Tori’s Travels: A Month of Exploring Ruston

Written By Tori Ward, CVB Marketing/PR Assistant

Hey y’all! I’m so glad you’re checking in with me today to catch up with my latest Ruston travels. I’ve been in this charming town for a month now, and each week there is something new to do and my list of places to visit gets longer and longer! This past week I made quite possibly some of the most fun memories yet since moving to Ruston.

Ruston Farmer's Market 

Last Saturday, I woke up earlier than usual, so I decided to take a trip to the Ruston Farmer’s Market. I heard from several people that you can find the best homegrown tomatoes, squash and zucchini in town at the Farmer’s Market, and this girl loves some fresh veggies. I had a slightly difficult time finding the Farmer’s Market, only because I can’t read a simple map, but once I located it, I was quite surprised by the number of people who were there at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

Iced Coffee from Railway Coffee

I was even more impressed by the variety of booths at the Farmer’s Market. You could have your pick from homemade jams and jellies, fresh muffins, cookies and cakes, locally roasted coffee, homegrown fruits and vegetables, and several more delicious goodies! They even had some low-key live music, which made the experience all the more fun and enjoyable. I have a coffee problem, so naturally I went for an iced coffee from Railway Coffee, a local small-batch roaster. Overall, it was a really fun experience and a great way to start my weekend! Definitely visit the Ruston Farmer’s Market this Saturday, Aug. 8 from 8 a.m.- 12 p.m., because it’s the last Farmer’s Market of the summer season.

I was all jazzed up last week because my dad came to visit me for the first time since I moved to Ruston. I planned our whole day and we were set to go to all my favorite Ruston spots. We did a driving tour around town and went to Mitcham Farms, Lincoln Parish Park and Super 1 (thanks for the groceries dad).

Andouille poboy melt from Ponchatoulas

After running around, we built up quite an appetite and ended our day with dinner at Ponchatoulas, a local favorite in Downtown Ruston. I love the laid-back atmosphere of this Cajun-styled restaurant. We started with some delicious fried pickles and both ordered poboys for our main meal, although our poboys ended up looking quite different. Dad got their classic Peacemaker Poboy, which comes with fried shrimp AND fried oysters, and he found the combo to be quite tasty. I opted for an andouille poboy melt with sautéed mushrooms and onions on sourdough, so it ended up being more like an andouille sandwich. Regardless, it was AMAZING and I was in food heaven. Also, the onion rings are killer and I highly recommend them. After dinner, we grabbed a drink and threw a game of darts in the little bar area of the restaurant. Overall, it was a very successful daddy-daughter day!

Tori and friends at the Corey Smith concert

I ended my week on an insanely fun note. A few weeks ago I heard that there was going to be a Corey Smith concert at The Revelry of Ruston. I immediately bought tickets and got a group of my friends on board to come. Let me tell you, it was a good thing we got our tickets in advance because the show SOLD OUT. I’ve never been to a show at The Revelry, and I had no idea that this type of music venue even existed in Ruston. There’s an outside stage and partially-covered area where the concert took place, and it was packed with people. The venue is very well laid out, so even though there were a ton of people, it honestly wasn’t uncomfortably crowded. We had an absolute blast singing and dancing while Luke Combs and Corey Smith put on an incredible show! I will definitely be back for more great shows at The Revelry.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you today, but check back later in the week for more of my travels. See y’all around town!