Shaw Center for the Arts

• This 125,000-square-foot stunner offers one of the top theatrical spaces in the South and was named a 2008 Honor Award recipient by The American Institute of Architects. Besides being the prime regional venue for performing and visual arts, the facility’s fourth floor is available for rental from a variety of arts-related entities, all with amazing views of the mighty Mississippi. www.shawcenter.org

LSU Museum of Art

• Located in the Shaw Center for the Arts, this museum offers 14 different galleries, 16-foot ceilings and a stunning view of the Mississippi River. The LSU MOA shares the Shaw Center for the Arts with the LSU School of Art Gallery, LSU’s Laboratory for Creative Arts and Technology, the Manship Theatre and the Community School for the Arts of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Meeting facilities range from a conference room that can accommodate groups up to 30 to a 13,000-square-foot gallery that can hold 400. www.lsumoa.com

Nottoway

• Billed as the South’s largest remaining plantation home, Nottoway recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. Besides containing unique meeting space for functions ranging from retreats to meetings and events for groups up to 350, Nottoway also offers 12 rooms for overnight guests. www.nottoway.com

Houmas House

• Situated in Darrow, La., a little over 30 miles from Baton Rouge, Houmas House has served as the location of many films, including Bette Davis’ Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, and for various television and commercial shoots. Houmas offers a fountain courtyard, galleries, a great lawn and lush gardens for "turn-key" events for groups up to 5,000. www.houmashouse.com

Louisiana State Museum-Baton Rouge

• Showcasing everything Louisiana, the life-size exhibits at the Baton Rouge branch of the state museum include everything from a 48-foot wooden shrimp trawler to a mardi gras float and Civil War submarine. Groups of up to 750 can immerse themselves in history in the facility’s 10,000 square feet of indoor and covered outdoor meeting space.  http://lsm.crt.state.la.us