Shreveport - Bossier, Louisiana's Other Side

Media contacts: Eric Gipson (318) 424-8678; egipson@sciport.org and Programs contact:    Robert McGuire (318) 424-8714; rmcguire@sciport.org  

Shreveport, LA— Sci-Port Discovery Center, the hands-on science and entertainment center on the Shreveport Riverfront, will offer a special “Buy One/Get One Free” admission discount to hotel, campground and emergency shelter occupants who have evacuated to this region due to Hurricane Gustav.   

To receive the discount, hotel occupants can show their room key, and campground and shelter evacuees can present photo identification with address.   

Sci-Port, recently named one of America’s Top-10 Science Centers by Parents magazine, features 290 science, space science, technology and math exhibits, daily changing programs, an IMAX Dome Theatre, Space Dome Planetarium, gift shop and café. Sci-Port is located at Clyde Fant Parkway at Lake Street on the downtown Shreveport Riverfront. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. For general information call (318) 424-3466, toll-free (877) 724-7678, or visit Sci-Port’s website at www.sciport.org.

   The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s 24-Hour Evacuation Hotline is now up and running, at 1-800-524-0704. The number has been updated and will continue to be updated as needed, should Gustav remain a concern for Louisiana. 

    In addition, by dialing 211, listeners will hear updates regarding local resources and disaster assistance in Louisiana municipalities including Shreveport. For Shreveport, press 3 to hear information regarding the 40 agencies that offer assistance. 

    Dialing 511 also is another resource for travelers. The number provides travel information from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The agecy also has information regarding the state's citizen evacuation guides.

   For other information, visit the Extreme Weather Information Sheet provided by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for Louisiana, at the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association website.  

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, several East Texas and Arkansas hotels reported vacancies at their properties.

Those properties include:

Best Western Hotel – 16 rooms available on Sunday; 17 rooms available on Monday

310 E. Loop 281

Longview, Texas

(903) 757-8888

Victorian Inn & Suites – Rooms available after Tuesday

3612 North St

Nacogdoches, Texas  75965

(936) 560-6038

Best Western – 15 rooms available through next weekend

1920 Junction City Road

El Dorado, Ark.  71730

(870) 862-5191

Days Inn – 35 rooms available

1500 North Hervey St.

Hope, Ark.  71801

(870) 722-1904

Holiday Inn Express – 16 rooms available

2600 North Hervey

Hope, Ark.  71801

(877) 863-4780

Super 8 – 25 rooms available

2000 Holiday Drive

Hope, Ark.  71801

(870) 777-8601

Distance from Shreveport, La.: 

Longview, Texas is approximately 1 hour west;

Nacogdoches, Texas is approximately 2 hours southwest;

El Dorado, Ark. is approximately 2 hours northeast;

Hope, Ark. is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes north.

As of 1 p.m., the National Hurricane Center projects that the now Tropical Storm Gustav will reach the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane on Sunday or Monday, and continue on to make landfall early on Tuesday, Sept. 2 along the Louisiana coast.

Here in Shreveport-Bossier City, state and disaster relief officials are preparing to aid those affected by Gustav in the southern areas of the state. Evacuation information will be listed and updated regularly on the tourist bureau web site as it becomes available.

As of mid-morning, all hotels, motels and bed and breakfast properties in the twin cities are booked through Wednesday, Sept. 3. In addition, properties in surrounding areas in north Louisiana also are booked.

In the event that Gustav reaches Louisiana and Gov. Bobby Jindal issues an evacuation order, the following shelter sites will open:

Bossier Civic Center – Special Needs
620 Benton Rd., Bossier City, LA 71111
(318) 741-8900

Hirsch Memorial Coliseum – FEMA operated, pets will be placed in the next door barn for shelter
3701 Hudson Ave
Shreveport, LA 71109-5348
(318) 635-1361 phone

 (Former) Sam's Club Facility – State operated center
8810 Jewella Ave.
Shreveport, LA  71108

Sports Mall
Industrial and I-20

LSU-S – First general population, people with cars; operated by American Red Cross
One University Place
Shreveport, LA 71115
(318) 797-5000

Ruston Civic Center
401 N Trenton St
Ruston, LA 71270
(318) 251-8613

PE Building at Northwestern in Natchitoches
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, Louisiana 71497
(318) 357-6011

Other information resources include:

Red Cross
4221 Linwood Ave.
Shreveport, LA 71108
(318) 865-9545

Christian Services
1244 Sprague St.
Shreveport, LA 71101
(318) 221-4857

Availability of Cabins and RV Parking at State Park Locations

For reservations, call the centralized contact number for Louisiana at (877) 226-7652.

For Shreveport-Bossier hotel vacancy information, stay tuned to our blog for regular updates.

I’m not sure about you, but I hear that gas prices have fallen in recent weeks, but it sure doesn’t look like it. I’m still feeling the burn of prices that conitnue to hover well over $3 a gallon.

Many of us have had to recalculate our budgets and look to do it again at the onset of another surge. For some, vacations and fun weekend getaways have taken a back seat to day-to-day necessities, leaving them to consider “staycations” as a means to affordably get away from it all – and also on a tank of gas or less.

According to the Travel Industry Association, among adults planning to take a home-based vacation during the next six months, one out of five expects to stay in a local hotel, motel or resort at least one night on their staycation.

So that got me thinking about the fun things you can do for a nice weekend getaway, right here at home. And better yet – things you can do for free before heading to a nice local bed and breakfast or hotel to seal up a nice staycation getaway.

Customize your own tour of downtown Shreveport with stops at Once in a Millennium Moon Mega Mural and the Elvis Presley and James Burton Statues. Then cool off with a few runs through the fountain at RiverView Park.

For art lovers, give in to your imagination as you stroll through the Southern Museum of Art, the Barnwell Garden and Art Center, R.W. Norton Art Gallery and Meadows Museum of Art.

If you’re interested in learning something new, visit the Eighth Air Force Museum, the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum or the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway Regional Visitor Center.

There’s even something free for sports aficionados to indulge in at the Ark-La-Tex Sports Museum of Champions.

If attractions don’t get you excited, check out our list of restaurants and plan your own culinary trail to do this weekend. And when you do, share your photos and fun with us.

Have fun discovering Louisiana’s Other Side!

The Southern University Museum of Art features more than 300 original pieces of African American and African art.