Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau 730 N. Boulevard P.O. Box 4149 Baton Rouge, LA 70802 (225) 383-1825 (225) 346-1253 (fax) Population 219531 Time Zone Central Latitude/Longitude 30.42° /-91.13° Today's Forecast HIGH: 79 LOW: 54

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Attractions

Opened in 2005, the stunning Shaw Center for the Arts marks a significant step in the continued revitalization of Baton Rouge's historic downtown. The 125,000-square feet facility, sheathed entirely in translucent channel glass, houses the LSU Museum of Art as well as other arts organizations and facilities. Nearby, the Louisiana Arts & Science Museum, located in a converted 1925 railway station, features fine art, an Egyptian mummy, interactive exhibits in the Science Station, and a Challenger Learning Center. High-tech sky shows are offered in the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium. On the waterfront, visitors to the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial & Museum can board a World War II destroyer restored to her 1945 appearance. Dating from 1849, the castle-like Old State Capitol surveys the Mississippi from its bluff-top locale. A gem of ornamental Gothic architecture, it houses the Center for Political and Governmental History where an animatronic Huey P. Long greets visitors when "The Kingfish Speaks!"

Opened in 2006, the Louisiana State Museum offers permanent exhibits relating to Louisiana's history and various cultural influences. The 69,000-square-foot facility sits opposite the Louisiana State Capitol, a 34-story skyscraper built in 1932 at the direction of Governor Long. Long was assassinated there and is buried on the grounds. The building has exquisite marble and bronze interiors as well as panaromic views from its 27th-floor observation deck. The palatial Old Governor's Mansion, also built under Huey Long, was the home of Louisiana's governors from 1930 until 1962. It houses original furnishings and memorabilia. Another historic home surrounded by urban development, Magnolia Mound Plantation is an outstanding example of Creole architecture, beautifully restored, with a working kitchen and crops garden.

Louisiana State University's lovely campus is loaded with points of interest, including the Union Art Gallery, the Museum of Natural Science, Mike the Tiger's new 15,000-square-foot environment (complete with lush plantings and waterfall), and the only two Indian mounds in the region that have escaped modern-day development. Located on the Burden Research Plantation, the LSU Rural Life Museum offers a look at antebellum plantation workers' culture through a collection of authentic 19th-century buildings including a plantation commissary, church, overseer's house, and open-kettle sugar mill.

For family fun, head to the combined water and amusement park at Blue Bayou/Dixie Landin', visit the animals at Baton Rouge Zoo, or stroll the trails through the cypress and tupelo at Bluebonnet Swamp.

West of Baton Rouge lies the Great Atchafalaya Swamp, America's largest river-basin swamp, some 75 miles long and up to 40 miles wide. Many tour companies offer boat trips or you can rent canoes in nearby cities to pilot your own trips into the bayou.

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