SHREVEPORT, La. -- It's billed as ``Louisiana's other side.'' And not just geographically.

Start with a warm Deep South hospitality. Add rippling lakes and miles of green spaces typical of East Texas. Mix in Vegas sizzle and Hollywood flair. Roses and robots. Muffulettas -- check that, they're called muffys here.

An 80-year-old auditorium where Elvis launched his career. An opera, ballet and symphony. A nationally acclaimed science museum.

A Chocolate Crocodile. A Stray Cat. A professional hockey team known as the Mudbugs.

That other side is beginning to intrigue, right?

I've breezed through Shreveport and Bossier City -- sister cities separated by the Red River -- dozens of times while driving Interstate 20 to and from my native Mississippi. But I never imagined these northwest Louisiana communities, 20 miles from the Texas line, as a vacation destination other than for folks who relish the region's five casinos.

A more extended visit last year set me straight.

Shreveport-Bossier City -- the towns are routinely linked as singular -- may not possess the bawdy edge and nightlife of New Orleans or the Cajun zest of Lafayette, but there is no pretending here. This is, after all, the ``other side.''

ROLL OF THE DICE

This is clearly the gaming capital of Louisiana -- a miniature Las Vegas with casino resorts on both sides of the river (Sam's Town and Eldorado in Shreveport; Horseshoe, Boomtown and DiamondJacks in Bossier City). Harrah's Louisiana Downs, a short drive to the east and also in Bossier City, doubles as a horse track and a casino.

None will be mistaken for Vegas' theme casinos, but Horseshoe Casino & Hotel includes 606 suites, the Riverdome Theater and the $3.3 million, 3,300-square-foot CMT Crossroads, a combination bar, dance parlor and venue for country artists. Eldorado's three-story pavilion includes a showroom where blues jams are a Thursday-night tradition. The Legends Theater at DiamondJacks seats 1,600 for concerts.

According to a survey conducted by the local tourist bureau, 59 percent of Shreveport-Bossier City visitors spend time at a casino. Only the Louisiana Boardwalk (71 percent) is a bigger draw.

ON THE BOARDWALK

Opened in 2005, Bossier City's Louisiana Boardwalk (www.louisianaboardwalk.com) is northwest Louisiana's premier shopping, dining and entertainment complex. It boasts more than 60 retail outlets, 15 restaurants, a movie complex, music and comedy nightclubs, an arcade, even a broadcast center.

A 2,500-square-foot promenade stretches beside the river, and that's only one aspect of a development so vast that free trolleys serve as antidotes to blistered feet.

Scattered among familiar shops are such gems as the Old Farmers Almanac General Store -- I could spend an hour here -- and Hands of Peace Massage Therapy, which offers treatments for adults and kids. A Bass Pro Shop is flanked by Uncle Buck's Alligator Bayou. Outlet centers are operated by Nike, Reebok, Eddie Bauer, Banana Republic and Lane Bryant.

My favorite: the Chocolate Crocodile candy shop where the daring opt for a Monster Croc, a Granny Smith apple drenched with caramel and white and milk chocolate, coated with pecans. Or perhaps you'd prefer Worms & Dirt, an apple dipped in white chocolate and rolled in Oreo crumbs.

SPACE STATIONS

The most pleasant surprise during my Shreveport-Bossier City visit was Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center (www.sciport.org), honored last fall by Parents magazine as one of the nation's 10 best science museums. The emphasis here is on interactive experiences, none more riveting than Sci-Port's Space Dome Planetarium, which utilizes a state-of-the-art, 16 million-pixel laser projection system.

Visitors can ``control'' the International Space Station, ``dock'' a space shuttle and watch films in Louisiana's only IMAX theater. Star parties are conducted on Sci-Port's roof. Sci-Port is along the riverfront in downtown Shreveport. It's a blast.

WEALTH OF CULTURES

More than 25 cultures have been identified as influencing northwest Louisiana, and the Multicultural Center of the South (www.mccsouth.org) -- a beautifully arranged two-story nonprofit facility on Texas Street in downtown Shreveport -- presents exhibitions and artifacts that focus on these cultures and the nations whence they derived.

Separate areas are dedicated to each culture, from Pakistani, Filipino and Vietnamese to Greek, Scottish and Slavic. African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American and Jewish cultures are here, along with Cajun and Creole.

The center is one of 26 institutions on Louisiana's African-American Heritage Trail.

It's the best $3 investment you'll make in Shreveport. Unless, that is, you get lucky at the slots.

A BED OF ROSES

Encompassing more than 40 acres, the American Rose Center (www.ars.org) -- on the western outskirts of Shreveport off Interstate 20 -- is touted as the nation's largest park dedicated entirely to roses.

Visitors can meander down winding paths and beside babbling brooks, enjoying a sensory feast of 20,000 roses planted in 65 gardens.

Open April 1-Oct. 31, the center serves as headquarters for the American Rose Society.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@