Louisiana: Baton Rouge Gives Visitors Much More to Do than Visit the State Capitol

With 34 floors, Louisiana has the tallest capitol in the United States.

LOUISIANA STATE CAPITOL

The Louisiana State Capitol, located in downtown Baton Rouge at 900 N. Third St., is the tallest state capitol in the United States at nearly 450 feet tall. Visitors can ride an elevator to an observation deck of the capitol to get a high level, panoramic view of the city. The capitol includes turrets, stained glass and other design elements often used in medieval cathedrals.

DSC08800 (2).JPG — Capitol Park Museum

Your next stop should be the Capitol Park Museum (600 N. Fourth St.), which explores the vibrant history and culture of Louisiana. The exhibits include a 48-foot wooden shrimp trawler, two-row sugar cane harvester, a rare Civil War submarine and artifacts from steamboats. Our favorites included the interactive music exhibits that play the distinctive Louisiana sounds of Cajun, zydeco and swamp pop, Baton Rouge blues and New Orleans jazz. Here’s a **link to the museum website**.

OLD STATE CAPITOL

Louisiana’s Old State Capitol (100 North Blvd.) is open for tours and worth the visit because of its unique Gothic design and equally unusual history. Opened in 1852, the building has been the site for significant events such as the vote in 1861 for the state to secede from the Union. A year later, the Union Army captured the city and camped on the capitol grounds. One of the best parts of the old capitol experience is the award-winning “Ghosts of the Castle,” a high-tech, 12-minute presentation about the building’s history as told through the perspective of “a ghost,” Sarah Morgan. Go to the museum website for more information.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION

A couple of blocks away (502 North Blvd.) is the Old Governor’s Mansion, which was built in 1929 through 1930. The historic house serves as a museum remembering the lives of the nine governors who lived here. The first of those residents was the famous Huey P. Long, who directed its construction. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit the mansion’s website for details about operating hours and admission fees.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM

Also located near the Old State Capitol is the Louisiana Art & Science Museum (100 S. River Rd.) that features a growing permanent collection of 4,000 artworks and artifacts. It also includes changing art and photo exhibits, a planetarium and interactive displays.

Baton Rouge attractions include the destroyer USS Kidd anchored on the Mississippi River in the downtown area.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM

The USS Kidd, a retired destroyer, is anchored on the Mississippi River just south of the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. It is the only known U.S. destroyer preserved in its World War II configuration. For a fee, you can tour the ship and visit the Veterans Museum to learn more about naval military history and to commemorate the veterans who made it happen. Visit the USS Kidd website for details.

HOUMAS HOUSE PLANTATION AND GARDENS

We’ve visited a few plantations in Louisiana and found all come with unique benefits for visitors. For us, the hallmark of Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, near Baton Rouge in Darrow, is its 38 acres of lush gardens. They get a “Wow!” You’ll love the diversity of flowers and trees there. See Linda’s Takeaway from more thoughts about Houmas House and today’s photo gallery for examples of why we recommend going there. Use this link for additional information.

LSU RURAL LIFE MUSEUM

The LSU Rural Life Museum (4560 Essen Lane) offers a fun, educational outing to discover what Louisiana country life looked like in the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection of artifacts includes the usual museum displays, but it goes far beyond the norm with a large group of historical buildings located behind the museum. You’ll enjoy walking through this open-air museum presented as a small town, with everything from houses and shops to a post office and a jail. Visit the museum’s website for more info.

At the same location, make sure you stop at the Burden Museum and Gardens. They’re convenient, sprawling and beautiful. The museum’s website provides an overview.

Bluebonnet Swamp portrait.JPG — Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center

In the middle of a residential area, you’ll find a street that ends at the Bluebonnet Swamp (10503 N. Oak Hills Parkway), which is a great way to experience the Louisiana wetlands while visiting a city. It’s a rare combination, but the nature center is scenic and provides a snapshot of what you’d experience by visiting larger swamps in the Atchafalaya Basin. See the **center’s website** for details.

BLUEBONNET SWAMP NATURE CENTER

In the middle of a residential area, you’ll find a street that ends at the Bluebonnet Swamp (10503 N. Oak Hills Parkway), which is a great way to experience the Louisiana wetlands while visiting a city. It’s a rare combination, but the nature center is scenic and provides a snapshot of what you’d experience by visiting larger swamps in the Atchafalaya Basin. See the center’s website for details.

TIGER STADIUM

No trip to Baton Rouge is complete without visiting Tiger Stadium on the LSU campus, which when filled (capacity 102,321) would be the fifth largest city in the state. Displays of All-American LSU players and the national championships won by the team can be found around the stadium’s front entrance. While there, you should stop at the Mike the Tiger Habitat to chat with LSU’s live mascot—a 450-pounf tiger with both Siberian and Bengal characteristics. The tiger, Mike VII, has a website that’s fun to visit.

BATON ROUGE ZOO

Go to the mid-sized Baton Rouge Zoo (3601 Thomas Rd.), to see more animals, including alligators, turtles, bears, birds, snakes, cheetahs and, of course, tigers. The zoo is located north of the city. Use the zoo’s website for the address and operating hours.

Shopping choices at Perkins Rowe range from Apricot Lane to Z Gallerie.

SHOPPING AND DINING

As Baton Rouge residents, we know the shopping and dining options in town. Our most frequent choice is Perkins Rowe because it is close to our house and offers good stores and restaurants in a fresh-air setting. For a traditional mall, the Mall of Louisiana provides a good experience with plenty of places to shop and eat. Linda’s favorite shopping destination is the Towne Center at Cedar Lodge because it is an attractive, outdoor shopping center with great places for lunch such as Zea Rotisserie and Walk-on’s.

For a great place to eat outside of a shopping venue, we strongly recommend The Rum House on Perkins Road. It’s a Caribbean Taqueria that promises to help you “escape from the ordinary” and it delivers. Instead of the same old stuff, The Rum House is like taking a quick Caribbean vacation where the food and drinks match the fun culture of the islands. We like to try some of the 17 unique options for tacos that are creative and full of flavor. Our favorites are the Brisket, Creole Rib and Calypso Beef. For our side dishes, we endorse the cornbread dressing and smothered greens. Besides tacos, the menu includes appetizers (Linda and her sister Donna love the Avocado and Mango Dip), salads, sandwiches and entrees ranging from barbecue pork ribs to jerked roasted chicken. Go to The Rum House for a delicious meal in a fun atmosphere with indoor and patio seating. Say “hey” to Jody for us!

Other dining options we enjoy include Poor Boy Lloyd’s for lunch when in the downtown area or Curbside Burgers and Government Taco in midtown. Closer to home, we usually end up at Burgersmith, Atomic Burger, Five Guys or Freddy’s (especially if we’re craving the restaurant’s custard desserts).

Arla gets into the action at Tiger Stadium by running for a touchdown with the legendary Billy Cannon.

ARLA’S SHOCKING MOMENT

Arla: Legends say that Tiger Stadium is where the hopes and dreams of LSU’s opponents come to die. That’s why it has earned the nickname of Death Valley. When I visited the stadium, I imagined what it would be like to stand on the field at the start of a game, listening to more than 100,000 fans cheering against me. It became easy to understand why somebody’s dreams could die here. I’m fortunate that my favorite sweater is LSU purple. To play it safe, I might need to visit the LSU gift shop for a hat or something that says, “Geaux Tigers!”

Mike the Tiger No 1.JPG — Mike the Tiger

Wow! Look who we met when leaving the Journalism Building at LSU. The legendary Mike the Tiger who says we’re No. 1. Thanks, Mike!

Linda and Doug find a quiet place to relax and enjoy the gardens at Houmas House.

LINDA’S TAKEAWAY

Linda: I put Houmas House Plantation and Gardens on our travel itinerary because I’d heard from several friends that it was a beautiful and historic Louisiana landmark to visit. We decided to do a self-tour of the plantation’s lush gardens, to view thousands of gorgeous flowers of every color. For lunch, we selected Café Burnside, which overlooked the courtyard. Of the three options, it was the best place for me because it served many traditional Louisiana cuisine dishes, such as chicken-andouille gumbo, fried catfish and my favorite dessert—bread pudding.

Turkeys strut around Houmas House as if in a parade.

After we returned to our walk through the gardens, I heard and observed the talkative wildlife residing in Houmas House. We met turkeys, ducks, fancy chickens, a peacock and cockatoo. Unlike most animals you see in a zoo, these animals didn’t hide from visitors. Several of them walked by simply to chat in their own language. They reminded me of animated characters from a Walt Disney film. Each one had a unique personality, spoke up and wanted to meet the humans visiting their terrain.

The State Capitol looms over the top of the Pentagon Barracks.

DOUG’S HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHT

Doug: Since 1779, the people occupying the site of the Pentagon Barracks in Baton Rouge have represented the governments of Great Britain, Spain, Republic of West Florida and State of Louisiana. Famous residents and visitors to the site have included Lafayette, Robert E. Lee, George Custer, Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln. Currently, it is the home to the Louisiana lieutenant governor and includes apartments for state legislators. Use this National Park Service link to learn more about the barracks.

Gee Whiz Facts

Baton Rouge means “Red Stick” in French. There are several theories about the origin of the name. One of the most common is that explorers named the area Baton Rouge after seeing the red poles that Native Americans used for ceremonial purposes.
Compared to other cities in the area, Baton Rouge founded in 1817 is a relative newcomer. It became the state capital in 1846, but it left in 1862 for several temporary locations when the city fell to the Union army. In 1882, the capital moved back to Baton Rouge.

PARTING SHOTS: BATON ROUGE WILDLIFE

A proud peacock serves as the unofficial greeter for visitors to the Baton Rouge Zoo.

Mike the Tiger chills out in his special habitat on the LSU campus. Geaux Tigers! — Mike the Tiger chills out in his special habitat on the LSU campus. **Geaux Tigers!**