Alexandria, is a town in Rapides Parish which I passed through but felt that it deserved it’s own blog. This is a small town which I never even heard of until the Louisiana Tourism board mentioned it. I spent my morning eating at a late breakfast at the historic Bentley Hotel and then strolling along downtown.
In those few hours I noticed a couple really important things about this town. They had an excessive about of churches in this area. They also had a temple! Which may not sound like a big deal to some but down south you have alot of Christian’s and alot of churches. So the diversity of the city was known off the bat! They even had a Holocaust memorial downtown. That was a first of anything like this in a small town. Well at least in regards to what I have seen on this trip.
I also took note of all the arts that the town had to offer. There were galleries and theaters one right after each other. This city accepted diversity and welcomed creativity. It was so wonderful to see how involved the community was with making this happen. There was even a house that was donated to the city where artists can apply for fellowships and live there during it. Again, this was just another thing that you don’t see often and not just in Louisiana or the south but in any smaller town or city. It was just so wonderful!
For these reasons above I wish I had more time to explore Alexandria and what it has to offer. It may not be the most obvious place to stop and visit but it’s definitely worth the trip especially if you are into the arts. Just come and explore this community which is so supportive of creativity. It may even inspire you enough to help create this type of environment in your own town!
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