The Biedenharn Museum & Gardens is located on Riverside Drive and Forsythe Avenue in the Garden District of Monroe. Free parking is available on three sides of the museum. The main parking area is located on Speed Avenue near the main entrance to the Coke Museum. Tour information, maps and tickets are available at the Museum Store located inside the Coke Museum. An unloading zone for buses is also located on Speed Avenue directly adjacent to the Coke Museum.

Group Visits
If you are bringing a group of ten or more, please call ahead to schedule your visit. Because of limited space within the home, we are unable to accommodate groups larger than 60 at a time. Smaller groups will be taken through the home as tour guides become available, usually every 30 minutes. Call and make a reservation today!

Accessibility
The first floor of each building on campus and the gardens are all handicap accessible.

How long does a tour last?
Allow an hour and a half for the tour guide to lead you through the tours of the Coke Museum, the Biedenharn Home, and the Bible Museum. The Elsong Gardens tour is self-guided and you are free to stay as long as you like. You will want to enjoy a 5¢ Coke in the Coke Museum or the gardens as well.  Please limit to one 5¢ Coke per visitor.   With prior notice, special presentations can be arranged for visitors.

What’s inside?
You will enter the Coke Museum through the large glass display room to view items including the first Coca-Cola delivery truck, and antique signage hung high in the galley. You may purchase your tickets  in the Museum Store, then begin the tour of the Coke Museum where you will “visit” a replica of a vintage soda fountain and view our collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia. The next building on campus is the Bible Museum, with a guided tour of some of our favorite pieces from Emy-Lou’s collection. Next door to that is the historic Biedenharn home. Note that visitors are invited to play the grand piano during their tour and are encouraged to bring sheet music.  At the back of the home, you will find the beautiful English walled gardens that Emy-Lou spent much of her life developing. The gardens feature thousands of flowering plants, graceful statues and beautiful water fountains, as well as a conservatory.

Special exhibits, seasonal gallery exhibits, and special presentations are scheduled throughout the year. Visit our calendar of events for a list of upcoming events.

For Families with Children
We have chosen activities that promote sharing quality family time during tours of the garden. Garden Story Baskets, with books and puppets, are available for those who bring their pre-school and elementary school-aged children to the garden. Books include subjects about the plants and animals in the garden and there are many interesting puppets to help children act out the stories. There are also scavenger hunt picture cards, with information about objects located throughout the gardens. We challenge your family to find them all!

For School Groups
For more information about school visits, please see the School Services section of this website.

Museum Guidelines
•    Photography is not permitted inside the Home or Bible Museum. Photography with a hand-held camera, for personal use only,  is permitted in the Coke Museum and Elsong Gardens.
•    Eating and drinking are not permitted inside the Home.
•    The museum is a non-smoking environment.
•    Pets are not permitted on the premises.
•    Shoes and shirts are required at all times.
•    Please turn off cell phones and pagers during tours.

Photography
Don’t forget – the gardens are beautiful year round, and there is always something in bloom. Photography is very popular in the gardens. We invite you to bring your hand-held camera and take snapshots on the terrace, near one of the colorful seasonal urns, or near one of the many fountains located throughout the garden.   Please review our Complete Photography Guidelines. 

Where to Eat
There are many restaurants in the Monroe - West Monroe area. Visit the Monroe/West Monroe Convention and Visitor’s Bureau website www.monroe-westmonroe.org for a full listing of area restaurants and attractions. Brochures and maps to find your way around town are available here at the museum. Please note, Forsythe Park, across Forsythe Avenue, has picnic tables and benches and a playground for the children.  Cross over the levee, and you can take a scenic drive along the Ouachita River.

Other Nearby Attractions
Brochures for other museums and local entertainment can be found on our links page. Monroe is home to the Masur Museum of Art, the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, the Northeast Louisiana Children’s Museum, the Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum, and ULM’s Natural History Museum. Historic houses include the Bry House, Layton Castle and the Cooley House.

For those who like to shop, visit Antique Alley in West Monroe, just across the Ouachita River. Art galleries in the newly restored historic buildings in downtown Monroe, have recently begun a “Gallery Crawl” featuring the work of local artists.

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