West Monroe: Nature, Culture and Events

West Monroe offers a variety of reasons to stay: natural areas and trails, activities on the Ouachita River, shopping in Downtown, and culture and events. If you’re looking for a hotel, you can start by considering which focus best suits your trip. Parks, Antique Alley, the museum or an event date offer different starting points for your plans.

Parks, Trails and Outdoor Activities

Kiroli Park offers 150 acres of nature. Restoration Park is a 70-acre forest and wetland park; it has a 1.2-mile stone path for jogging, walking or relaxing. The acreage differs significantly, while the stone path at Restoration Park also provides a specific distance and names particular uses.

The Highland Park Wetland Trails also offer a designated route: the 1.25-mile trail is for pedestrians and cyclists and opened to the public in February 2022. The trail lengths are close: 1.2 miles at Restoration Park and 1.25 miles at Highland Park Wetland Trails. They differ in surface and stated uses: the path at Restoration Park is made of stone and intended for jogging, walking or relaxing; the Highland Park route is designed for pedestrians and cyclists. Riverbend Community Health Park also has a paved loop trail for walking.

Lazarre Park has a 21-hole disc golf course and a boat launch for fishing. The Soft Kayak Landing lets you launch kayaks for a trip on the Ouachita River. The park therefore offers several different activities: disc golf, fishing and kayaking on the river. If a particular activity is central to your stay, you can take these options into account when planning.

Downtown and Culture

Downtown West Monroe is commonly known as Antique Alley and offers boutiques and antique shops. Part of the Cotton Port Historic District in Downtown West Monroe was designated a National Register Historic District in 2019. This gives you different Downtown themes to consider when planning your trip: shopping at boutiques and antique shops or exploring the area’s history through the district.

The Duck Commander Museum offers a self-guided tour of galleries spanning 10,000 square feet, featuring Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty memorabilia. The 17 galleries showcase family artifacts and photographs. The self-guided format and exhibits give a museum visit a different focus than spending time outdoors or browsing Antique Alley.

Events and Seasonal Dates

Ouachita Live is a free outdoor concert series at Alley Park in Downtown West Monroe. Concerts take place from March through October on the last Friday of each month. As future programming may change, check the dates before your visit. The North Louisiana Sportsman's Expo is held annually in August at West Monroe Sports & Events; you should also check the specific event dates before your trip.

The Market on the Square in West Monroe takes place seasonally on various Saturdays. The market includes farm produce vendors, food vendors and food trucks; the schedule and vendor mix may vary by season. So if you’re planning a visit to the market, keep its seasonal schedule in mind. Together, the parks, Downtown, museum and events offer a range of focus areas to guide your search for hotels in West Monroe.

Discover more destinations: Monroe

Go to the broader travel overview: Ouachita.