Monroe sits on the Ouachita River in northeast Louisiana, a mid-sized city with a surprisingly rich history. It was here that Delta Air Lines took flight — literally — as the first scheduled passenger airline service in the United States launched from Monroe in 1929. The city also claims the world's first Coca-Cola bottling plant, opened in 1894 by Joseph Biedenharn; the Biedenharn Museum and Gardens on Riverside Drive tells both the Coca-Cola story and showcases his daughter's exceptional Bible collection.
Beyond its history, Monroe offers outdoor pursuits along the Ouachita River Riverwalk and Black Bayou Lake — a cypress-swamp wildlife refuge just north of the city. The Masur Museum of Art is the region's main visual arts institution, and the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum covers Monroe's role as the largest navigator training site in the US during World War II. The twin city of West Monroe, just across the river, adds to the area's draw with its Antique Alley, a stretch of antique shops and boutiques along Trenton Street.