Pursuing Quality of life in Beauregard Parish

 Join us for three days of watermelon fun the last weekend in every June for the Beauregard Watermelon Festival! Watermelon seed spitting and eating contests, watermelon games +music +carnival rides and more! Check out our canning contest, cornhole tournament and crafters displays at the festival along with the antique tractor show! Come out and join us for some good summer time fun! 

Starting the first Tuesday in October, the Beauregard Parish Fair is one of the longest running fairs in the state of Louisiana.  From the free kids contests, pie eating contests, goat dressing, mutton bustin +music +carnival rides and more! 

Check out our Livestock Show, Apple Bobbing Contest and the many crafters displays at the fair. Come out and join us to celebrate all things agriculture in Beauregard Parish.

 The first Saturday in December starts the Miracle On Washington Street Festival in Downtown DeRidder.  This community filled street festival celebrates the Holiday season. Food vendors, craft vendors, live entertainment & family friendly activities competitions. The festival culminates with the Lighted Christmas Parade at 5:30 pm.  

 Experience the lore and traditions as you visit of the Ragley Heritage and Timber Festival with presentations from local pioneers of the area. Learn the history of the formation of the town and its founding families. The festival includes arts and crafts, food booths and live music featuring local bluegrass bands. 

The DeRidder National Night Out program is scheduled annually, on the first Tuesday of August at the Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds.

National Night Out (NNO) began in 1984 in an effort to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-community partnerships, neighborhood camaraderie, and to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and are fighting against crime. 

 Family friendly, fun filled festival honoring the Lois Loftin Doll Collection, the largest collection of dolls in Louisiana. The Louisiana Doll Festival is held every April and hosts craft vendors, food vendors, games and commences with an outdoor movie in Downtown DeRidder. Join us to learn the history of the Lois Loftin Doll Museum. 

 Christmas Around The Cabin is presented the second Saturday in December on the grounds of the Merryville Museum. 

The Merryville Historical Society and Museum invite your family to come and enjoy story time with the Beauregard Parish Library followed by craftmaking, live music from bands and choirs, lots of vendors, and Santa making an appearance. The Merryville Christmas Parade will follow at 6 PM. Entry in to the parade is free. 

 Each year in March, the museum members and many volunteers present the annual Merryville Pioneer Heritage Festival. This is our opportunity to not only entertain visitors, but to also spread education on the rich heritage of not only Merryville but also Beauregard Parish, No Man’s Land, Sabine River, SW Louisiana and SE Texas! 

 Beauregard Tourist Commission aims to promote tourism within the Parish of Beauregard and the State of Louisiana; to do all things necessary for the promotion, advertisement and publication of information related to parish tourist attractions and events. 

 The museum is housed in the second Kansas City Southern Depot, built in 1926.  Like many turn of the century towns, DeRidder’s business district is centered around the railroad tracks.
With the primary industry being timber, the arrival of the railroad depot in 1897 was crucial in the incorporation of the city in 1903. Therefore, it seemed logical for an old depot to be the home of the Beauregard Museum. The museum is open Tuesday thru Friday.

 You’ll love Louisiana’s Myths and Legends Byway, a drive based on true stories, ghosts, and tall tales. This byway, mostly flat land originally settled by the Atakapa and Coushatta Indians, was at one time a haven for land pirates and outlaws. Known as No Man’s Land, this stretch of land was a disputed boundary between France, New Spain, Mexico and the United States. The years of lawlessness lasted from the time of the Louisiana Purchase until the 1840s. Wolf Rock Cave, near Bundick’s Creek near Pitkin, dates to 2500-1000 BC, and is the only known rock shelter in Louisiana. Could it have been one of land pirate John Murrell’s caves?

The Myths and Legends Byway is extraordinary because visitors can drive it or paddle it.   The byway heads south on Highway 111, then turns east at US 190. The next stop is DeRidder, home of the Beauregard Parish Museum, with its unusual collection of more than 3,000 dolls and the "Hanging Jail," an imposing Gothic Revival style building located in the center of town. Once it housed prisoners, today it is open for tours (and the occasional ghost-hunting expedition). 

 Whether you’re a local resident attending an important community meeting, a sports enthusiast cheering at our pulsating arena events, or a culture seeker exploring a local exhibition, the Beauregard Covered Arena is the place for you. Our state-of-the-art facilities provide the perfect setting for concerts, equestrian shows, conventions, and more, all set against the backdrop of the rich and welcoming Beauregard Parish charm. The Beauregard Covered Arena Center and Arena serves as the heart of Beauregard Parish, bringing people together for a broad array of activities and programs. 

 Bundick Lake is in Beauregard parish, just south of DeRidder and Sugartown. This 1,750-acre lake was constructed more than 60 years ago as a natural drainage basin to restrain floodwaters from areas to its north. 

Perhaps the best place to begin birding here is at the 200-foot spillway on the lake's southern end, where waterfowl and other waterbirds are usually present. Most ducks and grebes flock here during winter, though Wood Duck and Pied-billed Grebe are year-round residents. Spillway Road follows a winding Bundick Creek, which supports a fine riparian forest. Many species of woodpeckers, flycatchers, vireos, and wrens use this forest during migration, summer, and winter. 

https://www.kplctv.com/2024/05/09/louisiana-office-tourism-creates-new-website-bird-lovers/

The War Memorial Civic Center was built in 1941 and was the 1st Off Base USO. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on 02/25/1992.

The War Memorial Civic Center (WMCC) is home to many WWII artifacts. The WMCC houses the office for the Louisiana State Department of Veteran Affairs. Rooms are also available for rental. The rooms capacities range from 50 to 200 people.

 The Merryville Museum was founded in 1981 to acquire artifacts, regale visitors with the rich heritage of not only Merryville, but also Beauregard Parish, No Man’s Land, Sabine River, SW Louisiana and SE Texas. 

 Impromptu Players performs three shows a year and hosts a summer camp for kids ages 10 through 12th grade.

All of productions are done at the Wooten Theater, in downtown DeRidder.  Dinner shows are the first and last night of each production.  There are two other evening shows as well as a Sunday afternoon matinee.  Specific dates will be posted as they are set.  

 Your library is a free and trusted gateway to knowledge, entertainment, and helpful services. In a safe space with access for everyone, we serve with kindness and respect. We protect history, prepare you for tomorrow, and help you find the answers you need today. With 5 branches across Beauregard Parish, we strive to serve all of our area citizens.

 DeRidder Branch

East Beauregard Branch

Merryville Branch

South Beauregard Branch

West Central Branch (Singer)

 Built and completed in 1914, the Gothic Jail has the unique distinction of being the only penal institution in the country using "collegiate Gothic" design in the first decade of the 20th century. 

 Added to the National Historic Register in 1981. Celebrated in the song "The Hangman's Jail", the lockup was the location of a double execution in 1928. The jail and courthouse are connected by a tunnel used to transport prisoners out of public view.