2025 BMWDFW Jazz Festival and Crawfish Run

Natchitoches Louisiana

Friday thru Sunday, May 9, 10, 11, 2025

Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA

Host Lodging:
Best Western Hotel
5131 University Blvd (Hwy 6)
Natchitoches, La 71457
Front desk: 318-352-6655
$104/nite all in. Cancel same day at noon ok.

OVERFLOW motels all within walking distance across the parking lot: Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield Inn, Comfort Inn and Express Inn, Travel Express Inn.

The Club is re-introducing this once annual ride to the Natchitoches Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Festival. https://www.natchjazzfest.com/. The festival is an annual event held on the banks of the Cane River in downtown Natchitoches. You can check out the website to see the festival agenda and name brand entertainment on Fri and Sat night. This weekend will include a Friday ride down thru east Texas through some of our favorite East Texas roads ending in Natchitoches, La. Fri early evening we will dine at the Crawfish Hole in Natchitoches where you can have the mudbugs boiled, fried, etouffee or live. They have other fish food too. Saturday we will have a short ride to tour the Nat’l Park Service’s Cane River Creole Plantation.( Or you can make a ride on your own.) https://www.nps.gov/cari/planyourvisit/index.htm (btw John Wayne and William Holden starred in a civil war era movie filmed here called “The Horse Soldiers”). After the park visit we will make a short ride to lunch Cane River Commissary. Post lunch a nice ride back to the hotel to relax for the afternoon. Dinner could be from vendors at the festival, or Mariners Lake Front Restaurant on Sibley Lake, or several quickie food places around the hotel area.

Weekend Agenda and Plan

Friday May 9th: Meet at the Buc-ees at old Hwy 80, FM 148 and I 20 in Terrell Tx at 8:00 am. KSU at 8:30. This will be a “no lunch” ride down in hopes of getting into Natchitoches in time to relax a bit and then hit the crawfish spot earlyish maybe 5:30. So grab a snack or power bar or sandwich if needed. A club route will be posted but basically the ride will snake down thru east Texas with a couple of fuel and power stops and stretch stops and on to Natchitoches La. Ride with the group or on your own but plan to be at the hotel in time to leave for dinner at the Crawfish Hole at 5;30 pm.

Saturday May 10th: Depart the hotel at 9:00 for a short ride to the NPS’s Cane River Creole Plantation. Here we will take a self-guided walk through a historic plantation complete with slave shacks and restored original plantation home. https://www.nps.gov/cari/planyourvisit/index.htm After the tour we will ride down the Cane toward lunch at the nifty little Cane River Commissary . Back to the hotel post lunch. Sat evening enjoy the Jazz festival downtown or some members may have a nice dinner at Mariners Lakefront Restaurant on Lake Sibley which is close by (reservations recommended.).

Sunday, May 11th: Hook up with a group or pick your own route. A fairly direct but yet backroad route will be posted for the trip back to DFW or ride on your own.