Shop the Louisiana Boardwalk – bring the kids

It's funny how an activity as everyday as shopping can take on a festive quality when it occurs in the right setting. The Louisiana Boardwalk Promenade provides that type of setting not only during the holidays but year-round.

Stretching along the banks of the Red River in Bossier City, the Louisiana Boardwalk is the largest outlet, lifestyle, dining and entertainment destination in the state. During the holiday season, it's festive place not only to shop, but to meet up with friends, dine or maybe take in a movie.

Shops, restaurants and entertainment options abound here, offering lots of family fun, including a carousel ride and a trolley. One of the Louisiana Boardwalk’s main attractions is Bass Pro Shops. For those looking to catch a glimpse of a real alligator, just peek into the alligator pool to see several soaking up the sun.

Take the Texas Street Bridge – the longest neon-framed bridge in the nation – across the Red River to RiverView Park in downtown Shreveport. The park features a promenade of dancing water fountains, a cascading water fountain, 35-foot-tall steel roses that change colors at night and an outdoor amphitheater.

Both kids and adults will enjoy a trip to nearby Sci-Port: Louisiana’s Science Center. The 92,000-square-foot facility is complete with hundreds of hands-on exhibits, workshops, science shows, interactive areas, a gift shop and a café.

Located along the riverfront in downtown Shreveport, Sci-Port also houses an IMAX Dome Theater and the world’s first open-access, interactive laser planetarium. You can watch the stars, and in the new Space Center, you can engage with interactive, star-related exhibits. The center boasts 90 hands-on exhibits in space science, astronomy and mathematics.

Shreveport-Bossier is a great place to gather with friends or family, or maybe renew some acquaintances during the holidays.