Get the Latest Sent Right to Your Inbox

The Sum Up: What up, Shreveport?

SUMUP

As some of you may know, I grew up in a military family. Both my mom and dad were master sergeants in the Air Force and because of that, we moved around quite a bit. One of favorite places that we were ever stationed at was in Shreveport, LA. I lived there from age 3 to age 11, so I basically grew up in the town.

via GIPHY

This past weekend, my mom was in Shreveport from North Carolina, so I decided to take the 3 hour drive and visit her! I haven’t seen her in over 6 months so I literally dropped everything and sped to Louisiana!

via GIPHY

You know that feeling you used to get on the first day of school when you saw your best friend for the first time since Summer break? 

That’s how I felt when I finally saw my mom! I was as happy as a clam.

DSC01418

Of course, we both wanted to go around our old stomping grounds.  I was really surprised by how much Shreveport-Bossier has grown since I left it 15 years ago. I know that sounds like a LONG time, but when you grow up somewhere you kind of expect it to always look the same. Port city has changed for the better though, and we couldn’t wait to explore the new (and old) hangouts!

DSC01415

By far, the biggest change in Shreveport was the addition of the Louisiana Boardwalk! There were tons of shops and restaurants surrounded by casinos, such as Margaritaville and Horseshoe. We were both impressed by the walking path overlooking the Red River and downtown Shreveport! It was beautiful!

DSC01423

Across the bridge, we walked around downtown Shreveport and soaked in all the culture. I never realized, until this trip, how many buildings there reminded me of New Orleans!

DSC01438 DSC01441

As we strolled around the brick-paved sidewalks, we couldn’t help but notice all of the graffiti beautiful art that lined the walls of the city!

DSC01446DSC01434  DSC01452

Of course, being the foodie I am, we had to eat!

But I must warn you….

Nothing healthy was consumed by me this weekend! (I’m blaming it on mother nature.)

via GIPHY

Some of my favorites bites were….

Grape leaves from the kind woman at the farmer’s market who decided to give me extras because they were so small.

DSC01457 grp

This tasty combination of beef dishes from Posada’s…and muy delicioso margaritas!

IMG_4469

Everything from Copeland’s!

Appetizer Sampler…

DSC01470

Gumbo..

DSC01471

My Eggplant Pirogue..

DSC01473
and Mama’s Shrimp Creole!

DSC01474

My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

via GIPHY

Of course, we did a little gambling, because it is Shreveport after all.

 SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!

Neither of us won a dime.

But, we did have fun!

DSC01475 DSC01477 DSC01478 DSC01480

As you can see, I had a blast with my mom! We got to see new things in an old city that has a special place in our hearts. We ate good food, lost money on the slots, and slept like babies in our hotel beds! We even got to see our church family!!

If you’ve never been to Shreveport, I certainly recommend it! It’s a lot of fun around Mardi Gras because they have parades and celebrations similar to New Orleans without as many crowds! I can’t wait until the next time I visit this wonderful place again!

IMG_4464 2