Biedenharn Museum and Gardens

What Biedenharn Museum and Gardens does

The Biedenharn Museum and Gardens is a non-profit cultural institution operating a single campus at 2000 Riverside Drive in Monroe, Louisiana, along the Ouachita River. The museum complex comprises four core attractions: the Coca-Cola Museum (opened 2008) showcasing memorabilia tied to Joseph A. Biedenharn, the first person to bottle Coca-Cola; the Bible Museum housing rare manuscripts including a 1611 King James Bible and a page from the 1454-55 Gutenberg Bible; the ELSong Gardens, a walled English garden developed by Emy-Lou Biedenharn with themed settings; and the Historic Biedenharn Home built in 1914. Operations run Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-5pm.

The organization generates revenue through a diversified mix of stream types: tiered admission tickets ($6-$12 per category), group dining tours at $35/person for parties of 10 or more, photography session rentals ($150-$250), a museum store with online purchasing, recurring donations, and event sponsorships. Pricing is uniformly unit-based and pay-as-you-go. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via walk-in visitation, online booking through the Wix.com platform, and phone reservations for groups. The go-to-market motion combines standard direct-to-consumer ticketing with event-driven programming including Christmas at the Biedenharn, Scarecrows in the Garden, and historical culinary events like The Governor's Table.

The museum is led by Executive Director Ralph Calhoun, governed as a 501(c)(3)-style Louisiana non-profit with no parent company, outside investors, or subsidiaries. Its competitive position rests on irreplicable historical artifacts, the unique Biedenharn family narrative in Coca-Cola history, and the formal garden setting, which together earned it the 2024 Louisiana Travel Association Attraction of the Year (Louey Award) and a 2023 ranking as the 5th most beautiful park in Louisiana by the Monroe News Star. Technology infrastructure is minimal, limited to a Wix-hosted website and standard social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

Name

Biedenharn Museum and Gardens

Legal name

The Biedenharn Museum & Gardens of Monroe

Website

https://bmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Biedenharn Museum and Gardens is a Monroe, Louisiana non-profit operating a museum complex featuring a Coca-Cola museum, Bible museum, English gardens, and a 1914 historic home, serving cultural tourists, families, school groups, and photography clients through admissions, group tours, and event programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum and Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Museum exhibitions
• Historic home tours
• Cultural education
• Botanical gardens
• Event venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Daily tour admissions with tiered pricing by visitor category (adults, military/seniors, students) and partial access options (garden/bible only)
2. Group Tour Packages: Combined museum tour with authentic Louisiana meal at $35/person for groups of 10 or more, booked via phone
3. Photography Sessions: Daily photography sessions at $150 for 2 hours and after-hours sessions at $250; pet-friendly after-hours sessions available at $250 with garden access only
4. Homecoming/Prom Photography: Evening photography sessions for school events at $5/person, available 4pm-6pm
5. Sponsorship: Event sponsorship opportunities for individuals, businesses, and organizations supporting community programming and historic preservation
6. Donations: Support Us page accepting donations from visitors and supporters
7. Museum Store: Museum Store selling products with online purchasing, shipping via FedEx domestically, and in-person purchases

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Biedenharn Museum and Gardens operates a museum complex in Monroe, Louisiana, comprising a historic 1914 home, a Coca-Cola Museum, a Bible Museum, and the formal ELSong English Gardens. It offers daily guided tours, group culinary experiences, photography session rentals, a museum store, seasonal community events, and educational programs grounded in the Biedenharn family legacy and the historical significance of Joseph A. Biedenharn as the first bottler of Coca-Cola.

Product overview

Biedenharn Museum and Gardens is a museum complex in Monroe, Louisiana featuring multiple distinct attractions: the Coke Museum (opened 2008) showcasing Coca-Cola memorabilia including vintage bottles and a Model T delivery truck; the Bible Museum featuring rare manuscripts including a 1611 King James Bible and Gutenberg Bible page; ELSong Gardens, a walled English garden with themed areas; and the Historic Biedenharn Home built in 1914 by Joseph A. Biedenharn, the first bottler of Coca-Cola. The museum offers various admission tours (Adult $12, Student $6, Military/Senior $10, Garden/Bible Only $6), group dining experiences (Taste of Louisiana Tour at $35/person for 10+), and photography services ($150-$250). The site also houses significant collections of Coca-Cola bottles and biblical manuscripts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coke Museum Exhibit showcasing two rooms of Coca-Cola memorabilia including vintage signs, a Model T Coca-Cola delivery truck, a replica soda fountain, and a demonstration of the original bottling process. Targeted at cultural tourism visitors and history enthusiasts.
• Bible Museum Exhibit featuring rare historically important Bibles including an 1854 facsimile of the Wycliffe Bible, an original 1611 King James Bible, art Bibles, a page from the 1454-55 Gutenberg Bible, and Russian Icons from the Daniel R. Bibb collection.
• ELSong Gardens Walled English garden featuring themed areas including the Four Seasons Garden, Oriental Garden, Musical Grotto, Wagnerian Fountain, Ballet Lawn, and a Conservatory with tropical specimens. Open to general visitors and event rentals.
• Historic Biedenharn Home Guided tour of Joseph A. Biedenharn's 1914 home showcasing rare furniture, antiques, crystal chandeliers, and artifacts reflecting Emy-Lou Biedenharn's European singing career. Targeted at cultural tourism visitors.
• Daily Museum Tour Admission General admission to the full museum complex including the Coke Museum, Bible Museum, Historic Home, and Gardens, with tiered pricing for adults ($12), military/seniors ($10), and students ($6).
• Taste of Louisiana Tour Group tour for 10+ people combining a museum tour with an authentic Louisiana meal (gumbo, catfish, crawfish pie, and bread pudding) priced at $35 per person, reserved by phone.
• Photography Session Rentals Two-hour photography sessions at the Garden and Coke Museum during regular hours ($150) and after-hours ($250), with pet-friendly after-hours garden sessions also available at $250. Targeted at portrait, event, and special occasion photographers.
• Homecoming & Prom Evening Photography Garden photography sessions for school homecoming and prom celebrations priced at $5 per person, available 4pm to 6pm on event evenings.
• Museum Store On-site gift shop offering museum-related merchandise, collectibles, and souvenirs, with online purchasing and FedEx domestic shipping available.
• Event Sponsorship Program Sponsorship opportunities for individuals, businesses, and organizations to support community programming and historic preservation, including events such as Christmas at the Biedenharn, Scarecrows in the Garden, concerts, and movie nights.
• Donations Program Donation program accepting contributions from visitors and supporters through the museum's Support Us page to fund operations, preservation, and community programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 5th among most beautiful parks in Louisiana
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American TrucksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor displayed on the museum's website homepage. American Trucks provides sponsorship support for museum events and operations. Logo featured in sponsors section.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mass MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art): Mid-size converted-factory museum in North Adams, Massachusetts with multiple themed galleries, special exhibitions, and ticketed admission. Comparable as a multi-attraction mid-size museum complex monetizing admissions, events, and programming, though focused on contemporary art rather than heritage themes.

Regional players

• The National WWII Museum: Major Louisiana-based museum in New Orleans. Regionally comparable as a Louisiana heritage attraction drawing tourist traffic to the state, though it operates at far larger scale and with substantially higher visitor throughput.
• Pensacola Museum of Art: Mid-size regional art museum in Pensacola, Florida operating a historic building with rotating exhibitions. Comparable as a small-to-mid-size regional museum in the Gulf South, though focused on visual art rather than heritage/specialty themes.

Direct peers

• World of Coca-Cola: Flagship Coca-Cola heritage attraction in Atlanta. Directly comparable to the Biedenharn Coke Museum because both monetize the Coca-Cola brand story through memorabilia collections and visitor experiences, though World of Coca-Cola operates at significantly larger scale.
• Museum of the Bible: Large-scale Bible museum in Washington, DC with rare manuscript holdings. Directly comparable to the Biedenharn Bible Museum because both monetize curated biblical manuscript collections (including Gutenberg-era material) and rare Bibles, though Museum of the Bible operates at significantly larger scale and budget.
• The Hemingway Home & Museum: Historic home museum in Key West, Florida operating a preserved family residence with curated collections and self-guided tours. Directly comparable to the Historic Biedenharn Home component in business model — small-site historic residence with guided tours and admission-based revenue.
• Morris Museum: Mid-size community museum in Morristown, New Jersey with eclectic collections spanning fine art, anthropology, and natural history. Comparable mid-size community museum with diversified collection themes and admissions/event revenue model, though without a comparable Coca-Cola or Bible specialty focus.
• The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's Home): Preserved historic home museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Comparable as a heritage house museum pairing a preserved 19th-century residence with curated collections and ticketed tours, though at larger scale and with stronger institutional backing.
• Historic New England: Regional preservation organization operating multiple historic house museums across New England. Comparable to Biedenharn's historic home component in operating model — preserved residences open to the public via ticketed admissions and special programming.

Broad incumbents

• Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library: Large historic estate museum and gardens in Delaware pairing preserved Americana decorative arts collections with formal gardens. Comparable combination of historic home + curated collections + gardens, though at significantly larger institutional scale and with an endowed operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bmuseum_gardens
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmoCSXsNpQjFNuIdOqZVpPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/bmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/b.museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Biedenharn Museum and Gardens