Culture in Ruston Louisiana

When you make a list of all the unique things Louisiana has to offer visitors, you quickly see the long-lasting influences of our French, Spanish and African ancestry. Our past is well-preserved in our architecture, music, food and lifestyles—which include our amazing festivals—and of course in our museums of history and fine arts.

It is not an accident that Louisiana clings to the phrase "Laissez les bons temps rouler," meaning "Let the good times roll". Let yourself get lost in the traditions passed down through generations. Come visit us during Mardi Gras when costumed riders parade and magnificent balls are thrown from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport and beyond. Peek back across the centuries, as you walk under lavish ironwork and through the lush courtyard gardens of a meticulous French Quarter hotel. Touch history with a tour of a plantation where the daily activities of the past are recreated. Let nature's mysteries inspire and awe you via a boat tour through a cypress studded bayou.

Here, in Louisiana, history and lore don't merely live in books on a shelf; they're reflected in our everyday lives.

Peach orchards surrounding Ruston come into fragrant bloom in early spring but, the crop so closely associated with the city takes a starring role, throughout the year, in everything from farm-fresh ice cream to the Louisiana Peach Festival, the area's biggest event. Louisiana Tech University and nearby Grambling State University are integral parts of the community, with college sports, art galleries and year-round programming for locals and visitors. Louisiana Tech's Idea Place is an interactive children's museum and Grambling recently added an exhibit honoring the late college football icon Eddie Robinson, who coached the school's team for 57 years. Ruston's historic district provides 18 blocks of evidence for the potential of a rejuvenated downtown. A vintage movie theater has been transformed as the 600-seat Dixie Center for the Arts, while in Ruston's Memorial Park, the Louisiana Military Museum has artifacts and displays from the Spanish American War through modern conflicts.