Baton Rouge and Shreveport are at opposite ends of the state, but they still share a spicy Louisiana passion for music, food, history and fun. In between the sprawling plantation homes of Baton Rouge and the legendary Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport are enough good times to keep planners rolling back for years to come.
Baton Rouge
The state capitol of Baton Rouge may be just an hour away from New Orleans along the Mississippi River, but the city has its own distinctive vibe of history, culture and family-friendly activities. Home to Louisiana State University and the LSU Tigers, football is an essential part of living, just like great food and Cajun music. Since Baton Rouge is a college town, government center and historical destination, the city is popping up on the radar for many organizations, according to Geraldine Bordelon, director of destination sales for the Baton Rouge Area CVB.
“People are drawn in by the charm of Baton Rouge, especially when they look for culture, and groups now look for smaller cities and interactive, hands-on experiences,” she says.
Some of the custom events Bordelon and her team have set up include cooking classes for board retreats at the Viking Cooking School and a walking tour guided by a local Cajun fiddler who not only entertains but also shares the city’s history and gives visitors an insider’s peek into Louisiana culture, from the language to the wildlife.
“We have the best of all worlds,” she says. “Downtown is becoming more of a young professionals hangout, with lots of cool venues, and [further out] we also have places like Boutin’s, with Cajun food, music and dancing. We have authentic Louisiana at every turn.”
There are also a number of off-site venues in and around the downtown area, such as the Old State Capitol, a popular site for group events. The 160-year-old building, known affectionately as the Castle, features stained glass windows and a grand staircase. Receptions and other events can be held inside or on the grounds.
Nearby, the 450-foot-tall, 34-floor current Louisiana State Capitol, the tallest state capitol in the country, is available for tours. Opened in 1932, the project was the dream of famed Gov. Huey P. Long and is now a National Historic Landmark. Long was also responsible for building the Old Governor’s Mansion, a stunning facility with a graceful marble staircase and terrazzo floors. Built in 1929, the mansion can accommodate up to 450 guests with a variety of spaces.
Tours and events highlighting the local culture of the Old South are also popular, Bordelon says. Two of the best known are Nottoway Plantation, the largest remaining plantation home in the South, and Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, once known as the Sugar Palace.
“Both facilities have done a fabulous job of showcasing these grand antebellum homes off the river,” she says.
Nottoway Plantation, also known as the White Castle of Louisiana, was built in 1859. The lavish mansion was occupied by both Union and Confederate troops at different times, but it survived and has been renovated into a resort offering three floors of accommodations, a restaurant and cottages, plus eight meeting rooms, the Grand White Ballroom and an amazing number of amenities housed across the grounds, from a fitness center to tennis courts and a gift shop. The plantation illustrates the top level of wealth generated in the Old South and is an incredibly lush venue available to groups of any size.
The 1828 Houmas House also exemplifies the opulence of a former era with 38 acres of native gardens surrounding the mansion. Film and TV crews have focused on the property for years, and Houmas House has been the setting for more than a dozen projects, from the movie Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte starring Bette Davis in 1964 to the current TV hit Top Chef. The facility offers a number of venues, from Neptune’s Ballroom to the Grand Lawn. Also available is a special event for groups called the Sugar Baron’s Feast, a luxurious seven-course meal which allows attendees to experience a few hours of the Old South’s grand life.
In addition to these venues, Baton Rouge also offers a number of properties with meeting space, including the 290-room Hilton Capital Center Hotel, with 20,000 square feet of event space, and the Baton Rouge River Center Complex, which features 200,000 square feet of event space between the exhibition hall, arena and Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Nearby in West Baton Rouge, a host of attractions await planners, from the Poplar Grove Plantation Home to the West Baton Rouge Museum, which showcases 300 years of local history with exhibits and artifacts. Also available is the West Baton Rouge Conference Center, which can accommodate up to 800 attendees. PageBreak
Shreveport-Bossier City
Head inland toward the northwest corner of the state to the banks of the Red River and you’ll find Shreveport-Bossier City, noted as Louisiana’s third-largest metro area. The area’s close proximity to Texas adds a rugged, wild spirit to the local Louisiana charm.
“It’s Cajun meets cowboy,” says Brandy Evans, vice president of communications for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. “We are the hub of the Ark-La-Tex region, and ideal for meeting planners from the South.”
Gaming also draws in the crowds, since Shreveport boasts five casinos along the Red River, including Horseshoe Casino & Hotel, Boomtown Casino & Hotel, DiamondJacks Casino & Resort, Eldorado Resort Casino Shreveport and Sam’s Town Hotel 7 Casino Shreveport, plus a racetrack/casino and the new Margaritaville Resort Casino, which will open next summer. The area also enjoys a stellar musical heritage, due in large part to the historic Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, home to the Louisiana Hayride show for nearly 20 years. The Hayride introduced a young, new singer named Elvis Presley, and also featured such luminaries as Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells and many more.
Evans adds that 2013 has been declared “The Year of Music,” with celebrations slated around the state to commemorate Louisiana’s rich musical heritage. In Shreveport, five Louisiana Soundtrack Experiences will be held through the year at the auditorium, so visitors can learn about the unique sound of Shreveport, which incorporates blues, rockabilly, country, soul and R&B. The events will include performances and panel discussions so guests can ask questions, enjoy the music and be a part of the celebration.
That interactive theme is weaves its way throughout Shreveport’s meetings business, according to Kim Brice, vice president of convention marketing for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.
“Groups want more than just staring at a beautiful painting, they want to experience it,” she says. “We always try to find ways for people not just to see something, but to taste it, to feel it.”
Brice has arranged events with area museums so that after a tour, local artists can come in and either oversee a painting workshop as a spousal program or come to the meeting venue and paint during a special wine reception. She also works with On Cloud Wine and the Plantation Gourmet Coffee Company for facility tours and tastings.
As the meetings business evolves, Brice now has her sales staff undergoing training to become certified meeting planners.
“A lot of companies are cutting back, closing their travel offices and having the executive director’s assistant doing the planning,” she says.
The goal of having CMPs on staff is to help those who may not know what to ask in planning a meeting, from understanding contracts to anticipating the unexpected.
“Many new folks don’t realize the CVB is here to help them,” she says. “We’re doing more one-on-one sales calls on companies and associations to help them save time and money. Everybody has facilities and hotels, but what makes a place stand out is the people. We want to you have such a good time, you’ll come back and bring some friends.”
In addition to the Municipal Auditorium, which can accommodate 2,400, Shreveport also offers the 350,000-square-foot Shreveport Convention Center. Adjacent is the 313-room Hilton Shreveport, which also offers meeting space. In Bossier City, the 200-room Ramada Inn and Conference Center offers 8,000 square feet of meeting space.
Freelance writer Beth Bartlett is a true Southern girl who would scream with delight if she saw Elvis’ ghost at the Shreveport Auditorium.
