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TOURS
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Melrose Plantation Tour
$70
(includes lunch and drinks)
DESCRIPTION:
You’re invited to experience the rich culture of North Louisiana on our Plantation Tour.
We’ll load the bus at noon on Thursday, August 1st, 2019. A light lunch, with Louisiana flair, will be provided on the bus. The bus ride will be filled with fun facts and trivia about Louisiana and what makes our area unique.
Our destination is, Natchitoches (Nack a tish), founded in 1714. It is the oldest settlement in the entire Louisiana Purchase and is about an hour and a half south of Shreveport/Bossier.
Our first stop will be Melrose Plantation, founded in 1833. They offer a comprehensive and interpretive guided tour in and around the property. Here you’ll learn about plantation life prior to, during and after, The Civil War. They’ll also tell us the fascinating story of, the artist, Clementine Hunter. Her colorful paintings are in the primitive style and tell the story of life on the plantation.
We’ll journey along the Cane River on the Plantation Trail. This area is known as the Cane River National Heritage Area and we will see numerous plantations as we make our way into Natchitoches.
Next we’ll visit the Kaffie-Frederick General Mercantile Store. It was established in 1863 and is the oldest general store still in operation in Louisiana and is worth a visit.
And a trip to Natchitoches wouldn’t be complete without showing off The Steel Magnolia House. The movie, Steel Magnolias, was filmed here and you’ll recognize some of the settings.
Before we head back, we’ll meet some of tourism professionals for a mixer at Maglieaux’s, which is on the Cane River, across the street from the award-winning architectural building that houses Louisiana’s Sports Museum.
This will be a great afternoon to experience genuine Louisiana culture.
Bus/Tour schedule:
12:15 - bus departs BPCC
1:30 – Melrose Plantation
2:45 – Depart Melrose
3:30 – Kaffie-Frederick Mercantile Store
4:00 - Cocktail’s and walk along the Riverfront
5:00 – Depart Natchitoches
6 PM - Arrive back at BPCC and 2ndstop at Horseshoe Hotel
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"Us Up North" Culinary Food Tour
$60
(includes lunch and drinks)
DESCRIPTION:
Please join us as we show off a mix of the wonderful flavors we offer up north. You will start the tour by enjoying a dish from Chef Harris' Official Meal of North Louisiana. Afterwards, we will board a shuttle and continue throughout the city making a few more stops at some of her favorite spots serving up the best dishes Shreveport-Bossier has to offer. You will enjoy a sample of the most popular dish or beverage each stop has on their menu. Come with an empty stomach! We will announce the stops on this tour at a later date.
Chef Hardette has single-handedly led the effort to celebrate the foods of North Louisiana’s waterways and farms by establishing the official meal of North Louisiana. It is only the second official meal in the United States and Chef Harris wrote it. Along with help from her State Representative Gene Reynolds, House Concurrent Resolution HCR No. 88 was passed by the Louisiana Legislature in 2015 celebrating North Louisiana cuisine.
Chef Harris is originally from Minden, Louisiana and in recognition of her work she was named one of Louisiana Life Magazine's Louisianians of the Year of 2017 and one of three chefs named Best Small Town Chef of 2017 by Country Roads Magazine. She can also seen in the PBS Digital Series Nourish- "The Great Cornbread Debate" Episode
Bus/Tour schedule:
12:15- Bus Departs BPCC
5:30 – Bus will return back to BPCC and 2nd stop at Horseshoe Hotel
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Southern University Museum of Art at Shreveport
$40
(includes lunch and drinks)
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DESCRIPTION:
Journey to discover the “Art & Soul” of the African and African American experience at the Southern University Museum of Art Shreveport located in the heart of the West Edge Arts district in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana. Explore the art and artifacts from the major art-producing regions in West and South Africa, while ‘feeling the beat’ of the drum circle. Experience the stories, sights, and sounds of black life in America, as well as Shreveport through the lens of art and culture. Unleash your own art and soul.
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Bus/Tour Schedule:
12:15- Bus Departs BPCC
4:30 – Bus will return back to BPCC and 2nd stop at Horseshoe Hotel
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