Crossroads

The Crossroads region is where the traditionally Cajun and Creole Catholic south Louisiana dissolves into the traditionally Anglo-American Protestant north Louisiana. It is where the cypressy bayou country transforms into piney hill country, where wetlands give way to farms. With a history profoundly marked by French, Spanish, African, Native American and Anglo-American influences, there are storied places such as the ancient French trading post of Natchitoches, the “No Man’s Land” over which Spanish and American diplomats once bickered, or the cotton country on which Louisiana’s economy once turned. And there’s the big city of Alexandria with activities that appeal to the whole family. Outdoorsmen discover some of the most serene natural areas to be found in the United States. Among the woods and waterways are portions of the magnificent Kisatchie National Forest, and at the region’s western end lies the Toledo Bend Reservoir, which fishermen could spend a lifetime exploring.