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Visitor Info

Welcome to Southwest Louisiana!  While you are here you might want to extend your stay and enjoy some of the fun and exciting activities our corner of the world has to offer.  We have numerous non-stop gaming action, golf courses, fishing, and beautiful scenery along our back-roads and bayous.  We have unique museums and plenty of Cajun restaurants offering the finest cuisine in the South.

Gaming: 

L’auberge Casino – 777 Avenue L’Auberge, Lake Charles, LA, 70601 – 1.800.491.9657

Isle of Capri – I-10 (exit 27) 1.800.843.4753 www.isleofcasinos.com

Golden Nugget – 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd, Lake Charles, LA, 70601, 1. 800.491.9657

Coushatta Casino – 777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder, Louisiana 70648

Delta Downs Racetrack – 2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton, LA. 70668 337.589.7441/1.800.589.7441

ALLEN PARISH TOURISM

Metro Soileau Downs

Metro Soileau Downs is home to the only Trottingbred Racing in this area.  Come on down and learn to do tailgating the Cajun way…Soileau style.  When you mix happy, two-stepping sound of Cajun and Zydeco music, with the sounds of horses running and people cheering, along with lots of food and plenty of fun, you have the original Soileau tailgate party.  All this happens bimonthly at the Metro Soileau Downs.  Metro Soileau Downs is also the home of the Soileau Mardi Gras and it was featured on the National Geographic: The Booze Traveler. Look in their archives to see this episode. The track is located 7 miles east of Oberlin on LA Hwy. 104 in Allen Parish at the Triple C Ranch. Call for a racing schedule 888-639-4868 or 337-639-4473.  Approximately 40 miles from Ragley.

Elizabeth Town Hall

Elizabeth is a company town and was built by the Industrial Lumber Company. This quaint little town is known as the “Front Porch Community.”  It was mandated by the Industrial Lumber Company that any house built had to have a front porch. The historic Elizabeth Town Hall served as a hospital for the Industrial Lumber Company. It was built in 1924 and still has the rope operated elevator. The building is listed in the National Historic Register for the State of Louisiana.

The Hospital Museum, in the upstairs area of the building, features the original medical equipment steamer in the original surgery room. Also featured is the first Allen Parish movie camera used in the Allen Parish Theatre. Local people say that this building is haunted.  Just come in and talk with the employees and they will have some stories to tell you!  Approximately 60 miles from Ragley.

Leatherwood Museum

The Leatherwood Museum dates back to 1888. It is said to have been a railroad company house, boarding house, hospital, family home and museum. The museum, as original as possible after upgrades, including a sleep porch, has a treasure trove of artifacts and history of Allen Parish.

Call 800-639-4868 or 318-335-0622 to schedule your tour.

BEAUREGARD PARISH TOURISM

Ragley Historical Society Museum

6715 La. Hwy 12 Ragley, LA.  (On site of the car show)

DeRidder USO Building –  Also known as the War Memorial Civic Center  –

Jct. of Pine & 7th Street, DeRidder, LA.

The War Memorial Civic Center was the first building built for and donated to the United Services Organization (USO) in 1941. It was one of the largest of five different sizes of Type A buildings designed for USO’s by the Quartermaster Corps. Off-duty soldiers from Camp Polk and DeRidder Army Air Base made it a home away from home. The structure, exterior and interior, is preserved on its original site and in its original condition. The shower house still exists to the south of the building and dances are still held on the original wooden floor.

The builder was LeBlanc Brothers (Baton Rouge) who completed the building in 39 days for a cost of $57,480. It was ready to be used for the recreational and spiritual welfare of our armed services, Army and Army Air Force in the area on Nov. 27, 1941. Artifacts are on display, which commemorate the DeRidder Army Air Base, Camp Polk, the big Louisiana Maneuvers and the USO. Original WWII posters line the wall of the main drawing room. Plaques commemorate Generals Bradley, Mark Clark, Eisenhower, Marshall, and Patton, that mark meeting rooms named in their honor. On February 25, 1946 the American Legion purchased the building from the United States government and shortly thereafter donated it to the Police Jury with the stipulation that it be operated and maintained as a war memorial civic center. The building is maintained with a tax millage and continues in this use through the present.  Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.  Approximately 25 miles from Ragley.

 Gothic Jail 

Historical Buildings  201 W. First Street, DeRidder, LA.

Completed in 1915
Added to the National Historic Register in 1981.

Celebrated in the song “The Hangman’s Jail”, the lockup was the location of a double execution in 1928. The jail and courthouse are connected by a tunnel used to transport prisoners out of public view. The jail will open for tours November 21, 2016. Tours are available Monday through Friday at 10 am and 2 pm. Cost to enter is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12 and students. Please contact the Beauregard Tourist Commission at 337-463-5534 for more information. Approximately 25 miles from Ragley.

Pine Grove Cemetery  Circa 1900

Hwy 112, 13 miles east of DeRidder, on Leo Garner Road, two miles west of Sugartown on Hwy 112, drive 1-1 1/2 miles north on Leo Garner Road. The Cemetery is located behind a small whitewashed church meeting house on the east side of the road.  Louisiana cypress cribs protect graves in Pine Grove Cemetery from weather and depredations of varmints. These shelters protected early graves from weathering and depredations of wild animals. Once commonly found in rural cemeteries in this part of the state, these may be the last ones remaining in the state. Approximately 38 miles from Ragley.

 

CALCASIEU PARISH TOURISM

Imperial Calcasieu Museum 

204 W. Sallier St Lake Charles, LA.  (337) 439-3797  www.imperialcalcasieumuseum.org

View historical displays, the 375-year-old Sallier Oak and traveling art exhibitions.  Approximately 25 miles from Ragley.

Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu

809 Kirby St. Lake Charles, LA. (337) 430. 0043 www.swlamardigras.com

Costumes, floats, and parade-fun make this a true Mardi Gras celebration.  Approximately 25 miles from Ragley.

USS ORLECK NAVAL MUSEUM

604 N. Enterprise Blvd.  Lake Charles, LA.  (337) 214.7447  www.orleck.org

Historical Naval museum featuring the USS ORleck DD886 WWII destroyer.  Approximately 25 miles from Ragley.

Brimstone Museum Complex

900 S. Huntington St. Sulphur, LA. (337) 527.0357 www.brimstonemuseum.org

Enjoy art exhibits with local flavor, traveling exhibits and family-friendly events.  Check out “The Grove at Heritage Square” for walking paths.  Approximately 30 miles from Ragley.

Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point

2740 Ruth Street, Sulphur, LA.  (337)502-4358  adventurepoint.info

Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point showcases the marsh, prairies, swamp  and coastal areas along with the animals and vegetation of SW Louisiana.  Through imaginative, hands-on displays, you can smell the mouthwatering aromas of Cajun/Creole cooking, “play-along” with a Cajun and Zydeco band and much more!  This free attraction is open 7 days a week. Approximately 30 miles from Ragley.

Dequincy Railroad Museum

400 Lake Charles Ave. Dequincy, LA.  (337) 786-2823  www. dequincyrailroadmuseum.com

All aboard!  See the authentic 1913 locomotive and other railroad artifacts.  Approximately 14 miles from Ragley.

Dequincy Town Hall Museum

218 East Fourth St. Dequincy, LA.  (337) 786-6451

Newport Industries museum and memorabilia.  Wall of Honor paying tribute to local veterans.  Approximately 14 miles from Ragley.

Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail

Napa valley has wine, New York has pizza, Wisconsin has cheese, Southwest Louisiana has Boudin!! Enjoy boudin off the beaten path where the locals eat!  visitlakecharles.org/boudintrail for more information about this delicious culinary trek along US I-10!

 

CAMERON PARISH TOURISM

Beaches, birding and wildlife refugees:

Birding in Cameron Parish is truly extraordinary. In any given year, over 400 different species of birds can be spotted in this southeast corner of Sportsman’s Paradise. The coastal marshlands and chenier ridges host migratory birds, waterfowl and wading birds. Keep your eye out for hawks and osprey in the fall and winter months and look for neo-tropical migrants, such as warblers, vireo and flycatchers, in the spring and fall. Whether you’re an expert or novice, birding in Cameron Parish is an experience you can’t miss.

Cameron Parish is home to more than 26 miles of natural Gulf Coast beaches. Easily accessible, the Cameron Parish beaches are great for shelling, swimming, fishing, birding and sun bathing. Since the beaches are located west of the Mississippi delta, deposits from the Mississippi River makes for exceptional shelling, especially during low tide and after severe weather.  Approximately 70 miles from Ragley.

Holly Beach – LA 27 at LA 82; N 29.76997 W 93.47244
Constance Beach – LA 82 West; N 29.759386 W 93.577378
Gulf Breeze Beach – LA 82 West; N 29.757255 W 93.591008
Little Florida / Oceanview Beach – LA 82 West; N 29.755770 W 93.605027
Long-Dun Beach – LA82 West; N 29.753795 W 93.627209
Mae’s Beach – LA 82 West; N29.749783 W 93.663960
Rutherford Beach – LA 82 west of Oak Grove; N 29.75828 W 93.12429

Established in 1903, the National Wildlife Refuge System has grown to include more than 150 million acres, 553 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts. The four wildlife refuges in Cameron Parish provide great fishing, exploring, hunting and relaxation for visitors.

  • Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
  • Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge
  • Pintail Wildlife Drive
  • Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge

JEFF DAVIS PARISH TOURISM

Bayou Rum Distillery

Winner of the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association “Attraction of the Year!” Award for 2015. A new state of the art distillery in Lacassine, LA. Home of “Bayou Rum”. Set on 22 acres featuring a 109 year old farmhouse, natural ponds, and a sugar cane field, the new facility offers free tours to see firsthand how Bayou Rum is pasteurized, fermented, distilled, aged in their barrel storage, bottled up, and served at their in-house tasting bar. Also houses a gift shop and visitors center. Exit 48 off I-10 with easy access. Bus parking available.  Approximately 55 miles from Ragley.

For more information or to schedule a tour, call 337-588-5800 or visit website: www.bayourum.com

Louisiana Telephone Pioneer Museum

As we enter the Age of the Information Super Highway, it is quite interesting to look back at the history of the information explosion. Located in the W.H. Tupper General Merchandise Museum, the Louisiana Telephone Pioneer Museum is the state’s only museum depicting the history of the telephone. The museum includes exhibits and audio/visual presentations. In conjunction with the telephone museum there is also an interactive learning experience centered around a number of communication and historical telephone exhibits. Children learn about the science of communication and the development of telephone technology while playing with their friends and classmates.  Approximately 55 miles from Ragley.

The museum is located at 311 North Main Street, Jennings, LA. 70546.
Contact Michelle Hebert for more information at 337-821-5532.

W. H. Tupper General Merchandise Museum

If you’ve ever wondered what life was like 50 years ago, take a step back in time at the W.H. Tupper General Merchandise Museum. You can visit an authentic country store which operated in rural Jeff Davis Parish from 1910-1949. The original store, located about 12 miles north of Jennings, was opened during the Great Depression to serve the large number of farm workers in the area. It sold everything- groceries, medicines, meat, hardware, dry goods, and even clothing. A realistic capsule of early 20th century lifestyle, the museum features antique toys, newspapers, games, hats, fashions, sewing notions, fabric, patent medicine, school supplies, and hardware. The Tupper Store also served as the area’s post office.

The Tupper Museum, located at 311 North Main Street in Jennings, is open year-round Tuesday-Wednesday 10a-2p, Thursday-Friday, 10a-4p, Saturday 10a-3p, closed Sunday and Monday. Tours after hours by appointment..Approximately 55 miles from Ragley.
For more information, call (337) 821-5532.
Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for students.