Quiet, friendly and brimming with southern hospitality. Slidell is a gem in southeastern Louisiana on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. There are lots of festivals, a swamp with elusive alligators, delightful shopping, fine dining and excellent accommodations. In fact, many of the things that make Slidell such a great place to visit also make it a great place to live.

In Slidell, square dancers gather, prize winning camellias are displayed and softball championships are decided. Visitors catch beads during Mardi Gras parades and cabbages during the St. Patrick's Day parade. The community gathers en masse every spring to enjoy a free symphony concert in Heritage Park, and celebrates the spring and fall seasons, which bring the Bayou Jam Concert Series.

Acclaimed in Southern Living, the tree-shaded streets of Olde Towne are filled with visitors and vendors from throughout the south during the Antique District Street Fair in the spring and fall. Every November brings Arts Evening, one of the area's largest cultural festivals, featuring the works of over 100 artists and a variety of live entertainment throughout Olde Towne.

From boiled shrimp overlooking the marina to crawfish fettuccini by candlelight; from po-boys in the park to a snowball in Olde Towne; red beans at the diner to gourmet coffee at a sidewalk table Slidell is a great place to eat. There's even a steak house so popular it doesn't even need a sign.

Live oaks drip with Spanish moss, loblolly pines stretch five stories tall, beds of Louisiana irises nod in the breeze, a graceful white egret tiptoes between the cattails. Photo opportunities abound. A hidden world can be discovered from a flat bottomed boat gliding through the dark waters.

Five star shopping awaits at North Shore Square, the only regional mall that offers five anchor stores, plus a variety of specialty shops. You can shop till you drop.

Christmas Under the Stars twinkle in Griffith Park two weekends in December. Choirs sing carols, storytellers mesmerize the little ones, and a tiny train village delights all. The entire community gets involved. And Santa listens to all requests.

Slidell is on the way to anywhere. At the intersection of three major interstate highways, it's just the right place to stop and relax. Slidell is close to the technology at Stennis Space Center and Lockheed Martin Manned Space Systems, the glitz of New Orleans and the beaches of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.