If you're coming to the Festival Capital of Louisiana from Texas, you'll also enjoy the unique Contraband (I-10) Bridge, trimmed in pirate pistols. Below it is the sparkling clean North Beach, with a boardwalk leading to live alligators in an enclosed habitat. Going South along the lakefront, New Orleans-style carriages drawn by Belgian mules await your party at Veterans Park. NEW in Lake Charles: a vintage Huey helicopter (Veterans Park) and Lakefront Promenade (Civic Center) with marina and free wifi.
The first stop on Gallery Promenade is Associated Louisiana Artists' (ALA) Gallery by the Lake, offering four display rooms and three featured shows in a single structure. Gallery by the Lake is home to about 20 artists, including founder Anne Dentler, illustrator of the children's books Clyde: the Cajun Calf and
Amos: the Artistic Alligator. The gallery's featured artist for Promenade will be photographer Valerie Noland Smith, owner of downtown coffeehouse Stellar Beans (below). In addition, this year's Gallery Promenade will be the debut of "Foot by Foot," a traveling exhibit of artistic commentary on coastal erosion. The slated bimonthly back wall show will be "The Mechanics of Man."Got kids? We guar-on-tee they'll enjoy clambering about Shiver Me Timbers Millennium Park and cooling off at the PPG Interactive Water Park, located on either end of the Civic Center. Don't miss the Gators on the Geaux, a themed collection of upright gators about town. Two top the gates of Millennium Park. Two more live inside the Civic Center. Cruise in front of the Civic Center to spy two more on the patios of government buildings. Let the kids touch everything at the Children's Museum. You'll have to haul them out when it's time to move on.
No one has ever left Lake Charles hungry. Her downtown eateries are also known far and wide for their live local music after dark. The hardest part about dining in Historic Downtown Lake Charles is choosing restaurants and dishes. The ambience and flavors are all impeccable.
Try the Shocker Chicken Sandwich with a side of Fried Green Beans at AJ's Bar & Grill. Bacon-wrapped shrimp and crab cakes are the way to go at Booda's Bistro. Cajun Cafe is known for its award-winning Southern and Soul food. For lunch, grab a Roadkill Taco or Barbeque Brisket Sandwich at Happy Hippie Pizza. The spectacular seasoning of their pizza sauce also leaves locals smiling. Whether you dine indoors or out, you'll fall in love with the spinach artichoke dip and grilled tuna at Luna Bar & Grill. The lunch and dinner traffic jam outside Sha Sha's of Creole is a testament to locals' devotion to their shrimp poboys and fried bread pudding. For Monte Cristos that can't be beat, get a table at Pujo Street Cafe'. If it's time for Lake Charles' best breakfast, tuck into a Stellar Beans Breakfast Casserole, loaded with sausage, veggies and salsa. Wash it down with juice, herbal tea, Go-Gurt or fair-trade organic coffee. Stellar Beans also features the Spudzilla Salad, free wifi, books, and tables hand-painted by local artists.
No visit to the center of this tropical tour de force would be complete without golf, gaming, shopping and some spa time. L'auberge du Lac boasts the only public Tom Fazio-designed golf course in the state, 60 table games, 1,600 slots, and decadent Spa du Lac pampering. Add 1,000 spacious rooms, suites and villas, and you've found bliss. Just around the corner is Prien Lake Mall, home to more than 80 specialty shops; an indoor kids' Bungee Jump at the sumptuous food court; chair massage, dental whitening and threading kiosks; and a Cinemark theatre with digital technology and stadium seating. Special Touch Massage Therapy, offering ear candling, waxing and cellulite treatments, is also nearby. Your next stop is the Cottage Shop District, chock-full of proprietary purveyors of delightful gifts and decor items. Simply cruise east from the Mall, along Prien Lake Road from Ernest to Kirkman, and wind in and out the area's side streets.
From art, music and food, to shopping, golf and gaming, Lake Charles will get your happy on.
Book your trip and save!
(c) 2010 Belinda Y. Hughes
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