Discover Monroe

Monroe can be explored through a range of interests on a hotel trip: Black Bayou Lake and the national wildlife refuge of the same name offer nature-focused experiences, while museums spotlight art, regional history, and culture. If you’re looking for a hotel in Monroe, you can first decide which of these themes will be the focus of your trip. The different attractions each offer a distinct emphasis.

Nature at Black Bayou Lake

Black Bayou Lake is a shallow body of water covering about 1,500 acres, with bald cypress and water tupelo trees. Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge encompasses numerous habitat types and is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. The lake is notable for its approximate size, shallow depth, and the tree species mentioned, while the refuge expands this perspective to include the diversity of its habitats and species. The nature theme thus spans everything from a single body of water to a broader range of habitats.

Activities for visitors at the refuge include the Wildlife Pier and the Nature Trail Boardwalk. The nature offerings therefore include not only the lake and diverse habitats, but also two specific visitor attractions. For planning purposes, you can consider these interests separately: the shallow lake and its tree species, the diversity of habitats, and activities at the refuge.

Museums, Gardens, and Regional History

The museums differ both in their subjects and in the historical periods they explore. Alongside its role as an art institution, the Masur Museum of Art has a specific building history: the building was originally constructed as a private residence in 1929. If you’re interested in the building’s former use as well as the museum, it offers a distinct point of historical interest.

The archaeology wing of the ULM Museum of Natural History explores the history of Indigenous cultures in northeast Louisiana. Its timeline extends from the first people in Louisiana to the present day. Unlike the building history of a single house, this focus is on cultures and a long historical perspective that reaches the present.

Biedenharn Museum & Gardens is a museum complex that hosts regular exhibitions and numerous events. The complex includes formal English gardens. The Biedenharn Home was built by Joseph Biedenharn, the first person to bottle Coca-Cola. Several aspects come together here: exhibitions and events, the gardens, and the history of a specific home and its builder. If you’d like to consider gardens and architectural history as well as exhibitions during a museum visit, this complex offers different points of interest.

The Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum houses a collection of works by expressionist artist Don Cincone. It also offers seminars, events, and research materials about the civil rights movement in northeast Louisiana during the 1960s. The museum aims to offer educational programs that strengthen cultural awareness of the region’s African American heritage. Its regional focus and connection to the civil rights movement distinguish this perspective from both the broad archaeological timeline and the building history of individual homes.

Another Visitor Attraction

Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo has a Zooasis Splash Pad.

Discover more destinations: West Monroe.

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