Posted in Louisiana September 27, 2017 by

The Small Town In Louisiana You’ve Never Heard Of But Will Fall In Love With

Over in Sabine Parish, there’s a quiet little town that comes alive for one weekend, and it’s worth your while to check it out. Spend a weekend in Zwolle for an epic adventure of tamales, nature trails, fishing and maybe even a ghost sighting. Interested? Read on!

The town of Zwolle was officially founded in 1898, but the town has a much deeper history.
Natives of Zwolle & Ebarb/Facebook
In its earliest days, the area was inhabited by the Native Americans and then later colonized by Spain, and these cultures are still very present when you visit today.
This sleepy little town of less than 2000 people comes alive during the second week of October for the annual Tamale Fiesta.
Zwolle Tamale Fiesta/Facebook
The dates this year for the festival are October 12-14, so mark your calendars!
The town’s signature festival began in the 1970s to celebrate their Spanish and Native American heritage, and it’s been going strong ever since.
Zwolle Tamale Fiesta/Facebook
This unique festival includes a carnival, craft vendors, a mud bog competition, horse trail rides, and of course, tamales.
After you’ve eaten all the tamales, head on over to North Toledo Bend State Park. (2907 North Toledo Park Road, Zwolle)
North Toledo Bend State Park/Facebook
Toledo Bend is one of the country’s largest man-made reservoir and it's a fisherman’s paradise. The park encompasses more than 900 acres of camping, hiking, biking and boating just waiting for you to explore. Just look at that fall foliage! Simply breathtaking.

Rent a cabin for the weekend for an absolutely perfect weekend.
There are two trails that are great for hiking and biking, a 1.5-mile loop and a 4-mile loop that’s a little more demanding.
mcp2008/Trip Advisor
You can also rent a canoe and take your exploration to the water for a relaxing afternoon.
If you're still up for an adventure after that, there’s the legend of the crying woman on Grady Hill, a ghost story that’s quite familiar with the locals.
Matthew/Wikimedia
Oral tradition has passed this story down from generation to generation, so some of the details have become a bit blurry over the years. Some say she is a Native American woman, other say she’s a Spanish woman. Legend has it that she lost her child (or perhaps the child was murdered) and late at night you can hear her crying out for her child. The mysterious female is said to have long flowing black hair and appears as a fluttering white light of sorts.

So pack your bags and head on over to Zwolle for a weekend you won’t soon forget. Are you planning on going to the Tamale Fiesta? Let us know in the comments!