Fort Polk covers more than 100,000 acres of rural central Louisiana. Originally opened in 1941, the base is used as a U.S. Army training camp. At first glance this doesn't seem like a happening part of the state, but this largely undeveloped area is home to stunning national forest land and culturally significant small towns. Visitors to the area will get a taste of Cajun Louisiana through its scenery, historic towns and quirky places.
Central Louisiana is dotted with small towns offering excellent Cajun restaurants, dance halls, festivals and cultural opportunities. The closest town is Leesville, just 10 miles northwest of Fort Polk. The town features a historic downtown with art galleries and a bed and breakfast on the National Register of Historic Places, the Booker-Lewis House. Relax on the wrap-around porch and dine one Louisiana cuisine like andouille sausage gumbo. Nearby DeRidder is home to outdoor concerts in spring and the Beauregard Parish Museum, which describes the history of the area beginning with Native Americans. And Zwolle, north of the base, hosts the annual Zwolle Tamala Fiesta to celebrate the town's Spanish background.
Driving the backroads of Louisiana inevitably yields unique roadside attractions. The Robert Gentry Museum in Meany, 50 miles north of Fort Polk, holds an array of off-beat oddities, like circus posters and country singer memorabilia. Back in DeRidder, 30 miles north of the base, stop in the Lois Loftin Doll Museum, which consists of 3,000 rare dolls displayed in a historic railroad depot. Fifty miles to the west, just across the Texas border, sits Wiergate. The former sawmill community feels like a Wild West ghost town with its historic downtown overgrown with weeds.
The South Toledo Bend State Park protects the long, finger-like Toledo Bend Reservoir. The park is just 30 miles east of Fort Polk, making it ideal for a day of hiking the bluffs overlooking the lake or fishing for largemouth bass, catfish, bream and white perch. Or, bring your mountain bike and take to the woods and rolling hills. For a longer, overnight trip, you have access to 19 cabins, five tent spots and 55 RV sites with water and electrical hookups.
One of the outdoor gems of central Louisiana is the Kisatchie National Forest. The forest stretches across seven parishes, beginning about 30 miles east of Fort Polk and covering a total of 604,000 acres. One of the highlights here is the Wild Azalea Trail, a 31-mile path open for day hikers, backpackers and mountain bikers about 40 miles east of Fort Polk. At the Kisatchie Bayou Recreation Area, 50 miles north of the base, sandy beaches offer spots to picnic for canoers and kayakers heading down the waterway. And the Longleaf Vista Recreation Area, 50 miles north of Fort Polk, is Louisiana's Grand Canyon, where views stretch across sandstone bluffs and the rolling hills of the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness.
