Natchitoches Historic District

The Natchitoches Historic District in Natchitoches, Louisiana, 210 miles northwest of New Orleans, is recognized as one of the most intact examples of 19th-century Creole commercial architecture in the American South, and the city itself is the oldest permanent European settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, founded by French colonists in 1714 — four years before New Orleans. The historic district centers on Front Street and the Cane River Lake, an oxbow of the former Red River channel that was cut off and dammed in 1927, creating a languid waterway flanked by pecan and oak trees that runs directly in front of the brick storefronts of the commercial district. The Front Street commercial buildings date primarily from the 1830s to the 1890s and feature second-story iron galleries in a pattern strongly reminiscent of New Orleans French Quarter architecture, though on a smaller and more intimate scale. The buildings house an active mix of restaurants, art galleries, boutiques, and bed-and-breakfast inns. Natchitoches is the setting of the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, and the locations used in the film are identified with plaques and remain a draw for film enthusiasts. The Christmas Festival of Lights, held the first weekend of December each year since 1927, is the largest event in the region — more than 300,000 bulbs illuminate the river banks and downtown buildings in a display that attracts visitors from across Louisiana and neighboring states. The Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District also includes Cane River Creole National Historical Park, a federally managed site preserving two intact Creole cotton plantation complexes (Oakland and Magnolia) within driving distance of the downtown. A self-guided walk of the Front Street historic district takes 1 to 2 hours. Adding a visit to the river and one of the plantation sites extends the visit to a full day.