Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana and the home
of Louisiana State University (go Tigers!). The city features an attractive
little downtown area, a developing riverfront and a few good casinos.
Visitors to Baton Rouge can enjoy cultural amenities, outdoor adventure
or just good old-fashioned southern hospitality.
The Old State Capitol Museum of Political History is an 1894 Gothic
Revival Castle that has been restored to its former glory. It contains
many interesting politically themed exhibits, like the Louisiana Purchase
Exhibit, the Campaign & Elections Exhibit and the Gov. Huey P. Long
Assassination Exhibit. The Kingfish himself even has his say thanks
to the new Huey Long pneumatic robot they’ve installed.
The Shaw Center for the Arts is pretty impressive. This 125,000 square-foot
facility houses a 1st-rate Art Museum, theater and Opera House.
Entertainment comes in many forms in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Dance aficionados
will appreciate the graceful modern interpretive dance and vivid production
values of the Of Moving Colors dance troupe. The Swine Place produces
classic and contemporary plays in association with the Department of
Theater Arts at LSU. For a little Big Band Jazz visitors should catch
a performance of the 19-piece, not-for-profit Baton Rouge Jazz Ensemble.
Baton Rouge Beach provides boating and water-sports enthusiasts with
ample opportunity to indulge in their favorite aquativities. For a bit
of bayou-based fun visitors should check out the Bluebonnet Swamp &
Nature Preserve. The wildlife viewing and ecological education makes
for a fun and smart afternoon. Bobcats, foxes and alligators can be
seen in Bluebonnet Swamp, and the birding is very fine, with Yellow-crowned
Night Herons, Prothonatory Warblers and a variety of owls and hawks
to spot.
Baton Rouge means “Red Stick”
in French, and refers to the blood and viscera slathered poles used
by Native Americans to mark tribal hunting-ground boundaries.
