Pineville: Military History and Recreation

Pineville offers travel ideas for a range of interests: military history and historic buildings sit alongside disc golf and powerboat racing. The Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum brings the history of the Louisiana Maneuvers to life; Mt. Olivet Chapel tells a story from another period in the city’s history. At Lake Buhlow, high-speed powerboat racing provides a very different kind of recreation. If you’re looking for a vacation rental, you can shape your plans around these highlights by first considering which topics you want your stay to focus on.

Trails and history at the forts

At Forts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site, a raised wooden boardwalk leads to an observation point near the former Bailey’s Dam lock site. The site lists three trails, each a quarter-mile long: Boardwalk Trail A, Boardwalk Trail B, and the trail between the two forts. All three routes are the same length, so their names and landmarks help guide your choice. The observation point is near the former lock site, while the third trail runs specifically between the forts. At this historic site, trails and views come together with a tangible connection to the history of the dam.

The Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum

The Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum is housed in a replica World War II barracks at Camp Beauregard in Pineville. Most of its exhibits focus on the large-scale Louisiana Maneuvers training operations conducted in central Louisiana in the lead-up to World War II. The subject ranges from a replica military building to the maneuvers that took place in the region before the war. The museum also has an outdoor area with tanks, tank destroyers, artillery, and engineer and wheeled vehicles. The exhibits offer different points of interest for anyone interested in military history: the historical context of the maneuvers as well as the various types of vehicles.

Mt. Olivet Chapel and the city’s history

Mt. Olivet Chapel is the oldest surviving building in Pineville. Its history is also connected with the Civil War: at the time, the chapel served as Union Army headquarters and was therefore spared when Alexandria was burned. This offers a different historical perspective from the exhibits on the Louisiana Maneuvers. Tours of Mt. Olivet Chapel and Cemetery are by appointment; arrange a time before your visit. Those interested in Pineville’s history will find a tangible connection here to a surviving building and its use at the time.

Disc golf and powerboat racing

There are also options for those interested in sports and motor sports. Kees Park in Pineville has an 18-hole disc golf course. High-speed powerboat races take place at Lake Buhlow in Pineville. The two activities are quite different: one centers on a disc golf course, while the other focuses on racing on the water. If you want to plan your trip around a race, check the specific event dates in advance. For a family trip, it may help to decide together whether sports or the region’s history should shape your itinerary.

Choosing the right focus for your stay

The places and activities listed give Pineville several thematic sides: military history, a historic building, disc golf, and powerboat racing. When looking for a vacation rental, you can use this as a practical first step: consider which of these interests matters most during your stay. This lets you choose where to stay based on the itinerary you want, rather than on an accommodation feature that cannot be inferred from the attractions. If you’re mainly interested in exploring history, you can consider the museum and chapel as distinct highlights; if you prefer sports, you can look into disc golf and racing.

Discover more destinations: Alexandria, Boyce, Ball

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