Discover Beauregard Parish

Beauregard Parish combines regional history, lake landscapes, and a varied cultural program. Those planning a trip with different interests will find opportunities here for museum days, historical discoveries, events, and stays by the water. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, it is worth first deciding on your preferred focus: DeRidder is known for several cultural and historical sites, while Longville Lake and Bundick Lake define the water and nature experience.

Cultural History in DeRidder

The Beauregard Museum is housed in the second Kansas City Southern depot, which was built in 1926. The exhibition includes handmade tools, artifacts from the timber industry, historical photographs from the history of the parish, Native American arrowheads and pottery, military memorabilia, antique furniture, musical instruments, and curiosities from Beauregard Parish. This allows a visit to be approached from many different thematic angles: from regional working history and everyday objects to military and cultural traces.

DeRidder’s historical character also includes the Beauregard Parish Jail and the Beauregard Parish Courthouse. The jail consists of nine cells on three floors. The courthouse was completed around 1915 and is part of DeRidder’s Historic Downtown District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic Gothic Jail is open for tours on weekdays. RealArt DeRidder complements the area with classes, workshops, and pop-up art market events.

The DeRidder USO Building, also called the War Memorial Civic Center, offers another special historical connection. It was the first USO building outside a military base in America and was completed in 1941. The building remains at its original location; its exterior and interior are largely unchanged. Artifacts relating to DeRidder Army Air Base, Camp Polk, the Louisiana Maneuvers, and the USO are on display.

Museums and Historic Sites Around Merryville

The Merryville Museum was founded in 1981 to acquire, preserve, and maintain information, artifacts, and memorabilia relating to the history of the United States, particularly Merryville, Beauregard Parish, Southwest Louisiana, and Southeast Texas. Another unusual stop is Burk’s Cabin: the cabin was built in 1883, moved to Merryville, and completely restored. The Lois Loftin Doll Museum displays more than 4,000 dolls.

For a quieter, history-focused activity, cemeteries and memorial sites are also worth considering. The site of the Old Campground Cemetery features a memorial plaque and a nature trail. Old Campgrounds is described as the oldest documented cemetery in Southwest Louisiana, the Imperial Calcasieu region. At Pine Grove Cemetery, grave surrounds made of Louisiana cypress protect the graves from the weather and the intrusion of vermin.

Lakes, Trails, and Special Experiences

At Longville Lake, camping, fishing, swimming, walks, and picnicking are possible. The lake can therefore suit a wide range of day plans, from spending time by the water to taking a break between other excursions. Bundick Lake covers 1,750 acres. The Big Branch Trail is mentioned as another route. The Myths & Legends Byway passes through parts of Beauregard, Vernon, and Allen parishes and gives regional exploration an overarching historical and narrative framework.

The event calendar brings additional occasions to plan a trip around. The Beauregard Watermelon Festival takes place every year in June and includes watermelon games, other events, live music, and entertainment. The annual Beauregard Parish Fair is held during the first week of October at the Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds and combines carnival rides, exhibits, food, and live bands. The Impromptu Players Community Theater produces three live plays every year; the performances are open to the public.

The Right Search Area for Your Accommodation

If you primarily want to include museums, historic buildings, and theater in your plans, you can consider DeRidder as the area to search for your holiday apartment. For days by the water, you can consider Longville Lake as the area to search; camping, fishing, swimming, walks, and picnicking are possible there. What matters is not a blanket choice of location, but which experiences will shape most of your trip. This allows you to align your search for a holiday apartment or holiday home with your own daily plans without assuming any accommodation features.

The Beauregard Parish Airport is also relevant for arrival planning. It is a general aviation airport for private, corporate, agricultural, and military aviation and offers fuel as well as a vehicle for courtesy service.

Explore More Places

For further trip planning, you can also explore Deridder, West Feliciana, Concordia Parish, Assumption Parish, Union, Calcasieu Parish, Orleans, and Sabine.

For the overarching travel overview: Louisiana.