Caddo Lake has always captivated me with its cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, the wildlife that is creeping around through the bayou and the serene quietness. I’d been dying to go there and finally had a chance to escape there with the family. It is the perfect retreat when you’re looking for a slow down from everyday life. We had the absolute best time on this trip! We would love to buy our own property and visit over and over!

Caddo Lake is located near Shreveport, LA on the border of Texas and Louisiana (about 3 hours from Dallas, TX). We wanted to stay on the bayou so we could fish right off the docks of the property. We found a great air bnb called “Look Away Lodge.” It was right on the water with a few different docks to fish or launch kayaks from.

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The property had a gorgeous upper deck over with an amazing view looking out to the bayou. If the view wasn’t enough, the deck had charming twinkle lights, a grill, full bar area, outside lounge area, and large table with chairs. We loved eating dinner outside, playing card games together, watching the occasional fishing boat motoring by, and even celebrated my daughter’s birthday with a cake the hosts left for us. There were benches off one of the docks with a fire pit where we roasted hot dogs for dinner and marshmallows for s’mores.

The inside of Look Away Lodge was very comfortable with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, kitchen, dining area, laundry facilities and Netflix when you were ready to relax for the night.

Our cell reception was spotty at best, so if we needed to reach the outside world, we had to hook into the wifi. I actually really loved that we were a bit more unplugged and could enjoy spending quality time in the open air.

We didn’t spend much time around other people besides our family. One of the interactions we had was when we headed to the bait and tackle shop to grab some worms for fishing. The store owners were pretty proud of their “real modern working bathrooms” out in the wood in back of the shop that had flushing toilets and outdoor running sinks. The kids weren’t impressed with the mosquito filled conditions, but I was glad we had a quick place to stop that wasn’t behind a tree.

The only other time we were with other people was when we were aboard a pontoon boat for Captain Ron’s Swamp Tour of the Lake. It was supposed to be about an hour, but he was so generous and extended the tour another hour to show us all different parts of the bayou. We learned a lot about the lake’s history, got to practice calling to different owls and enjoyed seeing some wildlife. There was a fun little gift shop at Captain Ron’s where you can purchase real alligator heads that have been preserved. I thought they were pretty creepy, but my husband and boys couldn’t pass up that purchase.

There are great canoe trails that are clearly marked through out the bayou. Packing a lunch and grabbing a couple kayaks for an adventure down trail C will take you to see the best parts of the lake!!

The only things I would change next time, is to go when things are a bit greener (though the weather was gorgeous and the winter look is still amazing), and to stay longer!!

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