↑

  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Main Dish
      • Casseroles
      • Main Dishes: Beef
      • Main Dishes: Pork
      • Main Dishes: Poultry
      • Main Dishes: Vegetarian
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Sandwiches
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
      • Slow Cooker
      • Instant Pot
      • Holidays
  • Travel
  • Fitness & Health
    • health
    • free workouts
    • buy chanelle’s eBook!
    • shop chanelle’s faves
  • Pets
  • Crafts & DIY
  • Lifestyle
    • entertainment
    • home decor
    • productivity
    • style & beauty

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • About Me
  • Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Eat Move Make

recipes | DIY | lifestyle

  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Main Dish
      • Casseroles
      • Main Dishes: Beef
      • Main Dishes: Pork
      • Main Dishes: Poultry
      • Main Dishes: Vegetarian
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Sandwiches
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
      • Slow Cooker
      • Instant Pot
      • Holidays
  • Travel
  • Fitness & Health
    • health
    • free workouts
    • buy chanelle’s eBook!
    • shop chanelle’s faves
  • Pets
  • Crafts & DIY
  • Lifestyle
    • entertainment
    • home decor
    • productivity
    • style & beauty
Home » Travel » Louisiana » Self-Guided Bonnie and Clyde Trail in Louisiana

Self-Guided Bonnie and Clyde Trail in Louisiana

By: Liz  /  Published: July 25, 2022  /  Updated: July 25, 2022  /   Leave a comment

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Louisiana's Bonnie & Clyde Trail

If you’re traveling along I-20 in Northern Louisiana between Shreveport and Monroe and in the mood for a bit of outlaw history and true crime nostalgia, hop off the interstate and onto the self-guided Bonnie and Clyde Trail in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

death car replica in front of posse poster

A Brief History of Bonnie and Clyde

The infamous Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are known for a string of robberies, murders, and kidnappings between 1932 and 1934, during the Great Depression.

The media glamorized their exploits, and the public was captivated by Bonnie and Clyde. The romantic notion of inseparable bandits on the run made them “public folk heroes” instead of “public enemies.”

After a nearly two-year chase by the police and Bureau of Investigations (now the FBI), the pair was ambushed and shot dead in a legendary capture and kill event in Louisiana.

Bonnie_Clyde photo

Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum

2419 Main St. Gibsland, LA 71028
Website

outside Bonnie and Clyde Ambush museum

Make your first stop at the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum in the small town of Gibsland, Louisiana. The museum is in the old Ma Canfield’s Cafe building, where Clyde stopped to order a fried bologna sandwich for himself and a BLT for Bonnie just 10 minutes before the ambush.

Ma Canfield's Cafe memorabilia

When you enter the museum, you can start checking out all the artifacts or take a seat and watch a looping video about the ambush—it’s well worth a viewing. Don’t miss it!

Bonnie and Clyde museum
The stool at the bottom of this photo is where Clyde supposedly sat when ordering his last meal.

The bulk of the exhibit is in the next room, and the walls are plastered from top to bottom with memorabilia.

Bonnie Parker's cigar photo

There’s a bit of a dusty flea market vibe to the museum, but if you’re willing to poke around a bit, it’s worth it. The collection contains photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, and personal effects.

inside Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum

One of the more gruesome parts of the museum is the bullet-riddled and bloodstained replica of Bonnie and Clyde’s death car.

replica_Bonnie and Clyde car

The bodies of Bonnie and Clyde lie slaughtered inside, covered in blood and broken glass. They’re dummies, of course, but the effect is chilling.

replica of bullet riddled death car

There’s also a “morgue” where the dead bodies lie, and their grisly death photos are on the wall above. It’s horrifying yet fascinating.

bloodied death mannequins Bonnie and Clyde

Less bloody but certainly macabre are the replica graves of Bonnie and Clyde.

It was their wish to be buried together, but in reality, Bonnie’s family refused to do so, and they were buried in separate cemeteries in Dallas.

museum graves and Bonnie Parker's poem
Bonnie Parker’s poem appears on the wall above the graves.

If you look carefully, there are some fascinating finds like remnants of the actual death car and one of the shotguns found in the vehicle.

pieces of Bonnie And Clyde death car

If you’re a Bonnie and Clyde fan, allow at least an hour to watch the video and explore the museum before heading to your next trail stop.

Bonnie_Clyde photo

Historic Gas Station

S. First St., Gibsland, LA

historic gas station in Gibsland LA

At this abandoned gas station just around the corner from the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum, a plaque indicates that this is where Ranger Frank Hamer called the FBI, announcing that Bonnie and Clyde were dead.

gas station historic site sign

The sign shows where the phone was located, and the actual phone is now in the museum, so look for it when you visit!

famous gas station pay phone
The actual phone is located in the Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum in the video room.

Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Site

Highway 154, Gibsland, LA

Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Site historical markers
Ambush site outside Gibsland, Louisiana

Historic markers now rest where Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed and killed on May 23, 1934, outside Gibsland.

Officers were hiding in the brush, and when Bonnie and Clyde’s car appeared, the law enforcement officers opened fire with automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols. Film footage taken immediately after the ambush showed about 112 bullet holes in the vehicle. Bonnie and Clyde didn’t have a chance.

historic marker at ambush site

Sadly, people have chipped away and shot at the Bonnie and Clyde marker in hopes of a souvenir, and it’s covered in graffiti, so it’s tough to read.

objects left on Bonnie and Clyde ambush marker
Trinkets left by visitors

The plaque honoring the six officers who lost their lives during the ambush has also been defaced but not as severely.

lawmen historic marker

Directions from Ambush Museum to Ambush Site: Head south 2.5 miles on Hwy 154. Watch the highway signs and turn right to stay on Hwy 154. (Straight is Hwy 517.) Follow Hwy 154 for 5-6 miles. Look for the pair of interpretive markers on the right side of the road. There’s space to pull over and park your car.

Gibsland Louisiana mural

Bonnie and Clyde Embalming Site

Henderson Jordan Memorial Park
1876 North Railroad Avenue, Arcadia, LA

This park sits at the former location of Conger’s Furniture Store and Funeral Parlor where the death car with Bonnie and Clyde’s corpses inside was towed following the ambush. Bonnie and Clyde were autopsied and embalmed here as crowds of people arrived to see the bodies and tear apart the car for souvenirs.

A bronze plaque in the park commemorates the six ambush posse members.

More Bonnie and Clyde Trail Stops

  • Ruston, LA – At the corner of West Georgia and North Trenton streets was once a boardinghouse from which Bonnie and Clyde stole a Ford V8. Its owner, H.D. Darby, a local mortician, and a female friend chased after them. The outlaws kidnapped them but ultimately released them. The irony is that H.D. Darby would one day be their undertaker.
  • Shreveport, LA (422 Milan St.) – There was a diner called the Majestic Cafe where Bonnie and Clyde met with an accomplice, Henry Melvin. They left before him, and he tried to walk out without paying and was arrested. Under police questioning, he spilled the beans that Bonnie and Clyde’s hideout was at his family farm. That information ultimately led to the ambush.

I didn’t have time to visit all six of these stops (just the first three), and they were definitely worth the detour. I got the inspiration from reading about it on LouisianaTravel.com

Read More Louisiana Travel Articles

  • Exploring Central Louisiana
  • Things to Do in Monroe-West Monroe
  • Frogmore Plantation
  • Things to Do in Baton Rouge

Related topics
Louisiana Travel

About Liz

Liz is a midwestern mom gone southern (accent in transition). She lives in North Carolina and loves cooking, baking, traveling, movies, crafts, hot and cold tea, wine, pizza and the occasional nap. She also revels in the fact she's a crazy cat lady.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

liz mays photo

Welcome!

I’m Liz! Thank you for visiting Eat Move Make. Here you will find a collection of easy & delicious year-round recipes, seasonal ideas and DIY craft inspiration as well as exciting travel destination ideas! Visit my About Me page for more of my story.

recipes in your inbox

Subscribe for the latest updates

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Summer Favorites

chocolate oozing from side of black and white s'mores

Black and White S’mores (A Twist on the Black and White Cookie)

bowl of strawberry banana cheesecake salad with strawberries and bananas on top

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad

patriotic jello cups in small clear cups

Red, White and Blue Jello Cups

hand holding spicy burger

Grilled Spicy Burgers

blueberry cheesecake salad

Blueberry Cheesecake Salad

A close up of a sandwich sitting on top of a table

Fiesta Burgers – Grilled Burgers with a Mexican Twist

slice of strawberry cream cheese pie

Strawberry Cream Cheese Jello Pie

dessert bars on plate

Red, White and Blue Bars

Slush and Strawberry

Skinny Strawberry White Wine Slush

firecracker cupcakes

Firecracker Cupcakes

Popular Posts

swamp soup in white bowls on white table with basket of corn muffins

Easy Turnip Green Soup (Swamp Soup)

hand holding symphony brownie

Symphony Brownies

close-up Bisquick impossible cheeseburger pie

Bisquick Impossible Cheeseburger Pie Recipe

mock chow mein casserole in dish on table

Mock Chow Mein Casserole Recipe

cranberry chili meatballs

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chili Meatballs Recipe

slow cooker turkey tenderloin

Slow Cooker Turkey Tenderloin with Maple Glaze and Wild Rice

A plate of cookies

Pistachio Pudding Cookies with Chocolate Chips

olive salad in bowl

Muffuletta Olive Salad Recipe

eat move make featured in graphic

Footer

Meet Liz

Meet Liz

Hey there, i’m Liz!

I’m the founder of Eat Move Make and a North Carolina mom of two humans and six cats. I love to cook, bake, craft and travel. I’m also addicted to tea (but not sweet tea).

When I’m not creating something in my kitchen, and since my kids are now adults, I’m all about my bucket list of travel destinations and adventures.

recipes in your inbox

Subscribe for the latest updates

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.
©2022, Eat Move Make / About / Terms Of Use / Privacy Policy / Site by Pixel Me Designs