"At the end of the day, people are just sitting out in their rocking chairs with a glass of wine, talking to their neighbors, and people are walking on the sidewalks," developer Jimmy Nunnally told the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report in October 2013. "It just works if you build it like this."
He was making that case from a second-floor table at Stab's, looking out over the great lawn. Thirteen years later, that sidewalk has somewhere to go, but only during certain hours. Today the town center at Magnolia Square runs on two schedules: a restaurant's posted hours and the appointment books of a handful of independent spa suites. If you live here, knowing those two schedules is how a well-designed street becomes part of your week.
A plan that put the destination inside the neighborhood
Most subdivisions in Central were built as homes on a road, with everything else a drive away. Magnolia Square was planned the other way around. Nunnally and Steele Pollard acquired the 185-acre tract on Lovett Road in 2006. They hired designer Steve Oubre and held the groundbreaking on Feb. 22, 2008, for what Central City News described as East Baton Rouge Parish's first officially designated traditional neighborhood development.
The Business Report's 2013 feature listed the parts that make a TND: wide sidewalks, New Orleans-style architecture with double balconies and detailed wrought iron, and a "great lawn" fronting the restaurant. The original approval allowed up to 510 homes, with retail and commercial space mixed in. At the time of that story, 88 lots had been developed, 71 had sold, and 48 houses by five builders were complete or under construction. The Village kept filling in after that. In 2016, Business Report covered Bardwell Homes buying a second 14-acre Highland District filing for another 43 lots, following a 12-acre first filing the company bought in January 2015.
Timing helped too. Magnolia Square sits about half a mile from the Central Thruway's northern entrance. Pollard and Nunnally held an open house for the town center's businesses on the same day as the highway's July 11 ribbon cutting in 2013. Then-Mayor Mac Watts gave a compliment that hasn't gone stale: "Man, that's a fine development. Any time someone comes in, that's one of the places I show them."
The anchor that sets the clock
In 2013, Stab's Steak & Seafood was one of nine businesses in the Village, and Business Report called it "purportedly the first fine dining restaurant" in a city that had only incorporated in 2005. It is still the anchor. Its own site lists the address as 13438 Magnolia Square Circle, phone (225) 771-8181.
Stab's posts its hours as separate services, and that format can hide the actual shape of the week. Laid out by day, it looks like this:
| Day | What's open at Stab's |
|---|---|
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Wednesday to Friday | Lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., then dinner 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Saturday | Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. |
| Sunday | Brunch 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., then dinner 3 to 8 p.m. |
Sunday is the only day the kitchen runs straight through from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. with no gap. Lunch exists only three days a week. Saturday has no lunch at all. If you're walking over with an out-of-town guest on a Saturday afternoon, the doors open at 5. Monday calls go to voicemail, and the restaurant says it will return the call.
The menu has kept the dishes Business Report ate at lunch back in 2013. That story mentioned boudin spring rolls with sweet ponzu and crab cakes that were "basically all crab and no cake." The current menu still lists Cajun boudin spring rolls and a jumbo lump crab cake, along with charbroiled oysters, BBQ shrimp and grits, smoked prime rib and filet mignon. The brunch menu offers bottomless mimosas with an entrée until 3 p.m., which is also when Sunday brunch turns into Sunday dinner.
In 2013, Stab's told Business Report it planned to host events on the great lawn once the weather cooled. The restaurant's current events page has no dated schedule, so check with Stab's before planning an evening around the lawn.
Same building number, a second schedule
The other business you can confirm from its own site shares Stab's building number. Magnolia Square Spa & Wellness Suites is at 13438 Magnolia Square Drive, Suite C. Stab's lists its address as Magnolia Square Circle, while the spa uses Magnolia Square Drive, so it helps to know both names when giving directions. The spa describes itself as a collection of independent spa and wellness providers, and its current list of suite owners includes:
- Elite Nail Suite, Suite 102
- Magnolia Massage, Suite 105
- Massage Central, Suite 106
- Soluna Studio, Suite 107
The spa says availability varies by suite owner, and bookings are made through each business. That makes Suite C the opposite of Stab's. The restaurant posts one fixed timetable for everyone, while each suite keeps its own calendar. A massage at Massage Central and a late lunch at Stab's can fit in one walk on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, because those are the only days the restaurant serves lunch.
Some marketing copy about the Village still mentions Avant Tous Day Spa, a name that goes back to the 2013 tenant announcements. The current Suite C directory lists a different set of providers. If you have an old gift card or a favorite stylist from that era, call before you go.
What the 2013 wish list still points to
Business Report reported that Nunnally was "looking hard now for a coffee shop and a specialty grocer" for the town center. Those were the two businesses that would have given the sidewalks a reason for a weekday morning walk. Among the businesses we could confirm through their own current websites, neither a coffee shop nor a specialty grocer is on the list. The rest of the 2013 roster also needs a fresh check. Business Report listed a bank, an insurance agency, an Edward Jones office, a salon and a title company that year, and none of those openings could be confirmed as still in place today.
So for the small daytime treat the plan imagined, you'll need to drive a little. The Advocate covered Happy Scoops Ice Cream Parlor at 13623 Hooper Road, Suite A, a family-run shop with a 1950s theme. According to that story, the menu covers Blue Bell ice cream, shakes, malts, floats, nachos and hot dogs. The article doesn't show a publication date, so check the shop's current hours before promising anyone a malt.
The one Saturday Central comes to a single corner
The town center is built for small, regular outings. Central's biggest holiday gathering is still a drive away, and this year it falls on one day. The City of Central calendar puts both of its December headline events on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026.
- Christmas Parade, Joor Road. The city calendar lists 9 to 11 a.m. but notes "Time TBD" in the description, so the schedule could still change.
- Christmas Tree Lighting, Hooper and Sullivan. The city's announcement places it in the Hancock Whitney parking lot starting at 5:45 p.m. The calendar lists an end time of 6:30, and the city's live feed lists 7:00.
- Santa's Mailbox, City Hall. Open Dec. 7 through Dec. 18, the Monday through Friday of the following two weeks.
That Saturday overlaps with Stab's posted hours. The parade ends before the restaurant opens, and dinner service starts at 5 p.m., 45 minutes before the tree lighting begins. If you live in the Village, you could have dinner on Magnolia Square Circle either before or after the lighting at Hooper and Sullivan. Before you plan the evening, confirm Stab's holiday hours, the parade's final start time and the lighting's end time with the restaurant and the city.
In a TND, a home's value can depend on which filing it's in and how far it sits from the great lawn and Stab's. If you're thinking about what your home on these sidewalks is worth, Franklin Group can walk the comparables with you, filing by filing. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
