Tori's Travels: A Few of My Favorite Things

Written By Tori Ward, CVB Marketing/PR Assistant

Hello all! If you've been keeping up with me during my travels of Ruston, you've probably realized a few things about me. It's hard to overlook my love of shopping, running and coffee. These are arguably three of my favorite things, and they are by no means in short supply here in Ruston, La. 

Sue Paperie in Downtown Ruston 

Although I've already hit several shops in Ruston, last week I discovered Sue Paperie, an amazing little paper store and gift shop. This homey store is located in Downtown Ruston and can be easily spotted by its fun purple door. As someone who loves Lilly Pulitzer, Kate Spade and personalized stationary, I was in a state of pure bliss when I walked into this store. They carry a great selection of agendas, notebooks, notecards, stationary and more. With school right around the corner, I was in desperate need of a new agenda (my Lilly agenda is my lifeline). I was so excited to find a place in town that carries my favorite agenda and other great brands in office and stationary supplies. 

display at Sue Paperie 

I was also super impressed by the printing services offered by Sue Paperie. I would have never imaged that you could find a paper store in Ruston that specialized in invitations and personalized stationery, cards, gifts and more. I've also heard that they even host calligraphy classes every once in a while, so you can count on me being there for the next one! Sue Paperie is definitely a fun place to check out even if you don't need invitations or personalized supplies. An added bonus is the incredibly friendly and helpful staff that made my shopping experience much more enjoyable!

Huckleberry Trails

As I've mentioned before, I despise treadmills. I feel like I've been running an hour when only five measly minutes have passed. However, time seems to fly when I'm running outdoors, and I've quickly found that Ruston has some great options for outdoor exercise. Most recently I've discovered Huckleberry Trails, a park and nature area complete with great running trails that go through a beautiful woodsy area. The trails offer a variety of paths and a few inclines to keep your run engaging and challenging. There are signs posted all along the trail pointing you in the direction of the various paths you can take, which was reassuring and helpful to me the first time I went exploring out there. 

The park area has a playground, clean bathrooms, water fountains and a nice pavilion with picnic tables. There are also these cool metal structures in the park and around the trails that gives it a little more character. I was honestly impressed with how clean and well kept the park was. I was also a little curious as to why there weren't more people at this great spot. While it is somewhat tucked away back in a neighborhood, it's a perfect place to take the family for some time outdoors on a summer evening. If you are in or around the Ruston area, you should definitely visit! 

Railway Coffee's dark roast 

The coolest experience I've had in Ruston so far happened to involve my favorite thing in the whole wide world: coffee. I got the unbelievably cool experience to visit Railway Coffee last week for a behind-the-scenes look at their coffee roasting process. I won't give too much away right now, because I'll be sharing all about it later this week, but this experience was incredible. I got a chance to hear about the passion that the owners have not only for roasting coffee, but for the city of Ruston. I never imagined when I moved to Ruston that I would be able to enjoy coffee that was roasted less than a mile away from my house. I just can't get over how awesome that is. 

That's all I've got for now. Make sure you check back later this week to read more about my travels to Railway Coffee, and don't forget to sign up to follow the blog via email. Until next time, I'll see y'all around town!