The National Scenic Byway Association is thrilled to declare September 22 as National Scenic Byway Day, a nationwide celebration inviting travelers to rediscover America’s most breathtaking, culturally rich, and story‑filled roads. The Boom or Bust Byway is celebrating this annual observance during a milestone year for American travel heritage. 2026 marks America’s 250th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Numbered Highway System, the historic grid that transformed early routes into the modern network of highways that shaped American mobility. With road trips continuing to dominate vacation trends, National Scenic Byway Day offers the perfect excuse to take the scenic route and explore the authentic character of the USA.
Shreveport-Bossier sits at the heart of one of Louisiana’s most storied scenic drives. The Boom or Bust National Scenic Byway, designated a National Scenic Byway in 2021, stretches more than 130 miles along Highway 2 through four parishes—Caddo, Bossier, Webster and Claiborne—carrying travelers through the dramatic rise and fall of the region’s oil and gas industry. Along the way, visitors can explore the Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum in Oil City, step inside the only functioning antebellum courthouse in Louisiana in Homer, and drift along the cypress-draped shores of Caddo Lake, a 30,000-acre Ramsar wetland straddling the Texas-Louisiana border. Whether visitors come for the history, scenery, antique shops or local diners tucked into the pine hills, the Boom or Bust Byway delivers Louisiana’s soul in equal measure. National Scenic Byway Day is the perfect occasion to experience it.
In recognition of the byway’s importance to Northwest Louisiana, the Town of Plain Dealing, Village of Gilliam and Bossier Parish Police Jury have each issued proclamations recognizing September 22, 2026, as National Scenic Byway Day. The proclamations celebrate the Boom or Bust National Scenic Byway’s scenic, historic, cultural, recreational, archaeological and natural treasures, as well as its contributions to tourism, local businesses and quality of life throughout the communities it connects…