For visitors and locals alike, the giant, Victorian-era mansion (the largest in Louisiana) located at 728 Austin Place in downtown Shreveport is the subject of much interest. Whether you call it the Ogilvie-Wiener Mansion, “the True Blood house” (the house was prominently featured in the television show’s opening credits), the Florentine (the building operated as a dinner club by that name during the 1950s), or Austin Place, the fact that this 9,000-square-foot home is now open for tours is welcome news to history lovers.
There’s a lot of great info out there (see this KTBS story) about the mansion’s ongoing restoration, so I won’t rehash that here.
The most exciting news about the property is that it is now open for tours, 3-5 p.m., on Saturdays and Sundays. The home will also host a Halloween tour, 6-8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Admission is a $10 donation to the ongoing restoration project. Children ages seven and under are admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Groups interested in arranging a tour may call (318) 393-0668.
Looking for more things to do around Halloween in Shreveport? Visit www.SBFunGuide.com, our largest local events calendar.
“Everyone who has taken the tour has just been fascinated by it, and all of the money that we raise goes into the continuing restoration,” said Debbie Bryant, who has owned the mansion since 2017. “We go all the way up to the attic, where I have an antique doll collection, and that can be scary for the Halloween tours!”
If, by any chance, you’re looking for more historic tours in downtown Shreveport around Halloween (or any time of year), be sure to check out the new “Tours” page on the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium website, which lists all of their upcoming tours. That building, a National Historic Landmark due to its connections to American music history, offers one of the very best historic tours in town.
Planning a trip to Shreveport-Bossier soon? Request a copy of our Official Visitors’ Guide to Shreveport-Bossier or download a copy of the guide here.
Fall 2019 Giveaway: Enter to win a prize package worth more than $425 from the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. Entries must be received by Nov. 2.
20×49.com is a publication of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.
