While Lake Charles is known for its casinos and nightlife, seasonal activities that don’t involve gambling or staying out late are easy to find too; you just have to know where to look! Between southern food and cultural museums, to peaceful beach walks and numerous festivals, Lake Charles is a thriving and wonderful place to visit, explore, or even just reacquaint yourself with its charm if you’re a resident.
At The Verandah Assisted Living and Memory Care, we love giving suggestions to our community for fun activities – especially ones that can include your loved ones in our care. Read on for some of our top recommendations for this spring!
Enjoy Local Food Favorites
A tried and true Southern staple, crawfish is as Louisiana as it gets. With dozens of locations for this delicious shellfish in Lake Charles, it’s hard to think of a better place to indulge. While dipping these tasty morsels in butter isn’t the healthiest option, the meat itself is rich in protein as well as vitamins B12 and B6. It also can be higher in cholesterol, so we suggest making it a once-in-a-while food. But for some restaurant recommendations, check out the Visit Lake Charles web page. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that prime crawfish season is March through June, so plan out a couple of crawfish boils this spring to take advantage of it at its freshest!
Sallier Oak Tree
To get a glimpse at some real history, check out the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. Offering incredible cultural programming throughout the majority of the year, this museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. It includes artifacts, memorabilia, works of art – both period and modern, and much more. But one of the biggest draws of this museum is its 375-year-old resident oak tree – the Sallier Oak. Named for Charles Sallier, the namesake of Lake Charles, this oak sits on the museum’s grounds, coaxing visitors to sit under its enormous shady branches. A true marvel, it’s worth a trip to just look up at the ancient natural wonder.
Festivals Galore
Known for its huge variety of festivals throughout the year, Lake Charles offers so much to do. One of our favorite festivals to put on your calendar is the Gulf Coast Shrimp and Jazz Festival. Offering up a weekend of live jazz, dancing, and yes – shrimp, this newer festival is one the whole family is sure to enjoy. If you have a loved one in our care who would love to see some live music, this is certainly an excellent option!
Beach Walk
The beauty of spring is that beaches can be less crowded, and more conducive to casual strolls. Our beloved Lake Charles offers some great beaches for family and friends to stroll along hand in hand, and take in the scenery. Of course, our top recommendation is North Beach, where the white sand offers up an opportunity to watch kayakers, people on catamarans, and even friendly pups bouncing along the beach.
With so many options for spring activities in Lake Charles, it’s hard to choose just a handful. That said, we hope you test out a few of our suggestions this year – and bring your loved ones!
To take an in-person or virtual tour of our Lake Charles retirement community, please give us a call. We’d be happy to answer any and all of your questions!
