Monroe is a city in Louisiana and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish in the US. The city has a prominent place in the history of American Civil War and is exclusively known for some of the most notable firsts in the history of the nation, like the Delta Airlines (which was headquartered here) and Coca Cola (its first bottling plant was installed here). Monroe also has the oldest municipally owned transit system in the nation.
The estate of the first Coke bottler, Biedenharn Home and Gardens, has now been turned into a public museum. After Delta Airlines had moved to Atlanta, a local museum (Chennault Aviation and Military Museum of Louisiana) reserved multiple exhibits of this famous airline along with a display of a Second World War flight school and a volunteer combat unit commanded by a Monroe resident.
For the nature buffs, nothing is better than a nearly 200 acre Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge with its cypress and tupelo trees with numerous wood ducks, treefrogs, red-eyed sliders and white-tailed deer. Located a little further away is the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo which collectively maintains over 500 animals, and also offers boat rides and catwalk besides other seasonal activities.