Top 10 Things to do in Minden.
#1. See Why the Movie Makers Love Minden.
Minden is a big part of the Northwest Louisiana Film
Trail, boasting over 26 movies filmed in and around
Minden. A free brochure, providing listing the movies
and detailed maps showing movie locations, offers a
self-guided tour to the visitor. See locations for
Premonition, starring Sandra Bullock; Blond Ambition
with Jessica Simpson and Willie Nelson; Harold and
Kumar, Escape From Guantanamo Bay, starring Kal
Penn and John Cho; Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
starring Martin Lawrence, Mo’Nique, Cedric the
Entertainer and James Earl Jones; Longshots starring
Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, and Tasha Smith; and
Olympus Has Fallen starring Gerard Butler, Ashley
Judd, and Dylan McDermott.
Just completed in July, new signage for the Northwest
Louisiana Film Trail has been installed in downtown
Minden. Each of the new signs will identify a
numbered location of a movie corresponding to the
map in the brochure. Each location sign will give a
brief write up about the movie and will have a QR
code. When scanned with a QR reader application,
available for free online from the App Store, a film clip
will be download on your mobile phone or iPad showing the movie trailer and a scene from the
movie filmed at that location. This is definitely a first in the state and perhaps the US!
To request a free brochure, call 1.800.2MINDEN. To see the film clips go to www.visitwebster.net
and under attractions, see Northwest Louisiana Film Trail.
Northwest Louisiana Film Trail
Lynn Dorsey
Webster Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau
110 Sibley Road
Minden, LA 710551.800.2MINDEN
[email protected]
www.visitwebster.net
#2. Visit the newly constructed Welcome Center at the Germantown Colony Museum. The
Welcome Center houses exhibits of historical artifacts, a gift shop and handicapped
accessible public restrooms. Then Step back in time and experience how these German
settlers lived in the early 19th Century as you tour original buildings of these early settlers.
Admission is free.
The newly completed Welcome Center at the Germantown Colony Museum is now open.
Seven miles northeast of Minden, is the Germantown Colony State Museum, is the “historical
gem” of Webster Parish and one of three Harmony Society colonies founded in the US in the early
19th century. Established in 1835, the colony operated on a communal basis for 36 years, finally
dispersing in 1871. Step back in time and experience how these German settlers lived in the early
19th Century as you tour original buildings of these early settlers. The Colony was placed on the
official list of the Nation’s Cultural Resources Worthy of Preservation by the U.S. Department
of the Interior, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service in 1979. It is the most recent
addition to the Louisiana Department of State Museums and a major asset to the recently
developed “Heroes and Heritage Trail” throughout the state of Louisiana.
The Germantown Colony Museum
Jean Doerge, Curator
200 Museum Road, Minden, LA 71058
Open Thursday – Saturday 10:00am – 3:00pm
Or open by appointment for groups.
(318)377-6061
[email protected]
#3. Take a guided tour of the Dorcheat Museum in downtown Minden. Admission is free.
The Dorcheat Museum in downtown Minden.
Experience the life and culture of Webster Parish along with the Bayou Dorcheat area of North
Louisiana and see artifacts from our earliest inhabitants. Learn about Webster Parish’s famous
people including Alan Bean, 4th Man to walk on the Moon and Country Music Recording Star
Trace Adkins long with the numerous movies shot in Webster Parish.
Dorcheat Museum
Schelley Francis, Museum Manager
116 Pearl Street
Minden, Louisiana 71055
Open Tuesday – Friday 10:00am – 1:00pm, 2:00pm- 4:00pm
Closed for lunch 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Open for groups and meetings by appointment.
318.377.3002
www.museuminminden.blogspot.com
#4. Explore Minden Main Street’s many antique shops and boutiques in historic downtown
Minden. You will be delighted by holiday specials for all your Christmas shopping! Make
sure to visit Second Hand Rose Antiques at 509 Main Street and meet owner Millie Rose.
Second Hand Rose Antiques at 509 Main Street is amazing anytime of the year.
Second Hand Rose Antiques is filled to the brim with coca cola memorabilia, vintage jewelry,
housewares and more. Visitors can shop to their hearts content while being entertained by the
stories and, perhaps, an impromptu song here and there by owner Millie Rose. Millie will share
stories with you about the movie stars who have frequented her shop like Jessica Simpson and
Ice Cube while filming in Minden.
Second Hand Rose Antiques
Millie Rose, Owner
509 Main Street
Minden, Louisiana 71055
Open Monday – Saturday 1:00pm – 6:00pm
(318)371-9830
#5. Relax as you dine at the Fitzgerald House B & B. at 304 McDonald Street. Enjoy a
wonderful meal elegantly served by owner Melissa Cain and special tour of this historic
Victorian home built in 1902 located in the Historic Residential District. After a wonderful
meal, spend the night as you step back into the Victorian era in this century old home.
Available for luncheons, weddings, receptions and overnight stays.
The Fitzgerald House
The Fitzgerald House is a National Register Historic home located one block off the downtown
brick streets of Minden. This elegantly restored Victorian Classic has its original stained glass
windows, hand-carved woodwork, and some of the original antique furnishings throughout the
house. This home was the location of the bordello in the hit movie “Harold and Kumar Escape
from Guantanamo Bay” in 2008.
The Fitzgerald House B & B
Contact: Mellissa Cain
304 McDonald Street
Minden, LA 71055
(225)436-1551
[email protected]
Advanced reservations are required.
Groups only.
#6. Relax as you dine for lunch at The Grace Estate at 1114 Broadway and enjoy a tour of
this outstanding estate built in 1910. The Grace Estate, recently purchased from the
descendants of the original owner, is a new venue for dining, receptions and elegant parties,
as well as a bed and breakfast, located in Minden’s beautiful Historic Residential District.
The Grace Estate
This home was built by Samuel Grigsby in 1910. This 1910 “polite” house features a one story
balustrade porch and a Palladian dormer window. This home was inherited by Mrs. Cornelius
Hutton and passed down again in 1957 to Juliet Hutton Rathbun. The home remains in the
Rathbun family until 2014.
The Grace Estate
1114 Broadway
Minden, LA 71055
Contact: Danny Garris
(318) 377-7991
www.partyexpresscatering.com
#7. Indulge yourself at Roma Italian Restaurant.
Roma Italian Restaurant
Roma Italian Restaurant is familyowned and recently opened in historic
downtown Minden.
Roma Italian Restaurant
519 Main Street
Minden, La 71055
Open Tuesday – Saturday
11:00am-9:00pm
Closed on Monday
(318)639-9508
Roma is located on Main Street in Historic Downtown Minden.
Make sure to order a complimentary dessert on your birthday!
#8. Tour of Minden’s Historic Residential District.
The Farley Home
Minden’s beautiful Historic Residential District features more than 70 historic properties within
walking distance of downtown, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic
Places.
#9. Spend a day or a weekend in Sportsman’s Paradise at Lake Bistineau State park.
Lake Bistineau State Park is known for
Amazing stands of cypress trees and clinging Spanish moss.
Lake Bistineau State Park, just south of Minden, is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the
country covering 17,280 acres. With its amazing stands of cypress trees and clinging Spanish moss,
Lake Bistineau State Park is Sportsman’s Paradise. A favorite spot for fisherman, duck hunting,
boating and water sports, Lake Bistineau State Park offers modern cabins, boat rentals,
playgrounds, two swimming pools, hiking and horse trails, and group meeting facilities. For more
information or to make reservations:
Lake Bistineau State Park
www.lastateparks.com
877-CAMP-N-LA (226-7652)
#10. Catch the big fish with Pro Angler Homer Humphreys.
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Catch the big fish with Pro Angler Homer Humphreys, winner of the 2002 CITGO BASSMASTER
Louisiana Open and one of the most highly respected and popular personalities. Homer has won
tournaments at all levels of both the BASS Angler Sportsman Society and the FLW Outdoors
tournament trails. Homer runs a fulltime guide service and boasts more than 50 finishes in the
money. Spend the day fishing out of the latest model BASSCAT boat, where Homer will help fine
tune your fishing skills. Learn to read and use the most up-to-date electronics and equipment.
Contact Homer and book your trip today.
Currently featured on Sportsman's Paradise TV and the Paradise Louisiana Network, Homer has
fished in 56 BASSMASTER tournaments. Watch Homer on Paradise Louisiana,
www.paradiselouisiana.com and Sportsmen Paradise TV, www.rodnreel.com.
Homer Humphreys Guide Service
122 Monarch Lane
Minden, Louisiana 71055
www.homerhumphreys.com
(318)371-2020