(
You can see the opening credits for yourself by clicking on the video below.
If your connection is a fast one, try watching
the High Density version.)
Warning:
this video contains somewhat disturbing images.
Q.
What is it actually, in real life?
A.
A liquor store - just not in Bon Temps.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A.
You can find the real Lucky
Liquor at 161
Christian Street, in Shreveport,
Louisiana
That's
at the north/northeast corner of Christian and Fannin Streets, two blocks
northwest of the two white houses,
and five blocks northwest of the Victorian house.
Lucky Liquor is also just a few blocks southwest of the Vampire's
Nest.
Here
is an aerial
photo of the area, with the store marked. And here is a map
link.
(
Warning: Since I haven't been to Shreveport, I can't say whether
this is in a
safe or unsafe part of town. So if you visit, exercise reasonable caution.
)
The
night time photo below was shot by Jen Bark
in 2009. (Thanks, Jen!)
And
this day time photo was shot by Eleanor
& Michelein 2009.
(Thanks!)
These newer photos were sent to me by Sherry D. Wadein June 2014.
(Thanks!)
( Looks like they finally painted the place.)
Here
is the Google StreetView panorama of the liquor store (left-click
on the image to pan around, right-click to zoom):
[Follow-up: I received an email from a fan, Etta, who lived most of her life in Shreveport,
and knows the town well. She suggested I add this warning about the area:
"The
locations for the Lucky Liquor, Victorian House, and the Two White
Houses in the credits are in the downtown Shreveport area
vicinity. I would not advise people to go there alone, especially
after dark. Most of the locations in Shreveport were shot in the
poorer parts of town. I'm sure this was to capture more of the
small town vibe of Bon Temps. Unfortunately, this meant that most
of the places where they shot were not safe. In fact, Sprague
Street (the White Houses location) is infamous for its history of drug
and prostitution activity."
And this comment came from Stafford, another lifelong Shreveport resident:
"It is an extremely dangerous part of town and True Blood fans should
never go there at night and use extreme caution during the day."
Q.
How the heck did you figure out where it was?
A.
This was an easy one. You can see the street
number of 161 on the front of the store, and since the name (Lucky Liquor)
is real, all I had to do was google for "Lucky Liquor, 161" and
it popped right up in Shreveport, not far from the Vampire's Nest.
Finding
this spot first made it easier to find the next two locations in the opening
credits (the two white houses and the Victorian house), since they are
bunched close together. So, I didn't have far to look.
In
fact, I'm pretty sure that the headstone/cemetery glimpsed along the way
is the nearby Oakland Cemetery, but since the Google StreetView photos
don't show the headstone in question, I can't be 100% sure.
