it's always so fun coming here and seeing the ducks! i'm so grateful to have grown up nearby the…read morepond

Grew up there. Well done. Always great to see new generations enjoy my park, and to visit the tree…read morethat grows out over the water where now five generations of my family have gone to watch sunrises, make diary entries, and assuage troubled souls

Very nice and fun park! Clean and has lots of sitting areas for parents, pretty plants and…read moreinteresting play things for the kids like a sand box. We don't have that where I'm from so I found it quite charming. Mostly it was clean and nice with a good walking area and lots of field space to run around.

This was a Clean nice friendly park. Walking trail…read moretoo.......................................................i enjoy my time meditating there

Waterfront walks do something for the soul, and this side of the park is no different!…read more Venture around here close to sunset for some ideal reflections and views, ideally after a candy and clothing shopping spree :)

This park, nestled comfortably and purposefully, against the banks of the Red River in downtown…read moreShreveport, serves up memories to me, as profound as they are plenty. Just a mere few weeks after 9/11/01, this city hosted its' annual Fall Festival, the Red River Revel. And during this particular year, the Gypsy Songman himself, Jerry Jeff Walker was to be headlining one of the Saturday nights. My chums and I, all huge, adoring Jerry Jeff fans, went to the show in full vigor. I myself, consuming what was pretty much my own body weight at that time, in draft beer, during each and every song, and after show's end, then venturing to a local tavern across town, where I would ultimately end up unconscious, and seeking the comforts, spread eagle no less, of said tavern's convenient outdoor parking, and the asphalt thereof. And this, only after regurgitating some of my stomach's contents into an empty pint glass, inside said tavern. Then there was July 4th, 2005. It was the night before my Father passed away. I sat in my Father's hospital room, and he, on his death bed. The television hanging on the wall, was tuned in to a local station, which was broadcasting live from this very park, for its' annual Independence Day celebration. And on this night, at this very sad moment, I remember sitting in that chair in that room, my Father resting, and looking up at that television screen, and seeing all the people, all the visitors to the park that day, families, and couples. As the camera panned the large crowd, hundreds, maybe thousands of faces. They all looked so happy. So carefree. Life was so beautiful for them. I was going through one of the worst times of my life. And then, down at the festivities, the recorded voice of Louie Armstrong, and his song, "What A Wonderful World" began playing. I could hear it on tv. My Father remained asleep peacefully. I just began crying. Of course, there are other memories of this park, less heavy, and not as important maybe. I remember another Red River Revel, years later. Where I jumped up on stage with local band Dirtfoot and showed all forward looking eyeballs my latest and greatest dance maneuvers, as interpreted from the music the band was playing. This delighted both my future wife and festival security immensely. There have also been countless enjoyable viewings of outdoor films here courtesy of Movies and Moonbeams. Recently, this park was deluged with waters from the adjacent Red River, and suffered extensive damage. In recent months, as festival seasons have come and gone, this area has not been available or open. It appears now that most, if not all, repairs, as well as planned upgrades, are now complete. Hopefully, this park will once again become the focal point of all activity and highlights during festivals, as well as day to day downtown recreation.

Great walking trails and space for kids to enjoy nature. Renovations were well thought out. Follow…read moreme on TikTok and Facebook @weekend.thrifter

Nice nature center building with exhibits and rest rooms. Pavilion available. Good trails. This…read moreplace looks original before civilization came to Shreveport. Bring a picnic lunch and bug spray.

I currently live in Manhattan, but recently came home for a week , and I couldn't wait to bring my…read morelittle girl to Betty Virginia Park , and my daughter had a great time. Only an idiot would try to compare this park to Central Park in NYC, not a very intelligent comparison. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Fitness Instructors conducting classes in the park , it actually motivated me !!! Looking forward to seeing the park in the fall.

This park has always been one of my favorites. I remember coming here when I was a kid. Last time I…read morewas there was for the Out of the Darkness Suicide Awareness Walk. The whole place is very clean with a walking trail and very pretty scenery. The playground equipment has obviously been updated since I was a kid but all still good and safe.

We stayed here a couple nights for spring break. The beach wasn't open during spring time, but the…read morenature center and Zoo were open. The Zoo is about a five minute site, deer, pigs, roosters, peacocks, and an Alligator. Nature center gave quite a bit of info on local wildlife. Trails and lake areas were beautiful. Peaceful and quite during spring, not sure what the other seasons are like. Doesn't come up on RV search hardly anywhere. But would come again. Not very expensive either for some incredible views. http://www.cypressblackbayou.com/rentals/rvs

Beautiful location for tent camping. It would have been perfect except for some noisy neighbors who…read moreparked their car where I was supposed to pitch my tent. Otherwise I'd give it a 5 star review. You need to walk a bit to set up camp but not too far.

Full of comfortable walking trails it would be easy to spend all day here. The visitors center (now…read moreclosed for Covid) looks like it's full of fun useful information. But so are the walking trails. Plenty of opportunities to read and educate yourself. Paved biking trails are available as well as unpaved hiking. Currently no wash rooms. Plenty of parking. A little history for ya- The Visitor Center, Headquarters Offices and Education Center opened in January 2012.  The refuge is important to waterfowl, wading birds and songbirds especially. The first land purchase was made in August 2002 consisting of 1,377 acres. Red River NWR is comprised of a headquarters unit and four additional focus units.  Once 50,000 acres has been acquired, the refuge will connect with other conservation areas reducing habitat fragmentation and providing wildlife corridors and stop-over areas for migrating waterfowl and songbirds.

The refuge is the perfect spot for a walk, hike, run, or biking adventure! Each of the trails offer…read morea different perspective of the refuge and there's amazing birds and wildlife that you could see along the way! I love taking my puppy here to hike and enjoy the lake and river. It is pet and kid friendly! Please sign in at the visitors center when you first come! Signatures keep the refuge open and able to enjoy :)

It's a beautiful place. Lots of good trails beautiful lake friendly people…read more Lots of birds and animals to watch .

While it's smaller, with less infrastructure than Martin Creek Lake or Caddo Lake, it's has some…read morelegitimately pretty (and somewhat wilder) trails. They have a self payment envelope and mailbox system, just FYI.

My 10 and 7 year old children now refer to this as their favorite park in the country. (We road…read moretrip a lot.) During a recent cross-country venture, I was really grateful to come across this place. Plenty of easy, free parking. Clean, free restrooms. Tons of grass to run around / walk in, as well as a walking path. And -- my children's favorite part -- a really large, nice playground structure with lots of unique pieces and features that you don't find at the more standard playgrounds. Really great place overall. So grateful to have stumbled upon it.

So it's basically a paved concrete track with a big sports field in the middle. But that simplicity…read moremakes it a nice gathering place. It's surrounded by a quiet neighborhood so that makes it feel more cozy.

With the recent sudden passing of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash, and…read morethe National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs returning to the Super Bowl this upcoming Sunday. The final game of the season. A game the Chiefs have not played in since 1970. 50 years. A victory in Super Bowl IV over the Minnesota Vikings and their universally-feared defense, The Purple People Eaters. I feel this is as timely of a review as I could write right now. The Chiefs are back in the big game. An icon has left this planet, leaving us all stunned and even more so reminding us all how precious and short all of this really is for all of us. And this brings me to Joe Delaney. The man for whom this park is proudly named. Joe Delaney graduated from Haughton High School. He was a Buccaneer. And until Josh Martin became Barney The Dinosaur, and also a primary Dragon Ball Z voice actor, and then just a few Buccaneer generations later, Dak Prescott went on to Mississippi State and then was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys to become their current starter at quarterback, before all of that, Joe Delaney was the most famous graduate of Haughton High School in Bossier Parish. He was Mr. Buccaneer. He was Haughton through and through. He was a fantastic football player. An amazing running back. This is true. He excelled at Northwestern State University as a Demon in football and track in the late 1970's and 1980. He was drafted by the Chiefs in the second round of the 1981 NFL draft. He played two seasons in the offensive backfield and scorched franchise record books in the process. All of this stands to great measure. But this is not the measure of a man. And certainly not the measure of this man. For the greatest move he ever made wasn't to leap over a pile of opposing defenders, or stiff arm a defensive end. No. His greatest move came at the end. On June 29th, 1983 on the banks of a pond in Monroe. Three children, of no relation to him, were in the pond. Drowning right in front of him. Crying for help. Joe Delaney could not swim. He knew he had to do something. He knew he must act. He was the AFC Rookie of the Year. He had two years of professional football on his resume'. He had a tremendous career and life ahead of him. He was twenty-four-years-old. He jumped into the pond to save those children. He lost it all. One child survived. Another passed away in the hospital. The other was recovered from the pond with Joe. It's hard to imagine many of today's current self-absorbed, social media-driven high-profile millionaire athletes taking action much the same. What Joe Delaney did with his last day here on Earth is heartbreaking and remarkable in every which way. How his heroic story is not more publicized and honored is beyond me. The man truly had it all. And he didn't hesitate for one second to do the right thing, even knowing that he might not come back from it. Joe Delaney is hero. I hope that he will always be remembered. This park here in Haughton is named after him.

Nice clear playground. Grass is well tended and no trash lying around. Fence around the park makes…read moreit a safe place to take kids!