Georgia Travel Media Marketplace

Carolyn Altman tells about the Farm house

This year’s Georgia Travel Media Marketplace started off with a roar. Unfortunately that roar was the sound of rain pounding on the roof or Statesboro Comfort Inn, our home base for the Marketplace. All turned out well however. The downpour ceased before we reached the kickoff reception at Georgia Southern botanical Gardens. It’s a lovely 11 acre garden combined with  a historical and cultural heritage site that was once an  early 20th century farmstead where we  enjoyed a farm to table dinner under a rustic pavilion decorated with the most interesting centerpieces combining  plant life with candles. We were encased in a flowering world filled with the scents of night blooming flowers.

Ashlee and Chris entertain at the Botanical Gardens

Director  Carolyn Altman took us on a tour of the grounds which includes walking woodland trails, Bland Cottage, Heritage Garden, Rose Arbor, Children’s Learning Garden, Camellia Garden, Native Plant Landscape Garden, Native Azalea Collection and Bog Garden. and relayed the history of the gardens and its original caretakers, Dan and Catherine Bland

We were entertained during our meal by Ashlee and Chris Mitchell. owners of Plaid Dot Music Store. Their music was balm to a tired soul, especially their moving rendition of Me and Bobby McGee. What a way to unwind and set the mood for a totally natural experience in mostly-rural Statesboro and Vidalia.

The Mosasaur

Next morning we journeyed back in time 75 million years at the University’s Natural History Museum. Imagine coming face to face with a  Mosasaur before your morning caffeine infusion. Actually he wasn’t a living breathing animal but a totally reconstructed skeleton of a beast that roamed the sea that covered Mesozoic era Georgia.

We were fed and enlightened at the same time by Director, Brent Tharp. When he had brought us into more modern times, we were allowed to roan  the museum at will. Naturally I gravitated to the new Camp Lawton exhibit.  For those of you who are not avid Civil War buffs, Camp Lawton was a short lived—six weeks—prison for captured Union Soldiers in 1864 until Sherman’s impending  visit necessitated moving the prisoners to other camps.

Kevin Chapman explains some of the findings at Camp Lawton

Kevin Chapman, the man in charge of the excavation of Camp Lawton explained how he had been “suckered” into the project  in 2009  Dr. Sue Moore suggested he do it as a theses project when he stated he needed a “very short simple subject” She assured him “There’s probably nothing there.” Over two years  later he is totally adsorbed in an extensive excavation which had produced a unique window into the lives of CW POWs. A simple pipe made by one of the inmates out of a broken length of a longer pipe with a bowl constructed of melted lead, probably old musket shells, tells of a man who needed his tobacco so badly he was forced to create what we know today was very dangerous utensil to smoke. Aside from inhaling the tobacco,  the lead from the bowl was hazardous, the stem made of a hard ceramic substance shows imprints where he would have bitten down on that stem hard enough to eventually erode those teeth he used to hold the pipe in his mouth. Why was it abandoned? Perhaps when he was evacuated to another prison he was not given time to return to his makeshift hovel to reclaim it. Or maybe he was one of the sad unknown dead who never left Camp Lawton.

Freedom soars across the field

Before I could learn more, we were yanked back to the 21^st century by the need to depart for a tour of the college and a special surprise. One of the traditions of the Georgia Southern Eagles is the flyover by its famous mascot Freedom. Freedom is an American Bald Eagle who was found in Maitland Florida and a fledgling with a misshapen beak which would not have allowed him to survive in the wild. Steve Hein had to wait 12 years until 2004 to acquire Freedom but it was worth the wait. Today Freedom does a flyover before each home football game and at commencement.

To provide a fitting home for Freedom, Georgia Southern developed the Wildlife Education Center and the Lamar Q Ball, Jr. Raptor Center, over  five acres featuring diverse habitats and species, an amphitheater and an indoor classroom. We visited and were treated by even more flyovers by other native and exotic bird species and then Steve asked  for two volunteers to hold another  wildlife species. On finding out that the creature she would handle was a Madagascar Cockroach. The female volunteer relinquished the field to fearless Doc. Lawrence, the male volunteer. Can’t say I blame her.

That’s me in the center and as you can see we are all fascinated by this beautiful creature.

I was one of the next set of four volunteers, all female this time. Our project was to hold a huge Burmese python named Monty. I want to report that all of us served bravely. He is a magnificent specimen and feeling his muscles ripple as he moved in our hands was a thrill.

On a press trip, you are never far from food. It’s either breakfast, lunch, dinner or an in-between snack time. So on to lunch which was served in the pavilion. The food was almost all Georgia grown and delicious, especially the shrimp and stone ground grits. Naturally we had peach cobbler for dessert.

Yumion greets us

Our next stop was the Vidalia Onion Museum where we were greeted enthusiastically by Yumion, the Vidalia Onion Mascot. The museum explained the importance on this sweet little onion. In fact the state of Georgia considers Vidalia Onions such an important product there is even an Onion Sheriff, Bob Stafford, to be sure no one misrepresents this local product. Did you know you are subject to $10,000 fine if you try and pass off another onion as a Vidalia Onion?

To learn more of the secrets of this valuable onion, we went to M and T Farm to watch them pack it for shipment all over. I was amazed at the ones discards and too imperfect to be shipped as Vidalia Onions. I have bought other onions in many groceries that were in worse shape.

Some of these rejects are usable in processing. One of the places that does this is Vidalia Valley in Lyons. This is where salsas, jellies and hundreds of other products  containing Vidalia Onions are produced. Many of them are branded for other well-known companies. This stop had us all crying our eyes out. I would like to say there was some sweet sentimental reason for the tears but in reality  it was the smell of thousands of onions being peeled and cut in their kitchen. Vidalia Valley proprietors offered comfort in the way of some tasty salsas and dips. (As you might notice, press trips are very heavily food orientated)

Our next stop was for supper at  Elements Bistro in Lyons. Elements Bistro is one  of the best restaurants in Southeast Georgia and focuses on local products. Chef John Mark Lane  provided us a seven course meal with superbly crafted dishes most of which is locally grown. We waddled back to the hotel so stuffed we could hardly move and were met with some great Hard Iced Tea.

Some heritage carrots at the farmers market

Of course we were ready for breakfast next morning bright and early.  We enjoyed our meal served in the historic Averitt Center for the Arts while many of the local providers offered us a taste of their food product and how they acquired an interest in producing it. Hunter Beef is one good example. They began just as a small grass fed beef farm and found  a need to provide accommodations for the many visitors who are becoming interested in agritourism. To do this, they converted an old tobacco barn into two units and also have developed a campground for those who want to “rough it” in their own RVs. By now many of the family members have become involved in the operation.

Troy and Cindy and their chuckwagon

Statesboro Main Street Farmers Market was set up just across the street so we had time to browse before we headed to the Media Marketplace to learn about a different product, the entire state of Georgia and all it has to offer a travel writer and to its many visitors as well.

Of course, when we took a lunch break it was another unique culinary experience. We dined on some of the best Flat Iron Steak I have ever tasted cooked over open fires by Troy and Cindy Reddick who offer catered chuck wagon meals.

Keep coming back here as I will be posting all about my post trips to some very interesting parts of Georgia in a few days.

Mississipi’s Heritage Tour

The Illinois Monument at Vicksburg national Battlefield

The second part of the press trip was very different but just as  fabulous as the first. Vicksburg was our first stop.

One of their most interesting attractions is  the Vicksburg National Military Park, 1,800 acres of earthworks, cannons and impressive monuments. Also displayed at the park is the USS Cairo, a Union ironclad sunk by the Confederacy and raised after more than a century underwater. The park has monuments to the Union troops from various states and a beautiful sculpture dedicated to the African-American troops who fought there. The  battlefield memorializes one of the most crucial battles of the Civil War.  Capture of the city was crucial to the Union victory because it was the key to all travel on the Mississippi River. Defense was equally important to the Confederates for the same reason. Unable to capture it by direct attack, Grant decided to starve the defendant out. The people and defenders of Vicksburg were stubborn but eventually Grant’s tactics worked. After 47 days, Confederate General John C. Pemberton finally surrendered to Grant on July 4, 1863. The memory of this stinging defeat resulted in Vicksburg refusing to celebrate the Fourth of July until a visit by President Eisenhower in 1947.

A very full round table at Walnut Hills

The Old Town section of Vicksburg had many beautiful homes dating from the Antebellum period but due to time constraints we had to postpone seeing much of the city for a later visit. We did visit one recycled home on Adams Street in the historic district.  The house was built in 1880 by the Rogers family and is typical of many Victorian homes in Vicksburg. Its  wide porch with large front-facing windows and Vicksburg pierced columns. welcomes you to Walnut Hills,  a round table restaurant, modeled on  the old time boarding house style restaurants. It’s ability to meld the traditional with some of the best tasting food found anywhere have made it one of Mississippi’s most written about restaurants. (americanroads.net is soon to join the list of prestigious magazines that have praised this fine restaurant t. Watch for the July issue.)

Driving down the old streets of Natchez, it is easy to realize that prior to the Civil War, Natchez was home to more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city, except for New York City. Everywhere you look, there are well maintained antebellum homes. that were once the palatial estates of the landed gentry. Today, more than a dozen of these showplaces of another era are open for tours. Of the ones that are not open to the public many may be seen during annual Spring and Fall Pilgrimages. ( Hint: That’s a wonderful time to visit.)

Longwood

Natchez Under the Hill, today a quaint section with shops, restaurants and of course the elaborate gaming casinos, feted out to resemble old riverboats,  was once a haven for riverboat gamblers, thieves and ladies of the evening. We got to experience a taste of it all on our tour.

We visited Longwood, known in its day as “Nutt’s Folly.”. It was to be the largest octagonal home in America but never fulfilled its destiny. The home was begun in 1860 by the extremely wealthy plantation owner, Dr. Nutt, to showcase that wealth and all the exquisite things his money could buy. The War Between the States put his plans on hold. He died before the war ended.  Ironically, after the war, his family  was now destitute and moved back into the basement of the unfinished home and were often dependant for their food on the gardens of their former slaves. The tour offers glimpses of what this magnificent building would have been if  circumstances were different.

Lobby of the Eola Hotel

Our lodging was an integral part of Natchez’s history. After the War Between the States, Natchez eventually experienced a revival. The 1900s saw Natchez once again as a glittering playground for wealthier visitors. One entrepreneur, a Mr. Isodore Levy, saw the need for a great hotel similar to those in Europe here in Natchez. He called in the prestigious firm of Weiss, Dreyfous, and Seiferth. Charles E Weiss designed the building to last for the ages. He made seven stories, the tallest building in Natchez-it still is. He gave it a European opulence it still maintains. No expense was spared. When it was completed it was named “Eola” in memory of the Levy’s pretty 16-year-old daughter who did not live to see her magnificence namesake.  In July 1927, The Natchez Eola opened to rave reviews in local and out of town newspapers.

By 1932, it was made the headquarters for the Natchez Spring Pilgrimage. The Pilgrimage is the city’s premier event that sees thousands of visitors flock to Natchez to visit the magnificent Antebellum and Victorian homes that open to the public during this event. Then as now, the Eola with her graceful interior, arched doorways, antique furnishings, marble trim, stately columns and New Orleans style courtyard was the place to stay.

View from The Vue.

Time as always took her toll on the opulent hotel. By the 1960s, the old hotel was showing her age badly.  It closed in 1974. Then, in 1978, new owners who appreciated the faded beauty bought the Eola. They spent six and a half million dollars restoring it to its former magnificence. It was money well spent. Today, from the moment we entered the lobby we were enveloped in old-world luxury and treated as well as traveling royalty of the Victorian era.

We dined like royalty as well at The Grand Soleil Casino Resort’s fine dining experience, The Vue.  The hotel, which is named for The Great Sun, as the Chief of the Natchez Indians was known, perches on the highest point of the Mississippi River so The Vue lives up to its name. We could see almost 30 miles upstream. Sunset and the sharply lighted river bridge is an experience.

Rockets at Infinity

Next morning, we headed for yet another side of Mississippi, the Gulf Coast. Here history combined with ultra-modern to offer fun in the sun. First stop, Infinity at NASA Stennis Space Center, the 72,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility, and the region’s first interactive science center. Sitting just next to the Louisiana border, this facility is brand new. It is a hands on facility that introduces all ages to the wonders of space and the newest innovations becoming part of everyday live through space exploration. One of the most interesting is the lettuce grown as it would be in outer space, with no soil and small amounts of water. This is science at its best.  Along with introducing people to the wonders of space, the center plans a nature walk to introduce us to the wonders of nature.

The first sight of the blue waters of the gulf is so refreshing. Creative people have always been inspired by the sea and this is no exception. Known as  the “Mad Potter of Biloxi,”  George Ohr was considered an eccentric or worse, a madman, in 1880s Biloxi. Today his genius is celebrated in the brand new  Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art.

The Biloxi Lighthouse

So much that was lost to Katrina has now been replaced or repaired but the iconic Biloxi Lighthouse still stands in the midst of traffic. It seems a symbol of Mississippi’s indomitable spirit.  No matter what happens, it stands calm and serene and allows life to flow around it. Biloxi Lighthouse Visitors Center and Museum on the inland side is a great way to learn about the lighthouse and Mississippi’s coastal history.

Whether you want to pull the slot leaver, flip a blackjack card or play high stakes poker, The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino can accommodate you. In fact, even if you have no interest in gaming, you can shop, swim, surf or pool, get a massage or loll in a spa, dock at the marina or dine , be it snack or elegant cuisine, the Beau Rivage can accommodate travelers of any stripe. It fitted us to a “T.”

And speaking of dining, there are  twelve restaurants, five lounges, an elevated cafe and bar. We enjoyed the BR Prime, the resort’s finest steakhouse. They boast “Enough swank to make the Rat Pack proud” and they aren’t kidding. Food is superb, drinks are icy and delicious and service is first rate. As if we hadn’t pigged out enough for dinner, we had breakfast at their  buffet which offered everything from crawfish to omelets and anything else you might want for breakfast.

Beauvoir

Our last stop in the coast was the final home of Mississippi’s most famous son. Only one man can boast of being, a colonel in the Mexican War, a U. S. Senator, the son-in-law of a U.S. president, U.S. secretary of war, and the only president of the Confederate States of America. Although Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky, his parents were from Mississippi and he spent his adult life in Mississippi and considered himself a Mississippian. His last home Beauvoir, was severely damaged but salvageable after Katrina. It was here that the southern leader retired to write his  The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.

Ruth Bailey Earl Exhibit at African-American Military Museum

On the last leg of our tour, we drove into Hattiesburg, home of the University of Southern Mississippi. Our first stop was the African-American Military Museum.  This museum showcases the heroic spirit of African-Americans in America’s many conflicts from the Revolution on to today’s Middle-Eastern conflicts. The building itself is noteworthy as the only remaining USO building for African American soldiers left. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next stop was the renovated Saenger Theater. Once a popular movie palace it fell into disuse when television replaced the movies for family entertainment. The proud old building  now offers live entertainment in the form of plays and concerts. The highlight of the  theater for me was the old projector that is preserved in the lobby. Amazing when you think the huge reels of film once used have been replaced by a small DVD today.

One of the cute prairie dogs pose

Hattiesburg offers a fine zoo. It is fun for all ages. There is a train ride which circles the park. The prairie dog colony was hard to tear ourselves away from but the highlight was the graceful male jaguar named Toby who painted some canvases for us. He is gorgeous and seemed to understand his trainer when she told him “paint.” He would put his par in the blob of wet paint and drag it across a canvas. The artwork is unique and just as good as many human abstract artists.

That night it was back to Jackson and a fun dining experience at  Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza and Ice Cream. The menu is large offering something for everyone. The best thing is you can build your own pizza or Stromboli. The kitchen is open so you can see everything being made. Everything is made from scratch so it is really good.  As always, you will b e seeing more of this trip on http://www.americanroads.net so check in there often. New issues come out quarterly.

Next morning it was homeward bound until the next adventure. I will be traveling to Georgia tomorrow so watch for that when I get back.

Mississippi: A Musical Garden of Eden

Touring Oxford on a double-decker bus

I want to share a great press trip I just enjoyed. I traveled a part of Mississippi that I didn’t even know existed: the Mississippi Delta. Yes, I knew the delta was there. You can’t grow up living next to the Mississippi River and not know she has a delta but the musical  heritage of the delta was a murky secret until this trip.

It all started on Sunday, April 29 when I arrived at the  Hyatt Place in Jackson. Dinner at Mint Restaurant in Ridgeland just outside Jackson was a treat and my first clue that I was going to really “pig out” for the next six days. (Hey, I’m an old southern belle, Put good southern food in front of me and what do you expect?) The décor was impressive. And so was the food. Both transport you to the French Quarter of New Orleans. The huge glowing red chandelier over the bar would do justice to a exclusive 19th century brothel in the old Crescent City. My favorite piece of art however was a crystal chandelier in the shape of a ship. It’s one of only two in existence. (The other is in New Orleans at another equally impressive restaurant. My food tip for dessert” try the Mini Beignets. They are a real winner.

Jimmie Rodgers guitar

The trip began in earnest on Monday when we left Jackson and headed to Meridian. The music began to invade our souls and get out toes tapping when we arrived at Highland Park and the Jimmie Rodgers Museum. Rodgers, a Meridian native, is considered the “Father of Country Music.”

Weidmann’s Restaurant,  as the oldest restaurant in Meridian, dating back to 1870s, is chock full of tradition as well as great food. One of the most interesting traditions concerns the small handmade crock of peanut butter found on every table. That just had to have a story and it does. It seems back in the 1940s, butter was scarce due to war rationing. Someone mentioned to Henry Weidmann, the owner, that peanut butter would be a good substitute. He agreed and set the little crocks  out with crackers. Through all the years, the peanut butter crocks have remained a fixture. Today, the crocks are made by a local potter and may be purchased at the restaurant.

Grand Opera House

Music, whether humble or grand, deserves a fitting venue. In Meridian, the Grand Opera House served as the home for upper crust entertainment. Stars such as Lily Langtry and Sarah Bernhardt graced the ornate stage. It also offered fare for the masses with minstrel shows and traveling company musicals. Today it had metamorphosed into  the Riley Center for Education & Performing Arts. Now, today’s musical greats such as Wynonna Judd and Bonnie Raitt are gracing the stage.

Stature of Elvis at 13

The next stop on our trek was at a true music shrine, Elvis’s birthplace. Memphis has often displaced Tupelo as the shrine of the “King of Rock and Roll” but never forget Tupelo and the sites there were what led Elvis to the top of the charts. Without the humble sharecropper cottage and the little church that molded the boy Elvis into the man, there would have been no Graceland. Had Glades not purchased that first guitar at the Tupelo Hardware Store, Elvis might have lived and died an obscure truck driver.

That night we dined on an old southern traditional food at Romie’s BBQ and  slept well at the Hilton Garden Inn. Knowing tomorrow we were going to delve deeper into the roots of Country Music and Rock and Roll and explore the family tree that gave birth to both and influenced all the popular music to follow, the Blues.

Tuesday found us wending our way to Oxford, home of that traditional bailiwick of southern tradition, Old Miss. The college houses the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, a research center for southern music, literature, and folklore housed in an antebellum observatory. Their University of Mississippi Blues Archive is the only research facility in the country dedicated to the study of the Blues. Oxford is also the home of many literary greats. We toured Rowan Oaks, the home of William Faulkner.

Before we delved any deeper into Mississippi’s musical heritage we needed substance. City Grocery in Oxford filled the bill. Chef John Currence’s the owner of this and four other culinary triumphs,  is the winner of the 2009 James Beard Best Southern Chef award. After sampling his Shrimp and Grits I understand why.

Ground Zero Blues Club

Clarksdale is the home of so many blues greats, W. C. Handy, Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf that we knew we were near the epicenter of where it all began.

The  Delta Blues Museum there is a quick over study of these Blues greats.  It houses Muddy Waters’ modest cabin and many other artifacts related to America’s own native music. But the place that claims to be the heart of the Blues culture is  Ground Zero Blues Club. This former Cotton warehouse was slated for destruction before Bill Luckett stepped up and saved it. He and his partner, Morgan Freeman–yes, he is another native Mississippian–have converted the building into a modern-day juke joint downstairs with the most unique lodgings upstairs.

The small town has so many little musical nooks and crannies you could spend days and never get bored. The Rust Restaurant served a wonderful dinner.

Fans come from all over to pay homage to the “Birthplace of the Blues,” Dockery Plantation

We traveled south through fertile Delta land to  Dockery Farms. This  historic plantation is considered by many to be  birthplace of the blues. In its heyday, it was a huge isolated plantation. On Saturday nights, bluesmen would arrive and provide the only entertainment. The workers and visiting musicians  including Blues greats like Charlie Patton, Howlin’ Wolf  and Robert Johnson, who reputedly sold his soul to the Devil to learn to play the guitar.  A old barn bearing the plantation name and dates of operation is still standing as are several other old relics of a long gone way of life.

One of the exhibits at the B. B. King Museum

When we arrived in Indianola on Wednesday, we got up close and personal with one of the legends of both the Blues and Rock and Roll, B.B. King., another  Mississippi native son. His museum chronicles it all. His rough road to stardom, and the indignities Southern segregation imposed on him and other Africa-American performers. But B.B. lived to get the last laugh. He has been honored by all races for his talent and humanity.

B.B. King sang with so many musical greats I lost count. If you have ever heard B.B. King and Willie Nelson sing Night Life, you understand how all the music emerges from the same gene pool. I am not sure if you could call that performance Country with a Blues twist or Blues with a Country twist but I just call it one of the greatest sounds I ever heard.

Got a yen to live the simple life? Visit Tallahatchie Flats. It’s as simple as it gets.

In Greenwood we drove past many of the homes and buildings used in the academy award winning motion picture “The Help.”  We had to visit the grave of Robert Johnson and on the way visited Tallahatchie flats. This unique lodging is composed of actual sharecropper shacks moved to this site and “improved” by the addition of electricity. If you really want to see how the poorest farmers lived, you can rent a cabin for a night or a week or even longer.

And then it was back to Jackson to rest up before we began the second part of the trip through Mississippi’s historic past and for a look into its future. Naturally, we dined in a fantastic place, The historic Fairview Inn. As for the second part of the trip, Mississippi’s Heritage, tomorrow. As another famous southern icon said, “I’ll think about that later. Tomorrow is another day.”

So keep checking back here. You can also expect to find more of these fantastic places in http://www.americanroads.net in upcoming issues.

Bardstown–The Bourbon Capital of Kentucky

Cindy explains the workings of Barton's Distillery

Our Bardstown post tour began Wednesday morning when we drove away from the Gault House with our huge bus filled with under a dozen of us. Dawn Przystal, Vice President of Tourism Expansion and Marketing for Bardstown, had prepared an extensive tour of her town. We began with the Barton’s 1792 Distillery.  Here, our guide, Cindy, led us through the bottling process and answered many question about the production of bourbon. We were treated to a tasting of Barton’s best products.

Dining aboard My Old Kentucky Dinner Train

Of course, Bardstown was not going to be outdone by its big brother, Louisville, in the culinary department. Lunch was served aboard on of the town’s finest attractions, My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. We met our chef, Gil Logan, and were blown away by his creations, all produced n a small train kitchen. That’s talent!

The tasting room at Heaven Hill

After that lunch, only Heaven could get any better and that’s where we head. Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center that is We are welcomed into a state-of-the-art visitor center with its own museum-like exhibits showing the bourbon producing process. Next we tour a bourbon warehouse with a knowledgeable guide, Billy Joe. The warehousing process is more than just a storage area. Bourbon’s unique taste is created while it ages in white oak barrels that have been charred. The place it is stored is referred to as a rickhouse and whether a barrel is placed near the fifteenth or the first floor makes a huge difference in the final product.  Our  tasting here is in the “Parker Beam Taste of Heaven”  barrel-shaped tasting room. These products are also similar yet subtly different from our last tasting, mainly a result of a different storage time and position.

Love that still!

Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, our next stop, is a real family business. We were greeted by brothers-in  law, Drew Kulsveen and Hunter Chavanne. They along with Drew’s father, Even, and sister, Britt, operate a boutique style distillery. Their plans are ambitious and after the tour,  I have no doubt they will not only be achieved but exceeded. Here we saw the entire distillation process. Love that pot still. It is so close to those old time moonshine stills. And why not. After all it performs the same task. Naturally we finished off with a tasting.  One point I want to stress for anyone planning on visiting Bardstown do not think you can tour just one distillery. Each one offers something different.

Note the two orbs. Are they somthing mystical or just camera misfunctions?

Bardstown is old. Really old. Founded in 1780, it’s the second oldest city in Kentucky. Almost 200 of its downtown buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. We took a little time to browse and naturally, I had to buy yet another pair of black slacks. I use that term loosely as after all the food (and bourbon)  I have been shoveling in, these pants are anything but “slack.”

Two of my favorite buildings downtown are the Old Talbot Tavern and the Old Jail. The Talbot Tavern was built in 1797 and had been a mercantile store, a tavern and a hotel in turn. The jail was in use until 1987. It is currently a bed and breakfast. If you ever wanted to sleep in a jail cell, here’s your chance. I am not sure if the Old Jail has a ghost story but I took three pictures and all three have orbs. The Nelson County Courthouse is great also. It dates to 1820.

Michael explains about the aging process of bourbon

We spent a refreshing night at the Hampton Inn. All the conveniences of the fancier hotels, free internet, clean comfy rooms, a huge swimming pool, gym and even a free breakfast. Wish the big hotels caught on to the free internet and breakfast!

After a short down time to put our feet up and take a break, we set out for the Rickhouse Restaurant. They offer a selection of 120 bourbons and are housed in historic Spalding Hall, home of the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. Michael from Jim Beam Distillery met us there and gave us an in-depth background of the history of bourbon. The Bourbon Blueberry Glazed Salmon worked magic with a simple fish.

From left to right: Kate, Michael and Dixie at Wickland

We finished the evening with a nightcap and spirits tour at Wickland, the Home of Three Governors. Judith Wickliffe Beckham, one of the homes former residents, is the only woman to ever have been the mother, sister and daughter of a governor.   This was the most remarkable experience I have ever had on a fam tour. We were met at the stately old home by Dixie Hibbs, a local historian,  and two young twin sisters, Kate and Michael. These two remarkable young ladies are mediums. They explained that they have always had spirits come to them and communicate. Sometimes by simple voices in their heads often by showing them visually. Just a few minutes with them and you are convinced they are genuine. These young ladies are not trying to fool anyone or make a buck. They are still trying to cope with a strange give or curse–sometimes they seem unsure which–that they have been given. Kate with Dixie’s assistance “spoke” with several former slaves who “visit” Wickland, where they were happiest in life. For me the icing on this particular cake is that Frank James “visits” Kate. Dixie and Kate consider him arrogant as he told Kate in answer to one of Dixie’s questions she was “only a woman and could not do things.”

Since Frank James is one of the characters in my current work in progress, Under a Black Flag, I was fascinated to learn all I can about him. It was arranged for me to take a tour with Dixie in the morning.

Mammy's in historic downtown Bardstown

We didn’t take advantage of the breakfast at Hampton’s which did look good as I passed by as we were heading for Mammy’s. Dawn told us it’s where all the locals eat. A restaurant can have no better endorsement. It did live up to expectations. The ham slice was so big, I couldn’t eat it all and the eggs were cooked to perfection. Can’t fault the biscuit either. Yumee!

This exhibit relates to musicians. Drummer boys were often as young as 12 or 13 years old.

The others were going to tour the Kentucky Cooperage and see the white oak barrels that are such an integral part of making bourbon built. I headed out with Dixie. She took me to the places significant in Quantrill’s last fight at Wakefield Farm where he was fatally wounded. We drove the distance Frank James would have ridden to attempt to help Quantrill escape. Since Quantrill was paralyzed from the waist down, he realized it was useless to attempt to escape so Frank rode away alone and Quantrill died several weeks later in a  Louisville Hospital. We finished the tour with a quick visit to the Civil War Museum which deals with the war in the west. Since this is exactly the information I am using in my book it was a wonderful experience.

Last on the agenda was lunch at Kurtz Restaurant. I finally tried the famous Hot Brown and was not disappointed. Then it was back to Louisville for the trip home. The flight was an experience of a different  kind as I was stranded overnight in Louisville due to a flight being so delayed I could not make my Atlanta connection.

Travel South: Kentucky Style

  

World Famous Churchill Downs

Some trips are so fantastic you just can’t wait to tell everybody about them. This year’s Travel South was one of those trips. It began in Louisville, Kentucky. Southern states are known for their hospitality and Kentucky is no exception. Since Travel South is made up of tour operators, the largest group, and travel journalist–we journalists comprise just a small segment–the host city is out to make a great impression. Louisville did a wonderful job of that.

As some wise person stated, “The way to a man (or woman)’s heart is through their stomach.” So food and drink was an important part of this event.  To welcome us to Louisville, they offered to “Talk Derby to Us” by opening up Churchill Downs (http://www.churchilldowns.com/) and the Derby Museum (http://www.derbymuseum.org/) for the Travel South participants. Even some of the horses were there to greet us. We were offered one of the best Mint Juleps I ever sipped. The Derby Museum is a in-depth look into the fastest two minutes in sports. Along with great food, we experienced the thrill of the most regal sport in the world under the twin towers at the home of the best known race in America, The Kentucky Derby.  Only thing lacking was a real race.

One of the oh-so-convenient pedways

After we were so well fed and entertained we returned to the beautiful Galt House Hotel www.galthouse.com/) offering a twinkling panorama of the skyline of Louisville and a wonderful view of the Ohio River. Overnight it snowed so I was thrilled to awaken in the morning to a white world.  Living in Florida I don’t see much snow. Another great thing Louisville offers are pedways.  These glass tunnels/artworks provide a way to navigate from the Gault House to the convention center and points in-between without braving the elements. I can see where some businesses do not like them feeling it will divert traffic from their storefronts. Still I see it as a easy way to get to a particular store if you wish when it is too cold or too hot to venture outside for long.  All day Monday, we journalists visited with old friends and met new ones from convention and visitors bureaus and public relation firms from all over the South to talk about wonderful new travel experiences deep in the heart of Dixie.

Homemade Jamz blues Band From Tupelo, Mississippi plays at breakfast.

Our breakfast and lunches were set up in the convention center and sponsored by various Southern states so we were entertained as we dined. It was an encore performance at Tuesday’s breakfast as I had heard that wonderful band, Homemade Jamz Blues Band, play last year at a Mississippi luncheon. They were just as exciting this year. In fact. I learned that their drummer, young Taya Perry, who is only 13, is nominated for best girl drummer at Hit Like a Girl (http://www.hitlikeagirl2012.com/videos/homemade-jamz-blues-band/) You can vote for her by clicking on the link under the video.

Learning firsthand the Secrets of Louisville Chefs Live

Second night was equally impressive. They treated us to a wonderful culinary experience, a live taping of “Secrets of Louisville Chefs.” This may be a local cable show but it rivals any Cooking or Food Channel program. Filmed with a live audience at Sullivan University’s Kitchen Theater, it is co hosted by Kevin  Harned and  Tim Laird, the CEO, by the way, that’s Chief Entertaining Office. Three great local chefs prepared a dish right in front of us. Tim prepared a special cocktail to fit the personality of each chef. After the taping, we were all ushered into Sullivan University’s own  Winston’s Restaurant, one of the foremost culinary training restaurants in the country. There each guest chef prepared the same dish he had just done on the show for us. It was a fantastic experience. Anyone can request a guest seat at Kitchen Stadium by visiting the website, http://www.newlocaltv.com (You can read more about Secrets of Louisville Chefs Live in the next issue of American Roads (www.americanroads.net) in the Fork in the Road section. That will be the Spring 2012 issue and  will be out in April.

One of our first stops on the Indiana side of the Ohio River. Tuesday, we embarked on a Taste of Louisville Tour (www.citytastetours.com/)  right after breakfast. Leslie, our driver and owner of the tour promised us “Everything You Should See, Know and Taste While You’re in Louisville.” Leslie provided us with tasty treats as we journeyed all over the high point of Louisville metro area. We actually made out first stop just across the Ohio River in Indiana where we viewed the Falls of the Ohio and several interesting structures. Naturally food was high on our priorities so one of the sweetest stops was at Jeffersonville, Indiana where we visited Schimpffs Confectionary and Museum.(http://www.schimpffs.com/)  Another sweet spot on this tour was Kizito (http://www.kizito.com/).  Elizabeth Namusoke Kizito, the owner is a native of Uganda Africa and told us she was born under a banana tree. Her aim in life it to make each day a little sweeter for people one bite at a time. Her bakery also offers many lovely pieces of African art and jewelry at reasonable prices. She brings them back when she visits her family there. Frasier Museum's My Brother-My Enemy exhibit defines the Civil War in Kentucky and other border states After lunch, I had some free time to browse some of Louisville’s wonderful museums and sights. My first stop was Frasers History Museum ( http://www.fraziermuseum.org/). Wow! What a museum. The new exhibit related to the Civil War, My Brother My Enemy, was so interesting. As a border state, much of the information overlapped the research I am doing for my next book, Under a Black Flag, about the war in the West.   I would have loved to see some other great Louisville sights but I only had time to take a quick run by the Belle of Louisville (http://www.belleoflouisville.org/) and see her before I needed to return to the Gault House to dress for a swank closing dinner presented by Arkansas where we will be visiting next year. The dinner was held atop the Gault House at the Rivue Restaurant with a lot of glass walls. The entire restaurant revolves so we were treated to a fantastic night view of Louisville. All kinds of tasty food and drinks. Of course  in Kentucky I just had to drink bourbon. And in the next post I will continue the saga with the post trip to Bardstown with its bourbon heritage and unique history. I will be posting that one soon so keep watching here within the next few days.

No Evil Deed Goes Unrewarded

Sometimes it’s a sad world where evil is rewarded and good punished or ignored. We seldom hear about the unsung rescuers of cats, dogs or wild animals. We  do not hear much about those who work to protect children but we always hear about those who do  unspeakable things.

I, like half of the county, followed the Casey Anthony trial. I believe, again along with at
least half of the county, a psychopathic murderer walked out of that Orange County  jail a free woman. It saddens me to see her behavior rewarded financially with such goodies as a $500,000 deal to pose in Hustler Magazine, possible books deals that seem to be being kept under wraps and maybe a movie deal.

This seems to be par for the course. If a famous or infamous name can make money for a company, that is the only  factor being considered. Take Michael Vick.  (In fact please take him far away because I sure don’t want him.) He was convicted of killing and maiming multiple dogs for fun and profit. He pitted the animals in a dogfight ring in fights to the death. Then if any of his dogs lost the fight and survived, he tortured then to death. One was thrown into a pool with electric wires connected to  his
ears. Another was used as a jump rope by Vick and a friend until the animal ‘s bloody body was lifeless and finally unable to feel the pain deliberately inflicted on it just for fun.

At least he served a little time in prison, less than two years. Upon his release, he was rewarded with a megabucks football contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. On July 1, 2011, Nike re-signed Vick as an endorser. Makes you wonder why they would sign such an endorsement deal over a busy fourth of
July weekend when it would slip by most people’s attention as the news focused on local celebrations.

Not to be out-moneyed, Subway awarded Vick their “Sportsman of the Year” award. Sportsman
of the year?  This sociopath who considered forcing dogs to fight and kill one another for some sickos’
enjoyment a “sport” and then beat or electrocuted helpless dogs for his own amusement is a sportsman? Not in my book!

Later in July, another company jumped on the bandwagon to laud the merits of  Michael Vick. Double Eagle Holdings, Ltd, the parent company of Fuse Science, Inc. made him an equity partner. Vick also will endorse Fuse Science as the company’s primary NFL spokesperson. This company make energy drinks and various vitamin and supplement products for athletes. The slogan is Vick, will be “Powered by Fuse.”

There are those who say “Vick served his time. We should forgive and forget. Let him earn his living.” Well I have no problem with an ex-con earning a living. I do have a problem with holding such a person up for admiration and as a role model for America’s youth. He could earn his living at Subway serving sandwiches while he trotted around the counter in his Nikes. On his break, he could enjoy a nice cold bottle of EnerJel.

Meantime, I will quietly go on rescuing feral cats and earning my living as a writer and publisher. Some things I WILL NOT do are wear Nike products, eat Subway sandwiches or drink any energy drinks made by Fuse Science. Of course, he probabaly would not do as good a job as the fine young men and woman who already work there.

And next year, if any of these companies name Casey Anthony “Mother of the Year,” I will not be surprised. Come to think of it, if Vick and Anthony married, they could get all kinds of endorsements as “Couple of the Year.”

Louisiana’s Other Side

Crawdaddys

The Mardi Gras Media Tour began after disembarking in Shreveport. Pat Gill and Chris Jay representing Shreveport/Bossier met us and promptly took us to a late lunch at Crawdaddy’s Kitchen. Boy, what a blast of old Louisiana. The place was reminiscent of the most local-style Louisiana bayou eatery you have ever seen in those old movies. It was so real, I would not have been at all surprised if someone brought a alligator in to join us. The food was real and most of it was crawfish. You can’t get “real” crawfish very often in Florida. (or I suspect anywhere else except Louisiana) So I was in Hog Heaven. I tried several different items from the menu and all registered high on my Tasty Meter. In case any of you don’t know it I am originally from Louisiana and the food is still one thing I miss. Florida has a lot of good things but Louisiana wins on the food side.

Our wine tasting at On Cloud Wine

After good eats comes good drinks. That’s a Shreveport/Bossier rule I came to find out. Our next stop was a wine tasting at a neat little winery called On Cloud Wine.  This “cute as a button”  new winery is using grapes from elsewhere while waiting their first  Muscatine harvest. Owner/winemaker Debbie Keckler prepares all the vintages onsite in small batches. Currently there are 14 vintages and we got to sample most of them.  Penelope Peach and Bourbon St. Jazz competed for number one spot on my personal favorites list.

The shop has hundreds of adorable wine accessories for sale. For instance did you know a coozie for your wine is a woozie.  I learn something new every time I travel.

Then we checked in at our home away from home for three whole nights, The Courtyard by Marriott. Ah, the bliss of not packing up each night for a new nest! To add to the pleasure the rooms were super modern, bright and airy with all you could ask from a hotel. The staff was super friendly as well.

Artist, Scott Hove poses with one of his sculptures

Before dinner we had time to check out a new art venue just opening, The Cakeland Exhibits. Food that looked like art and art that looked like food. We got to meet the talented Scott Hove who created the exciting “look but don’t taste” art. There was a “Let Them Eat Cake” sculpture designed and decorated by Shreveport’s own Tanya Clark that tasted as good as it looked. Lots of other appetizers there so we would not get hungry on the way to dinner.

One of the floats being loaded

One more fantastic stop before we dined. We visited the Krewe of Centaur’s float loading party. This is a free family-fun event open to everyone that is held the night before the parade. It’s literally  “Hail hail, the gang’s all here.” The krewe are all busy hanging tons of beads and mountains of other throws, eating and drinking and getting ready for the parade. The townspeople are all wandering around among the floats taking pictures, begging beads–which are readily tossed–and eating and drinking and gearing up to see the parade tomorrow.

That's a really talented kid!

Dinner was at Bistro Byronz. The food was so varied that was sure to be something to please any palate. I was in the mood for down-home-soul food so I ordered the Pot Roast Creole. It was hot spicy and delicious. Music was in the air at Bistro Byrone too. The band consisted of a back-up guitar player and a soon to be singer/guitar player. This pint-sized wonder had just turned thirteen but had a really big voice. He is sure to go somewhere in the music field.

We also met someone who had already gone many places in the music world, Maggie Warwick. There will be more about Maggie a little later in this blog.

Making a king cake at Julie Anne's

Saturday morning we headed for Julia Anne’s Bakery and Café for a lesson in the art of making King Cakes. We all got to crowd into the kitchen in the small bakery that makes and ships king cakes anywhere in the world. It was so much fun to watch as the colorful cakes were created, each with a tiny plastic baby inside. The only part that was more fun than watching was eating the tasty concoctions. (There is going to be a lot more about the king cake tradition and the entire Shreveport/Bossier Mardi Gras celebration in the Spring 2011 issue of americanroads.net which should be online about the first week in April)

One of the many costumes on display

Next we got more into the Mardi Gras spirit at the Krewe of Gemini’s Mardi Gras Museum. Director Mary Louise Stansell proudly told us the stories behind the displays of elaborate costumes worn by the Gemini royalty for over a decade. Each costume is individually crafted of the finest materials in the most elaborate designs, worked on by craftspeople for months at great expense, and then worn only for that year’s parade and activities. The only comparison I can think of for these one of a kind treasures would be the coronation costumes of European royalty.

We learned the history of Gemini and other krewes. One interesting  fact for visitors is that you can be a member and take part in a parade for a very reasonable fee. We even got to try on one of the collars on display. 

Making our masks

Next stop took us to Barnwell Gardens and Art Center located on the banks of the Red River. From its plaza you can see the skylines of Shreveport and Bossier City and the famous neon-lighted Texas Street Bridge. We viewed their Mardi Gras display where we saw memorabilia and costumes from other krewes. Then we got to create our very own Mardi Gras masks.

The “Garden” part of the center is a domed tropical conservatory with a special fragrance garden for the visually impaired.

The Muffie

Lunch was a special treat. We visited Fertitta’s Delicatessen, home of  the “Muffie.” In case you have never heard of a Muffie, it is a close cousin to the famous New Orleans Muffelletta a huge structure composed of a loaf of round bread, countless meats and topped with a Greek salad. Fertitta’s differs in that the Greek salad in is Papa Fertitta’s special  Olive Mix, the recipe to which is a closely guarded family secret.

Papa , the inventor of the Muffie, was Sam R. Fertitta.  the current owner, Agatha Ferititta McCall, his daughter, carries on the family traditions: like continuing to make the world famous Muffie and continuing to live above the deli as her parents did. The building itself deserves respect as it was built in 1927 and has never been out of the hands of the original family. It is one of only a few restaurants in the state of Louisiana on the National Register of Historic Places.

Besides, it tastes darn good. As is the pizza. And the other sandwiches and I suspect everything that comes out of Agatha Fertitta’s kitchen. The decor is authentic as well filled with family mementoes, early signs and photographs of Papa.

Everything is bowling related here

Well fed and filled with Agatha’s family stories, we headed towards the Red River with a quick  stop at Holiday Lanes. It’s a bowling alley with a twist. The bar and almost everything in it is made from things in a bowling alley. The bar itself is made from the wood from an actual bowling lane.  And to make it family friendly, the bowling alley is smoke free.

As we were driving around, we did get chance to spot some of Bossier Citty’s murals. These are really huge works of art that depict events in the city’s history and culture.

Interesting old wreck on the bank

The parade was scheduled to proceed along Clyde Fant Parkway along the riverfront . We had time for a informative cruise down the river aboard Captain Sandy Jackson’s river cruiser. We journeyed into Cross Bayou and got a  crash course in river lore from our friendly captain.

Back on land again we were ushered into the celebrity tent for a pre-parade party. Out ticket gave us two passes for the overflowing buffet.  In case you haven’t figured it out our hosts, Chris and Pat, wanted to make sure none of us got hungry. (As if we hadn’t had enough Muffles to feed an army and knew there was a feast awaiting at supper) But who can pass good Louisiana food, Not any of us that’s for sure. We all bellied up to that buffet line like a thirsty man in a bar.

My brush with royalty

The music was hot zydeco numbers like “Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot” and “Jolie Blon” It got your toes tapping and your mouth humming along. Then we were honored by a visit from royalty. the King and Queen of Centaur stopped by for a few photo opps.

Then it was what we were all waiting for, the Centaur Parade. I found a wonderful spot on a crawfish wagon pulled by a pickup. The owners were kind enough to let me hang out with them and watch the parade. I sampled a few of the crawfish naturally. They were perfect, just the fight seasoning. I told one of the owners of an experience I had at a restaurant in Florida where the “chef” mingled a few real Louisiana Crawfish with some Chinese crawfish and passed the dish off as “Louisiana Crawfish.”

Steaming crawfish are hard to beat

The wagon owner stated that was something that was being done a lot and made him very mad. “They pay for some real crawfish and then buy a bunch of the other stuff at about half the price and pass them off as Louisiana Crawfish.”

My opinion is that restaurants that stoop to this should at least be honest and call their dish “Half Louisianan Crawfish Mixed With Cheap Stuff.” I doubt it would get much call for the dish if they were that honest sooo….

One of the colorful floats

We enjoyed about 40 or so floats and marching bands before we left just before the end to beat the crowd. I left with more than my share of beads even though I had spent more time taking pictures than yelling “Throw me something, Mister.”

After a short stop back at the hotel to change we went to dinner at Wine Country Bistro and Bottle Shop. The menu had many exotic elements and is a good choice for the adventurous diner. They offer a quaint dimly lit rear dining room where we dined, spacious patio for al fresco dining or an upbeat bistro/ wine bar.

Back at our hotel, I managed to stay on my feet long enough to go take a few pictures of the carrousel just outside the hotel, the Texas Street Bridge and the night skyline across the river. The hotel is strategically located in a wonderful outlet mall but I lacked the energy at this point to explore. That wonderfully comfortable bed was calling my name.

We got to sleep late. Yah! Brunch was at the Colombia Café located in the Highland section of the city. Owner Mathew Linn entertained us with tales of the Highland Neighborhood which even had its own parade. The omelet adorned with fresh fruit was incredible but the most unique feature of the restaurant is the bathroom! Yes. The bathroom. A picture is worth a thousand words so see for yourself.

I told you

you wouldn't believe it

 

Our next stop was very special to me.

Elvis

It was like a dream of Hillbilly Heaven. I was walking in the footsteps of Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Sr., Johnny Cash and many of the other Country Music greats.  I was getting a backstage tour of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, former home of the Louisiana Hayride. The person reveling this wonderland of one of country music’s greatest shrines, was none other than Maggie Warwick. ( I told you we would get back to her)

When Maggie, then Margaret Lewis, first sought her slice of the country music pie in 1957 at the tender age of fifteen, she could have no idea that her career was to intertwine with most of the greats of country music.  The Louisiana Hayride at that time was an outlaw version of the Grand Ole Opry. It was the proving ground where many a young hopeful took his or her best shot at fame.  

Maggie tells about the Hayride backstage

For Maggie, the Hayride was where it all began. She met the greats of Country music there and moved on to a successful career as a singer/songwriter in Nashville.

Maggie made it all come alive for us with her stories. We stepped into the dressing room Elvis used. We stood on stage and experienced the magic of the old building. Maggie’s husband, Alton, pointed out a “no smoking” sign backstage. He explained that in the 50s, the sign was not prompted by health concerns as by the danger of fire. Of course, he said, all the entertainers mostly ignored the sign.

The building itself would deserve a visit just for the architecture even without the history. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of only two National Historic Landmark in the Shreveport/Bossier area. Naturally it has a entire range of resident ghosts.

Great for "kids" of all ages

This was one place I would have loved to continue exploring all day and into the night but there was more to see. The Sci-Port is a 92,000 square-foot science and entertainment center in Shreveport-Bossier, featuring over 290 science, space science, technology and math exhibits; daily changing programs, an IMAX Dome Theatre, open-access, interactive, laser Space Dome Planetarium, gift shop and cafe. Sci-Port is located on the downtown Shreveport Riverfront.

It is wonderful for kids but also can hold an adult’s interest. The Hubble Exhibit there is fascinating. Naturally, Chris and Pat didn’t want any of us to faint from hunger so they got us all a “Humphrey Yogart.” OMG!!! Those things are delicious! I can tell you what is in them: Yogurt topped with three fresh fruits, granola, and honey. I can’t even come close to describing the taste. You just have to go there and try one. The concession there is run  by Counter Culture so you may find one elsewhere but do find one. Soon.

Meadows Art Museum

Next we visited the Meadows Museum of Art, a branch of Centenary College of Louisiana The museum houses a large collections of works by Jean Despujols. A traveling exhibit, Visions and Visionaries, Works by David Holcombe was a bonus.

Now after leaving here, several members of our “krewe” threatened to mutiny if Chris didn’t take us for some drive-through daiquiri’s, Ever the gracious host, he complied. We got to sample drinks like “Pink Panties,”  ”Motel Bound” and “Pimp Juice.” They were frozen and tasty.  Chris assured us the neighborhood was in sync with the drinks. We did not tarry at the stand.

The Pink Poodle

Our next treat was the whimsical Krewe of Barkus and Meoux Mardi Paws Parade. Mainly dogs, but some horses, cats and bunnies, in costume were the cutest thing ever. The humans threw beads. The pets simply marched on and stopped for regular petting sessions along the route. My personal favorite was a little pink poodle.

Last stop before heading to our home away from home, the Marriott, was the Robinson Film Center.  This is north Louisiana’s only venue for independent, international, and classic cinema. The theater has two theaters and three multi-use  showrooms where films can be shown or other events hosted. There is Abby Singer’s Bistro for dining before or after a film.

The entertainers for Oscar Night Party

As we were leaving we met a group of “characters” including Opra, Lady GaGa and Rooster Cogburn, who were entertaining at the Oscar Night Party being held there later.

Our farewell dinner that night was at Chianti’s Restaurant. Great Italian food. Very sophisticated and upscale.  My Lobster Alfredo was wonderful.

Next morning it was back home again. But the experience will stay with us all and, I am sure it will draw me back to Shreveport/ Bossier again. Louisiana’s Other Side is a very interesting side.

For more info:

www.shreveport-bossier.org

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/shvsb-courtyard-shreveport-bossier-city-louisiana-boardwalk/

artspaceshreveport.com/

www.barnwellcenter.com

www.bossierarts.org

www.bowlholidaylanes.com

www.animalkrewe.org

www.kreweofcentaur.org

www.kreweofgemini.com

www.mardigrasmuseum.org

www.centenary.edu/meadows

municipalauditorium.homestead.com/

www.robinsonfilmcenter.org

www.sciport.org

www.redrivercruise.com

www.crawdaddyskitchen.com

www.papafertitta.com

www.oncloudwineonline.com

www.columbiacafe.com

http://www.bistrobyronz.com/