LIVINGSTON PARISH - Only accessible by boat, the Blind River Bar has served as a summer hangout spot for the locals of Livingston Parish since the 1980's. 

"One of our biggest questions on our Facebook page is, 'Hey can I get there by car?', and our answer is no you can't," Owner of Blind River Bar Dustin Clouatre said. "You can only get here by boat, and that's the nostalgic part about this place; it's why people love it. If you could get here with a truck, I wouldn't have bought it."

After burning down in 2017, it's been six years since the bar served cold brews and their famous Blind River burger, but new ownership has purchased the property and is making the bar's comeback a priority.

"As a kid we grew up here on the river, I came here with my grandparents, I came here with my family, it's kind of funny when you talk to people not from south Louisiana and you tell them 'I grew up in this bar'", Clouatre said. "They kind of look at you funny."

Last weekend the bar hosted a bash to celebrate beginning of the rebuild.

"There was not any place to park another boat," Clouatre said. 

The bar is still in the process of being built. Right now, a new dock, handrails and the base of the deck are installed. Clouatre says construction of the bar will begin next month, but doing a project on the river has its share of challenges.

"You can be out here, and a fifty cent PVC pipe will ruin two days worth of work because you got to get back to land and got to go to Lowe's, so this is a logistical nightmare," Clouatre said.

Clouatre says his hope is for the bar to return to its former status of being a fun spot for people of all ages to gather during hot Louisiana summers. 

"We hope that Blind River Bar becomes the family hangout spot of the river," Clouatre said. "There are a lot of bars on the river that aren't kid friendly,  and look we plan to party and have a good time, but also have a place for the kids to hangout."

Blind River Bar will include an arcade, splashpad and playground for kids. Clouatre says the bar should open back for business in March of 2024.