Shreveport - Bossier Attractions Draw Groups to Louisiana’s Other Side Shreveport may not have the sex appeal of New Orleans, but this bubbling metro area in Northwest Louisiana abounds with group-friendly things to do and keeps adding to the list. Clearly on the upswing, it offers a tantalizing mix of big-city pizzazz and small-town sense of community. Points of interest are close together, and many are within walking distance of downtown hotels. Above all, Shreveport and its neighbor across the Red River, Bossier City, present a dynamic entertainment scene. Rousing festivals, grand casino hotels and a growing film industry have put “Louisiana’s Other Side” on the tourist map. The Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau, in partnership with the city’s film office, recently introduced the state’s first-ever film trail, a selfdirected tour that highlights productions filmed in and around Caddo and Bossier parishes. Some 72 movies and TV shows have been filmed in the area in recent years. The trail has 21 stops. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Shreveport’s star began to rise as Hollywood moviemakers looked to the corner of the state bordering Arkansas and Texas—a region known as Ark-LaTex. They liked the lower costs of doing business, the pool of production talent (both acting and technical) that already existed and the variety of landscapes, from forests and farms to classic Southern towns with courthouse squares. Locations in and around Shreveport have been used to portray places as diverse as Paris, Seattle, New York and West Africa. Local governments have aggressively courted the film industry with tax incentives as film production has become a major industry. Continued...
For more information contact: Shreveport-Bossier CTB, 800-551-8682, www.shreveport-bossier.org
Shreveport – Bossier Continued... Brandy Evans, vice president of communications of the Shreveport-Bossier CTB, said, “Shreveport rolls out the red carpet for these productions….The stars like working here because people are friendly and don’t hound them. They let them walk the streets in peace. And the paparazzi haven’t found us yet.” Luminaries who have spent time in town include Sandra Bullock (Premonition), Denzel Washington (The Great Debaters) and Kevin Costner (The Guardian, Mr. Brooks). Mad Money, with Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah, used the Fairgrounds’ Louisiana State Exhibit Museum for bank scenes. The $4.2-million Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport’s West Edge arts district opened in 2008 as a showplace for classic, independent and foreign films. With two theaters, a restaurant and events room, the totally rehabbed 1913 building makes an ideal venue for groups. Abby Singer’s Bistro is named after the famous Hollywood director, now 92. Recent classics have included Streetcar Named Desire, Psycho and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Seniors might like to take in a matinee followed by lunch and an educational talk. Cutting-edge fare, such as last fall’s gay and lesbian film festival, attracts a young crowd. Celebrities appear at the Robinson Film Center to introduce films and do benefits, and movie companies have donated props on display. You can view the lifejacket that Kate Winslett wore in Titanic, a sword from Gladiator, a revolver used by Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia and various items from Harry Potter movies. Mad Money’s glass box on wheels with $2 million in fake bills is there, too. Also downtown is the historic Strand Theatre, built as a movie palace in 1925. Today it’s a venue for touring Broadway shows, concerts and comedy acts. Shreveport’s legacy as an entertainment mecca goes back to a radio show called Louisiana Hayride, which was broadcast live from 1948-1960 from the Municipal Auditorium, now a popular tour stop. The three-hour program gave birth to a number of country music stars, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Shreveport’s own Faron Young. In 1954 Louisiana Hayride launched the career of 19-yearold Elvis Presley, signing him to a one-year contract a few months after his recording “It’s All Right, Mama.” His final Hayride performance was in 1956. Tours of the auditorium include Elvis’ dressing room, where tourists often sit on the toilet and pose for pictures. Vintage photos depict “The King’s” historic first performance. Continued...
For more information contact: Shreveport-Bossier CTB, 800-551-8682, www.shreveport-bossier.org
Shreveport – Bossier Continued... The auditorium’s Stage of Stars Museum feature artists like Williams, Cash and Shreveport’s James Burton, a pioneer electric guitarist who played for such greats as Ricky Nelson, Elvis (the last eight years of his life) and John Denver. Across the street (Elvis Presley Avenue) is the James Burton Rock ’n Roll Foundation, which raises money to buy guitars for students. Now in his early 70s, Burton is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bronze statues of Burton and Presley stand in front of the 3,000-seat Municipal Auditorium, a 1929 red-brick landmark that still stages concerts and events like boxing, wrestling, circuses and ice shows. At the base of Elvis’ statue is the announcer’s introduction at his first performance: “Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve never heard of this gentleman before, but one day you’ll be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you heard music history made tonight.” The Municipal Auditorium has been used as a backdrop in such movies as Premonition, Mr. Brooks and Walk the Line, the story of Johnny Cash. Star-struck visitors can further indulge in celebrity worship on downtown Shreveport’s Walk of Stars. Stars embedded in the sidewalk, under the Texas Street Bridge, commemorate Elvis, Burton, Williams and others with Shreveport roots who made it big in entertainment and other fields. Among those honored are O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran, football great Terry Bradshaw, ABC-TV newsman Tom Jarriel and Hank Williams Jr., who was born in Shreveport in 1949, the year after his father started appearing on Louisiana Hayride. Not far from the Walk of Stars are Shreveport’s two glitzy casino hotels, the Eldorado and Sam’s Town. Across the river in Bossier City, three more casinos—Boomtown, Horseshoe and DiamondJacks—beckon with 24-hour gaming, restaurants and musical entertainment. Headliners gracing the marquees of these riverfront gambling palaces include names like Jay Leno, Vince Gill and George Jones. For more fun and gaming, check out the live and simulcast horse racing at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs Casino & Racetrack in Bossier City. The Bossier shoreline boasts one of the area’s favorite group travel attractions—Louisiana Boardwalk. Anchored by Bass Pro Shops, the Boardwalk offers stores like Lane Bryant Outlet, Nike Factory Store, Oshkosh, Liz Claiborne, Yankee Candle and Build-A-Bear Workshop. Fun options include the Louisiana Wildlife Carousel, a fountain with a water/light show, a 14-theater cinema, an upscale bowling alley and Funny Bone Comedy Club. A Courtyard by Marriott recently opened next door. Continued... For more information contact: Shreveport-Bossier CTB, 800-551-8682, www.shreveport-bossier.org
Shreveport – Bossier The dining scene in Shreveport-Bossier City reflects influences from neighboring Texas and Arkansas—think barbecue, fried catfish, country-fried steak and other hearty favorites associated with Southern-style cooking. And though Northwest Louisiana may be hours away from Cajun Country, you won’t have trouble finding good seafood and gumbo either. This is where steak sauce meets hot sauce. Shreveport celebrates the state’s Cajun traditions every Memorial Day weekend during Mudbug Madness, a four-day festival featuring Cajun and Zydeco bands. Vendors offer crawfish cooked every way. Choose from crawfish pie, crawfish pizza and crab patties in crawfish cream sauce. Complete crawfish dinners in Styrofoam containers come with red-skin potatoes and corn-onthe-cob. For down-home cooking and local ambience, take your group to Strawn’s Eat Shop, “the finest greasy spoon you can find.” The Southern-accented lunch menu features fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken-fried steak, cornbread, black-eyed peas and mustard greens. Top off the meal with Strawn’s famous fresh-strawberry pie with homemade whipped cream. For breakfast, try the plate-size pancakes with giant pats of butter. The biscuits, great with sausage gravy, are to die for. The high-ceilinged main room, suitable for groups, is adorned with whimsical murals depicting the Three Stooges, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, presidents and pies. For the best pralines anywhere, stop by Soumas Heritage Creole Gift Shop & Gallery in Bossier City. Panderina Soumas, a Creole cook, historian and storyteller, says only her nine-year-old grandson knows the secret ingredient in her creamy pralines, a treat that dates back to slave days on Louisiana sugar plantations. Ingredients listed on the label are: sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, pecans, Aunt Rose’s smile, Grandma Bessie’s patois and lagniappe (Creole for “a little something extra”). Her shop also has jambalaya, gumbo, soup and rice mixes, plus spicy Creole tea and West Indies Creole sauces. Groups in Shreveport also will like the Logan Mansion, a “haunted” 1897 Queen Anne Victorian, and the Gardens of the American Rose Center, where more than 20,000 roses are planted in 60 individual gardens. Downtown attractions include Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center (with IMAX theater) and Barnwell Garden & Art Center, which has a domed botanical conservatory.
For more information contact: Shreveport-Bossier CTB, 800-551-8682, www.shreveport-bossier.org