Hello friends!  We went to Shreveport, Louisiana for Spring Break 2022.  We stayed with our family living there and the kids had an amazing time getting to know cousins that they don’t get to see very often.  It was an amazing vacation for us.  Once again, it was just me and the kids.  But we had an amazing time visiting with family and exploring Shreveport. Hailie even got her wish and we ventured into Texas for a day.

So here are some highlights of what we did.  Be on the lookout for more specific posts on some of our adventures soon.

Day 1: The drive from Lexington, KY to Shreveport, LA.  Okay, I have to admit that it was a long drive.  We decided to do it in one day and the state of Arkansas now has the name of “New Georgia” in my mind.  It was as boring to drive as Georgia is, but at least Little Rock isn’t as bad to drive through as Atlanta is.  At least Georgia had a few good places to stop and look around. Arkansas is just long without much to look at. If you live in Arkansas, I’m sorry. Maybe you can suggest some places for future trips!

Day 2: We relaxed and spent time visiting and my sister-in-law and I were reminiscing, talking about our high school years and people that we remember.  We both agreed that were things that we would have done differently if we could have a do-over.

Kyle got to go to a “real military base”, as he called it.  He got to see some planes and was really excited to learn a little about the Air Force.  In the afternoon all the younger cousins went to a park to play together while Hailie and Teagan just enjoyed spending time together. It’s very interesting to see how the cousins paired off. The oldest, Hailie and Teagan, the middle child group, Lorianna, Leslie and Avery, and the youngest child group, Kyle and Piper.  They all got along great for the most part. I could see if we all lived closer, them becoming best friends.

Day 3: We went to Shreveport Aquarium.  Leslie was fully in her element and I wondered if we would ever get her to leave. She found the ray tank and enjoyed bonding with (and getting splashed by) the rays.  Every time she got up to move to another area, the rays started looking for her. They would settle down when she reappeared.  The kids got to feed the rays which I think they enjoyed.

In the evening, the kids had a movie night and watched Sing 2.  Hailie said it was different, but she liked it.

Day 4: Today, we went to Lonesome Dove Safari in Jefferson, TX.  The kids absolutely loved this place. You get to drive through and they have deer, zebras, gazelle, antelope, camels and many other animals. Video of this place will be coming soon. It was really neat getting to see and feed animals that we normally would never see.  The zebras were my favorite. Leslie enjoyed actually being able to hang out of the window without getting in trouble. The kids enjoyed the petting zoo there as well. The petting zoo had a camel, goats, sheep, pigs, and a kangaroo. There was a beautiful show off peacock that I loved as well.

Day 5: Today’s adventure was Gators & Friends.  This is a great place for kids to safely see and learn about alligators, as well as feed and learn about some animals that they might not find elsewhere.  It was fun to watch the gators.  At first Hailie and I thought the alligators were statues because they weren’t real active when we first arrived, but then we saw some move, and saw one swimming.  The kids enjoyed being able to hold a gator before we left. If you visit Shreveport, take the drive to Greenwood to visit Gators & Friends.  It’s worth the trip to explore this place.

In the evening the kids got to enjoy a fire pit and made smores.  It was a nice relaxing evening where we all got to enjoy talking before preparing to leave.  Hailie didn’t want to go.  She would happily move in without a second thought. 

Day 6: This was our relaxation day before hitting the road home. The day was spent visiting, gathering items that had been scattered and packing.  

We had an eventful and fun Spring Break with lots of opportunities to learn and explore a new area.  Shreveport, Louisiana and the surrounding area has a lot of things to keep your kids active and learning.  It’s also fun for adults as well.  We can’t wait for another opportunity to go back and explore more, because one week just is not enough time to see and do all the things we wanted to.