West Monroe Travel and Things to Do Guide

Welcome to Cvent's Event and Meeting Planning Guide to Monroe-West Monroe – a city guide for meeting professionals. A northeast Louisiana city with a small town atmosphere, Monroe-West Monroe is home to unique shopping, delicious regional cuisine, rich history, outdoor adventure and a host of fantastic meeting and sports facilities. The 2012 recipient of Sports Events Media Group's Readers' Choice Award for excellence in the sports event planning industry, Monroe-West Monroe sits along the Ouachita River across from its twin city of Monroe. Easily accessible from I-20 and located between Jackson and Shreveport, Monroe-West Monroe serves as a northeast Louisiana travel hub, thanks to the nearby Monroe Regional Airport. Monroe Regional Airport serves as the original home of Delta Air Lines and today offers direct flights to Atlanta, DFW, Memphis and Houston. The airport also offers direct access to the Monroe Transit public bus system, which operates Monday through Saturday from 6 AM to 6:40 PM. The nation's oldest publicly owned transportation system, Monroe Transit provides service to such major destinations as the Monroe Greyhound station and the Monroe Civic Center, which serves as one of many local event facilities. The largest meeting facility in northeast Louisiana, the Monroe Civic Center spans 31 acres and houses 22,000 square feet of convention center space and an attached 46,000-square-foot arena with stadium seating for 7,600. Delegates have their pick of 15 meeting rooms, a 14,000-square-foot conference hall, 2,000-seat theater and more gathering spaces. A second meeting and event facility choice, the West Monroe Convention Center sits within easy reach of dozens of restaurants, hotels and shops, and offers 13,000 square feet of event space throughout three conference halls, an executive board room, three meeting rooms and a lobby. Beyond the Monroe Civic Center and West Monroe Convention Center, the Monroe-West Monroe area is home to several unique venues that serve as both attractions and group gathering spots. Groups can reserve private tours of the beautiful English gardens, historic home and exhibits at Biedenharn Museum and Gardens, the former home of Joseph Biedenharn, the founder of the Coca Cola industry and one-time Monroe City Commissioner. Monroe's Masur Museum of Art – the largest visual arts museum in northeast Louisiana – showcases a 500-piece permanent collection and offers a variety of group-friendly lectures, classes and workshops. Team building opportunities abound at Monroe's Bayou Bowl, a 40-lane bowling center complete with pool tables, an arcade, lounge and bar and grill. Groups can hold outdoor events at the 160-acre Kiroli Park, which among jogging and nature trails, a fishing pond, gardens and conservatory, features a climate-controlled lodge and covered picnic areas for events. Groups can quench their thirst at the family-owned and -operated Landry Vineyards, which produces quality regional wines, offers free tastings and features cellar and winery tours by appointment.