Spring-Summer 2024 Visitor Guide

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    10 Reasons to Meet in
    St. Tammany Parish

    Planning a drive-in meeting in the South? Read on to see why St. Tammany Parish is the perfect place for your meeting or event. We're perfectly suited for your convention of 300 attendees or less.

    Zondra White Jones

    Senior Sales Manager

    Zondra@VisitTheNorthshore.com

    Meeting Incentive Graphic

    Regional Map of the Northshore

    1. Location, location, location!

    St. Tammany Parish includes the intersection of I-10, I-12, and I-59, making it easily accessible to conference attendees in the Southeast region. The Northshore is an amazing destination in itself, but it is also less than an hour away from New Orleans, the Mississippi Coast Casinos, and Baton Rouge plantation country, making hub-and-spoke tours easy. We're an hour from the Louis Armstrong International, Baton Rouge, and Gulfport-Biloxi Airports. 

    Castine Center, Mandeville

    2.Conference Facilities

    The Harbor Center in Slidell and the Castine Center in Mandeville are the Northshore's two largest convention facilities. The Harbor Center features more than 45,000 square feet of meeting space and Wi-Fi, as well as high-speed data ports, electricity, and water hook-ups every 30 feet in the tradeshow area. The Castine Center boasts 46,000 square feet of space, features breakout rooms, and is located at the Pelican Park recreation complex.

    The bar at the Southern Hotel

    3. Unique Places to Meet

    If you're looking for somewhere extraordinary to meet, St. Tammany Parish has plenty of options. The historic Southern Hotel (originally built in 1907) in Covington has been lovingly restored and has several different meeting spaces. Or, think outside the box and meet at the Abita Brewery, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime MuseumBenedict's Plantation and Catering or Franco's Athletic Club

    Can-Do Attitude

    4. Personalized Hospitality

    The St. Tammany Tourist and Convention Commission sales team specializes in making your small market meeting a success. We'll help you with site visits, room blocks, meeting room suggestions and complimentary goody bags for your group. We know personalized attention and a can-do attitude is key, and we are eager to work with you to make your meeting a must-attend. 

    Room

    5. Rest and Recharge

    With over 3,000 hotel rooms available on the Northshore, you'll find plenty of comfortable accommodations to rest and rejuvenate after a day of meetings. You'll find all your familiar chains and hotel properties (almost all recently renovated or newly built), making it easy to add points to your business reward stays. If you're looking for a different type of experience, St. Tammany has seventeen B&Bs, a historic boutique hotel and two waterfront state parks.

    Honey Island Swamp Tour

    6. Customized Itineraries

    When the work is done, the Northshore is a great place to play. Additional services like spouse tours in Northshore shopping districts and customized off site activities such as touring Honey Island Swamp and Global Wildlife Center, or tastings at Wild Bush Farm & Vineyard and Abita Brewery are available. Just ask a member of our sales team for suggestions and let them customize a tour of St. Tammany for you and your group. 

    Global Wildlife

    7. Family-Friendly attractions

    Bring the family along and plan a work vacay. With family-friendly attractions like a Global Wildlife Center's safari, Insta-Gator ranch hatchery tours (you can hold, touch, or even help hatch baby gators), and eco tours of Honey Island Swamp, there are plenty of things to do with kids on the Northshore.

    Kayaking, Bayou Cane, Group, Bayou Adventure

    8. The Great Outdoors

    With over 80,000 acres of wildlife preserve, the Northshore has wilderness areas begging to be explored, and the outfitters to make it easy. Rent bikes and ride down the 31-mile Tammany Trace, or hire a charter captain and go fishing in our bountiful waters. There's excellent golfing, and many clubs welcome visiting members. Kayak Cane Bayou or paddleboard Lake Pontchartrain; hike the trails and spot the elusive red-cockaded woodpecker at Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. Get out and get into nature.

    Restaurant Cote, dining

    9. Deep and Delicious Culinary Scene

    From award-winning chefs in elegant dining rooms to mom-and-pop seafood joints with local color, the Northshore's culinary scene is packed with flavor and Louisiana's bounty. We can help you choose from golden fried shrimp and catfish, Cajun and Creole specialties, a price fix menu from James Beard-nominated chefs, to a family-style crawfish boil; the options are endless. Eat like a local.

    Crawfish Cookoff

    10. Revel in our Festivals

    There's a general love of life that permeates the culture of the Northshore, and there's always something to celebrate, whether it's music (the Abita Springs Busker Festival), maritime culture (the Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival), or a vibrant arts community (the Covington Three Rivers Art Festival). And, of course, we love our Louisiana seafood - savor it with the St. Tammany Crab Festival or Slidell's All You Can Eat Crawfish Cook-off.

     

    Plantations, convention centers, historic sites and hotels: there's a signature meeting space for every event.

    Complimentary services await you. We're happy to help you find the right venue, menu, and lodging for your event.

    Experience the Northshore through videos of our unique attractions and special personalities.