Things to do in Shreveport
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Shreveport
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Mardi Gras parade season, mild winter weather with occasional cold snaps. Hotels book out.
Best overall season. Azaleas in March, crawfish peak, Holiday in Dixie in April and Mudbug Madness in May.
Heat and humidity rule. Festivals continue but outdoors is dawn and dusk only, with storm risk.
Second best season. Red River Revel and State Fair in fall, Caddo cypress colour late October into November.
Quiet value window, mild days and low rates, with holiday lights across the region.
What's on
- Krewe of Centaur Parade Saturday before Mardi Gras period, confirm yearly schedule
One of the two giant float parades, family friendly along Clyde Fant Parkway.
- Krewe of Gemini Parade Mardi Gras season, confirm yearly schedule
The second giant float parade, a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 event.
- Krewe of Highland Parade Day after the big parades, Mardi Gras season
The funky neighbourhood parade famous for throwing MoonPies, ramen and hot dogs.
- Holiday in Dixie April
Spring festival season staple in Festival Plaza.
- Mudbug Madness Memorial Day weekend
One of Louisianas largest crawfish festivals at Festival Plaza, three days of food and music.
- Let the Good Times Roll Festival Juneteenth weekend, June 19 to 21
Celebration of African American culture with soul, gospel, hip hop and R and B at Festival Plaza.
- Red River Balloon Rally July
Hot air balloons, live music and fireworks, held in recent years at Louisiana Downs.
- Red River Revel Early to mid October, two weekends
The city's signature arts festival at Festival Plaza.
- Louisiana State Fair Late October into November
The state fair season overlaps the Revel and Caddo colour season.
Best things to do in Shreveport
R.W. Norton Art Gallery
A free museum of surprising scale in 40 acres of gardens, famous for azaleas and a major Western art collection.
Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
The Louisiana Hayride stage that launched Elvis, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, now toured backstage and still hosting shows.
Sci-Port Discovery Center
A 92,000 square foot hands on science centre with an IMAX dome, planetarium and a childrens museum for under 8s.
Shreveport Aquarium
A compact riverfront aquarium with a shark tunnel, touch pools and a Caddo Lake themed bayou dome.
ASEANA Asian Gardens
A free downtown garden representing 15 Asian countries, best visited in the morning as a short stop.
Margaritaville Resort Casino
The best reviewed casino resort in the metro, with gaming, a pool, live music and the Boardwalk nearby.
Louisiana Boardwalk
An open air riverfront promenade for a sunset walk, a film and dinner, with Shreveport across the water.
Shreveport Water Works Museum
A free National Historic Landmark steam pumping station with Victorian equipment and volunteer guided tours.
Where to stay in Shreveport
Downtown Riverfront, Shreveport
sightseeing and show nights
Walkable by day to the riverfront sights and theatres, quiet at night outside events.
Bossier City Boardwalk and East Bank
casino trips and easiest evenings
The best lit and busiest evening zone, with the Boardwalk, casinos and East Bank bars together.
South Shreveport Youree Drive corridor
families and road trips
Suburban, well lit and easy with free parking, the locals safe default for chain hotels.
Highland and South Highlands
repeat visitors wanting character
Historic rentals near the best neighbourhood dining, but street by street judgement is required.
Think twice about
- Downtown Shreveport away from the casino and Festival Plaza core after dark
Streets empty out completely at night. Drive in, park close, enjoy the event, drive out.
- Allendale and streets north and west of downtown
Consistently among the citys highest crime areas. Visit the Water Works Museum by day by car only.
- Cedar Grove and Queensborough
Long flagged in local reporting among the citys most troubled neighbourhoods. Do not book cheap rentals here.
- Airport corridor motels
Local forum advice is consistent: avoid the budget motels near the airport and on older highway strips.
Best restaurants in Shreveport
Superior's Steakhouse
Shreveports special occasion steakhouse, prime beef, chargrilled oysters and crawfish cornbread by a piano bar.
2 Johns Steak and Seafood
Bossiers white tablecloth steak and seafood house, livelier than its Shreveport rival and strong on Gulf fish.
Ernest's Orleans Restaurant
The grande dame of Shreveport dining, famed for marinated crab claws and old school Louisiana fine dining.
Herby-K's
A same family seafood joint since 1936, famous for the Shrimp Buster, gumbo and white chocolate bread pudding.
Orlandeaux's Café
Creole cooking on Cross Lake since 1921, known for stuffed shrimp, shrimp and grits and generous portions.
Marilynn's Place
A converted gas station serving etouffee, gumbo and po boys, with beignets all day and a famous Sunday brunch.
Crawdaddy's Kitchen
A big casual Cajun seafood house, the locals pick for a crawfish boil in season and etouffee year round.
The Blind Tiger
Downtowns reliable casual room for seafood, burgers and a bar, built for Strand and Festival Plaza nights.
Outdoor things to do in Shreveport
Caddo Lake Bayou Tours
A small owner operated boat tour through Caddo Lakes moss draped cypress forest with deep local history.
Captain Ron's Swamp Tours
A shaded pontoon tour into Caddo Lake alligator country, the steadier choice for groups and families.
Caddo Lake State Park
The DIY way into Caddo Lake, with paddling trails, a fishing pier and cypress shaded trails and campsites.
Querbes Park Golf Course
Shreveports century old municipal course, friendly, walkable and great value with a famous long par 5.
The Club at Huntington Park
The metros championship test, a Hal Sutton design over 7,000 yards for serious golfers.
Red River National Wildlife Refuge
Bottomland trails and birding on the Red River, paired with the flat riverfront trails for dawn walks.
Cross Lake
Shreveports own 8,500 acre lake for boating, bass fishing and a sunset dinner on the water.
Gators and Friends Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo
A family park in Greenwood whose zip line runs over alligator ponds, with feeding shows and go karts.
Best hotels in Shreveport
The Remington Suite Hotel & Spa
A historic all suite boutique hotel downtown with a spa, saltwater pool and rooftop, the citys character stay.
Margaritaville Resort Casino
The metros most resort like stay, with a pool and entertainment under one roof by the Boardwalk.
Horseshoe Bossier City
The serious gamers casino hotel on the Bossier riverfront, by the East Bank bars and restaurants.
Hilton Shreveport
A dependable downtown tower by the convention centre, with river views and a rooftop pool.
Courtyard by Marriott Shreveport-Bossier City/Louisiana Boardwalk
A modern riverfront hotel on the Boardwalk, the smart Bossier base for families and non gamblers.
Sam's Town Hotel & Casino
A dated but clean budget casino tower by Sci-Port and the Aquarium, the honest value play downtown.
Bally's Shreveport Casino & Hotel
A large price led casino hotel on the riverfront, best booked when it is meaningfully the cheapest.
Is Shreveport expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $140 a person |
| Splurge | $300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Shreveport Municipal Auditorium: a few days ahead
- The Strand Theatre: a few days ahead
- Caddo Lake Bayou Tours: a few days ahead
- Captain Ron's Swamp Tours: a few days ahead
- The Club at Huntington Park: a few days ahead
- Superior's Steakhouse: a few days ahead
- 2 Johns Steak and Seafood: a few days ahead
- Ernest's Orleans Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Municipal Auditorium tours run on scheduled dates only and sell.
- Book Superior's Steakhouse, 2 Johns and Ernest's Orleans ahead on weekend nights.
- Book Caddo Lake tours, Huntington Park weekend golf and the Remington spa ahead.
- Hotels fill for Mardi Gras parades, Mudbug Madness, Red River Revel and State Fair weeks.
Is Shreveport safe?
- Stay in Bossier, downtown casino hotels or the Youree Drive corridor east of I-49.
- Avoid parks after dusk and do trails and gardens in daylight.
- In summer treat heat as a safety issue: dawn and dusk outdoors, water in the car.
Shreveport travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Sampling every casino wastes a trip. Pick Margaritaville or Horseshoe and spend evenings eating.
- The Boardwalk is for the riverfront at sunset, not for outlet shopping at its former peak.
- Downtown is near empty on non event nights. Nightlife lives in casinos and event nights.
- Caddo Lake is a half day minimum. Do not rush it as a quick add on.
Getting around Shreveport: public transport and more
- You need a car or rideshares. Nodes are 5 to 15 minutes apart and transit is thin.
- Dallas is about three hours east on I-20 and Shreveport Regional Airport is about 15 minutes west of downtown.
- Keep the car for Caddo Lake, about an hour away, with no practical alternative.
Who Shreveport suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Shreveport your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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