Louisiana

Baton Rouge

Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi, Baton Rouge is often overshadowed by New Orleans. While likely not a destination for an extended vacation, there's plenty to check out if around for a couple of days.

Old State Capitol

Since it's no longer in use, the Old State Capitol is now a museum mostly covering the history of the building and Louisiana's larger-than-life governor— Huey Long. The building itself is beautiful. The staircase takes you up to a stunning stained glass rotunda.

State Capitol

While not nearly as beautiful as the Old State Capitol, the current State Capitol is still worth a look around. You can generally view both the House and Senate chambers. Beyond that, venture down the hallways on either side of the elevators to the hallway outside the Speaker's office. There you will find a display case with information about the assassination of then-Senator (and former governor) Huey Long. The glass case is pulled out from the wall, and behind it, you can find a few bullet holes in the wall (look on both sides of the display case).

The Hallway

The Display Case

Behind the display case

One of the bullet holes

LSU Campus

We enjoyed walking around campus. Memorial Tower and the memorial wall nearby, the Shaq statue, and Mike the Tiger were all of particular interest.

LSU Museum of Art

Three things to check out:

  1. On the ground level is a small, free gallery composed of students' work

  2. On the 5th floor is the art museum which costs $5.50 to view

  3. On the top floor, you can access a rooftop area where you can get a view of the Mississippi, the Old State Capitol, and downtown Baton Rouge

Watermark Hotel

In an old bank building , this is a beautiful, luxury hotel. We only stayed here because we had a free night award! The hotel is located within walking distance of the Old State Capitol, Museum of Art, and various restaurants.