at the time). Shreveport Municipal Auditorium tours are available every Saturday from 11 am-3 pm for $5 per person. The building has a reputation for being inhabited by ghosts and haunted tours are available in October.

Year-Round Mardi Gras

New Orleans hosts the biggest and most famous Mardi Gras festivities in Louisiana, but it certainly isn’t the only place to jump for beads in the state. Revelers seeking more affordable fun than what can be found in New Orleans should consider a trip to Shreveport-Bossier. Mary Louise Stansell, Royalty Chair for the Krewe of Gemini, bragged, "New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras once a year, but [in Shreveport-Bossier], we celebrate Carnival year-round." The community is host to float-loading parties, numerous balls, and two large Mardi Gras parades, each featuring 30-40 floats from which over $300 thousand in beads, plastic drink cups, stuffed animals, and other trinkets are tossed to celebratory crowds.

Krewe of Gemini's Mardi Gras Museum. It’s open on weekends during Carnival season (a dozen days after Christmas through midnight on Fat Tuesday, one day before Ash Wednesday) and by appointment during off-season.

A Party of Food & Drinks 

Shreveport-Bossier is a hot spot for many types of tasty cuisine like Tex-Mex, barbecue, Cajun, and traditional Southern cooking. For Southern cuisine with a modern twist, stop by Julie Anne's Bakery to sample a King Cake. These royal cakes can be found in any local bakery during Mardi Gras season or can be purchased by special order throughout the rest of the year. In Louisiana, these ring cakes are iced with white frosting and sprinkled with sugar in Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold. Each cake contains a hidden, tiny plastic baby Jesus figure; tradition has it that the winner who finds the figurine will have good fortune for the year to come. The most popular of Julie Anne’s 22 King Cake flavors is Pralines & Cream, which is filled with cinnamon, pecans, and sweet cream cheese.  

You know you're in a town that likes to party when you can find drive-through daiquiri shops on every other corner. Choose from flavors like Thug Passion, Pink Panties, and Red Ferrari - but be sure to keep a lid on your concoction until you reach your destination for safety and legal reasons.

Would you consider a trip to Shreveport-Bossier as a budget-friendly alternative to New Orleans? Let us know in the comments below!
 

Photos: Colleen Lanin