Driving Tour of Louisiana - - CLUE ME IN (Shreveport: best neighborhoods, crime)

[scd0903]

Folks,

Thank-you for all the feedback through these forums - - just another data point for me - - everyone is entitled to their opinion and I love hearing the pros and cons of different areas.

Late next week I will be driving through Louisiana - -

I want to see the best that these places have to offer: Alexandria, Shreveport & Monroe.

I am wide open for suggestions. Imagine it this way - - you get one chance to "impress" a visiting friend - - you want your community to send a positive vibe - - what should I make sure that I see? Likewise - - what should I avoid? I have a wife and 3 school-age children - - Louisiana may be where I end up - or Mississippi or Western Alabama - - that's why I'm heading down there in person for this tour.

If there is a particular park or street or restaurant or other point of interest - - please let me know.

I am working today and tomorrow on my trip - I appreciate any feedback that you may have.

Thanks ever so much ~ ~

-sccd0903

[Rmaf623]

In Alexandria, the best place is the Jackson Street area. Most of the neighborhoods between Masonic Drive and Coliseum Blvd are nice. In my opinion, the best neighborhoods are along Heyman Lane, Windermere Blvd, Versailles Blvd., Twin Bridges Road, and Horseshoe Drive. The nicest park is Compton Park (on Wakefield Blvd. in Charles Park subdivision). Parts of the Garden District (located between MacArthur and Bolton Avenue) are nice but some areas are declining. The best streets are Georges Ln, Elliot, Marye, and Albert. Most restaurants are located along MacArthur Drive near the Mall. Much of the area around I-49 and east is run-down. Overall, the west side of the city is the nicest. Crime is bad on the east side. The zoo is one of the most popular attractions (located on Masonic). Pineville, across the Red River is also nice, as well as Woodworth (to the southwest on Hwy. 165) and the Kincaid Lake area (west of the city along Highway 28)

[SBCmetroguy]

Visit downtown Shreveport, the casinos along the riverfront, the Louisiana Boardwalk. If the Gardens of the American Rose Center in Greenwood (west Shreveport) are open, perhaps something will be in bloom there. It's a gorgeous park.

What kind of attractions are you interested in? Shreveport has several museums and galleries, a children's science museum with a space center and IMAX theater, a gorgeous riverfront park, Multicultural Center of the South, etc. Also there are several major motion pictures currently being filmed here, and you can often run into crews filming in the downtown area. You might also want to check out the Eighth Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force base... it's quite impressive.

[ArizonaGirl]

Whatever you do, don't have sport any bumper stickers that read:

Hillary for President
or
LSU Tigers SUCK

You may not make it out alive! (Just kidding of course, but that was a running joke when I lived down there....)

[tbayle]

I am wondering if you ever made this trip and what you thought of Alexandria. Someone who responded to your post had mentioned the Charles Park area in Alex. Is that a nice subdivision?