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Store (Italianate Merchantile-style) that still
functions as a general store. The cargo elevator,
installed in the 1890s, even now hauls merchandise to the second floor, the original skylight
illuminates the wares and your sales are rung on
antique cash registers. You’ll also view a scale
that was used to weigh cotton bales when the
general store operated as a cotton broker. Looking at the classic Radio Flyer red wagons and kid’s
toys mixed with hardware items reminded me of
walking the aisles of my neighborhood hardware
store as a kid and hankering after the .22 rifle
hanging high on the wall.
In more recent times, Natchitoches was the
setting for the much-loved book, "Steel Magnolias." They filmed the movie here as well, and
guess what? You can stay in the house where Sally
Field’s character lived. Pick up maps for the selfguided Steel Magnolias Tour at the Natchitoches
Convention and Visitors Bureau on the cobbled
main drag, Front Street. They also offer Historic
District Walking Tour maps and auto maps to tour
the plantations along the Cane River.
During the Christmas season, downtown
and Cane River lakefront are illuminated
42 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E / / w w w . l a k e e r i e l i f e s t y l e . c o m
with more than 300,000 Christmas lights.
The 90th Annual Christmas Festival of
Lights, Louisiana's premier holiday event,
goes on now through Jan. 6. Fun celebrations
include Christmas music at Cane River Creole
National Historic Park, holiday theatrical performances at nearby Northwestern
University and Fête d'hiver (Winter Fest) at
Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site that
comes alive with historians, re-enactors and
period merchants. During the Festival, ranked
as one of the top holiday light displays by
Yahoo!Travel.com, there are fireworks shows
every Saturday in December, ending with a
finale fireworks display on New Year’s Eve.
In addition, the Holiday Tour of Homes,
hosted by the Natchitoches Historic Foundation allows you an insider's glimpse into homes
dating from the early 1840s. I was honored to
be invited into Natchitochian abodes as part of
a home tour last month and truly enjoyed the
experience. “Y’all come in,” welcomed proud
homeowners and hoop-skirted docents, who
talked enthusiastically about the history of
their restored homes. You can do the same and
peek into the past on Wednesdays, Fridays and
Saturdays from Dec. 7 — 17. LEL