Brittany Birdsong

Undoubtedly the African American culture has had a rightful influence on American society, but to fully appreciate its origin and history, check out the Stephens African American Museum. Through paintings, relics and other items and art works, you'll get a sharply developed picture of the various African American contributions to our development and the importance of continued awareness of this fascinating component of America's story.

Before there was the internet or computers of any kind, photos and manuscripts joined disciplined engineering practice and mathematics to aid in construction plans for important city buildings. The documented preliminary work that went into the planning and execution of these projects is housed at the Karpeles Manuscript Library. It's not only a history lesson, but a testament to our forefathers' ingenuity and perseverance to establish the landmarks that serve as anchors of Shreveport's history.

Shreveport's Mudbug Madness Festival all started when people began to view the people in Shreveport more as Texans than natives of Louisiana. In response to that erroneous perception, a group of citizens wanted to stage the largest crawfish boil in the downtown area, add lots of music and fun, and reinforce the Cajun culture and attitude in the city. What started as a two day festival has become a four-day tradition that happens every Memorial Day Weekend and draws as many as 56,000 people in one day.