A new private venue for wedding receptions, family reunions and corporate events is in the works in Baton Rouge.
Construction of the Five Oaks Event Center is expected to begin by early next year on Old Hammond Highway, near the intersection of South Sherwood Forest Boulevard.
Patti and Eric Campbell are developing the roughly 3.5-acre property and will own the 6,800-square-foot facility, which they hope to have open by next fall.
The venue will be large enough to host 200 people inside, and will feature a full kitchen with on-site catering capabilities, as well as two dressing rooms. Outside, there will be an open-air pavilion, a pond and 77 parking spaces.
It’s a new business venture for the Campbells, who co-own a cardiovascular screen company. They decided to develop a venue of their own after attending four of their six children’s weddings in recent years.
“There are five giant live oak trees that circle the house,” says Patti Campbell of what about the venue’s location appealed to the couple. “The trees are just beautiful, so we were just like, ‘This is it.’”
Although the property is located near two other reception halls—Ashley Manor and Lake House Reception Center—Campbell says it’s not a concern for them.
“We had spoken to a florist once, and he said, ‘Oh no, everybody we’ve talked to said there can’t be enough venues in town like that,’” she says.
