Top 10 Ways to Eat, Shop, & Play Holiday Style in Alexandria/Pineville

Eat Your Way

1. Atwood’s Bakery: Atwood’s Bakery, baking memories since 1977, and sister-site Crave, located in downtown Alexandria, offers the yummiest of treats from their delicious cakes and pies to the brownie tower and petit fours. They also create their own homemade doggie treats for the four-footed (grand)child in your life!
2. The Cottage: This tea-room style locally owned restaurant offers a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, and plate lunches to warm any heart and stomach! Known for the Cream of Shrimp soup and sweet cornbread, The Cottage is a great place to stop for lunch in Alexandria.
3. Tunk’s Cypress Inn: One of the best views for dinner is at Tunk’s Cypress Inn located on scenic Kincaid Lake. Dine inside the main dining room, downstairs in the Oyster Bar or out on the deck, in warmer weather, for great views while eating some of the area’s best seafood. Whether you experience the aroma of the Snapper Sandy or the flavors of Mamie’s Gumbo, your taste buds will thank you!

Shop Your Way

1. Grab a Louisiana made souvenir from Southern Chic or Terra Home to feed your soul!  
2. Sentry Drugs & Gifts is a staple in downtown Alexandria. The gift section offers unique gifts. Stop in Sentry Grill for a bite before heading out.
3. Looking for a one-of-kind art piece or gift for everyone on your list, look no further than River Oaks Square Arts Center or the Alexandria Museum of Art gift shop. Both shops offer original art. And being located in the Cultural District, purchases on original art are tax-free!

Experience Your Way

1. Weekends in December: Holiday Light Safari: Holiday Light Safari is unlike any other event in the area and features hundreds of thousands of lights, “wild animal theme” light displays, train rides, Santa, educational and craft activities for children, entertainment on select evenings, photo ops and much more!
2. Pilgrimage to Bethlehem: Oh come, oh come, to Bethlehem. Experience music, drama and a guided tour of first Century Bethlehem in this live-action depiction of the birth of Christ.
3. Holiday Tour of Homes: Tour several historic homes and offices located in Alexandria’s Garden District – each with its own story and architecture.
4. Time to hit the streets! Nothing celebrates holidays in Louisiana like a good parade. The second weekend in December offers AlexWinterFete an annual festival hosting a skating rink, live music, arts and crafts for sale. This year the Alexandria Christmas Parade with be the official end of the event on Sunday, December 15. All of this is taking place in downtown Alexandria. Bring a picnic and enjoy the music, floats, and throws of the season!