Staycation in Shreveport, Louisiana

Everyone needs time to recharge his or her batteries. We all get tired and run down. Sometimes, we just don’t have the opportunity or time to travel to a location to do so. Don’t count out the power of a “staycation!” This past weekend, my husband and I did just that. Some may say what on earth would you find to do a whole weekend in Shreveport. Let me tell you what we did. We checked into the El Dorado Casino Hotel. We kicked off our Friday staycation with a trip to the Highland Farmers Market. This market is usually located in the parking lot of St. Vincent Mall. This past Friday it was indoors. Had to buy something from my home girl, Panderina Soumas. Like she says, “it’s all in the history. “ After we shopped the market, we dined at Grimaldi’s pizza. That is some good pizza if you have never been. After, relaxing a bit in the room, we visited the local bar downtown, Josh Lounge. We got the pleasure of listing to Alter Ego. That is always a treat! Saturday morning began with a walk over to Bon Temps coffee shop. Give me a Salted Carmel Latte, please! We then walked over to the opening day of the Shreveport Downtown Farmer’s Market. Lots of goodies to try and buy there! Marci Hicks of Jobean Cards had her adult coloring books there. Off to the Grand Opening of Suite nine1six. This cute boutique, owned by Desiree Mingo is in the Highland Neighborhood on Line Ave. Score for Highland! After leaving the Grand Opening, it was time for a bit to eat. With the heat, we didn’t want anything to heavy. We visited the Gucci Brookshire and had the seafood department steam us some shrimp (spicy). This NOLA girl has found a way to substitute her craving for boiled shrimp at a reasonable price. Steamed shrimp done spicy tastes just like boiled shrimp! I’m so hooked. Nap time rolled around quick with all our Saturday activity! After our nap, we prepared for a party at the Penthouse at the downtown club the Style Bar. It was my first time there. The food was off the chain. They know how to fry shrimp! Of course we couldn’t end our night without popping in to check out Chase Boytim’s new club Aura Ultra Lounge! Very nicely done, Chase!Style Bar and Aura are right next to each other on Texas Ave in Shreveport! Sunday morning, lamenting our check out, we headed to breakfast at the Sportsman Paradise restaurant in the El Dorado casino. The omelets are great!! They also sell pralines that are comparable to the New Orleans style ones. That was Saturday’s late night snack!! We visited the Southern Gypsy Cottage store in Bossier City. Very cute, Tracy Prator! Then we zoomed over for my girl, Jada Durden’s premier of her newest soy candle scent designed by Zombee Candles. Jada keeps us connected to the “must attends” around our Port City! The premier was held at The Roux. It is located guess where, the Highland neighborhood on Olive Street! Kate Hesson created this spot for artist to sell and display their work. Kate is our wonderful candle maker that owns Zombee Candles. We had one more stop on our “staycation” before we returned to our home; Cross Lake. Sitting on the lake feeling the cool breeze, watching the water, transported me to a point in time when I would have been sitting on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. That was one of our favorite past times in the Crescent City. We returned home feeling very relaxed. I felt rejuvenated. I had not visited my studio nor touched any paint in almost 3 months in a need to decompress from my last project. The “staycation” was so good to me, later that evening I picked up a brush and started on my first piece in 3 months! So, you don’t always have to drive or fly somewhere. Folks that say there isn’t anything to do in Shreveport, do not like food, music, nature or art. If you fall into that category, well, yes, there isn’t anything for you to do in Shreveport!!