Baton Rouge local attractions

-BREC’s Baton Rouge Gallery

1442 City Park Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-383-1470

Open Tues.-Sun., 12 noon-6 p.m. The Baton Rouge Gallery, the area’s oldest contemporary art gallery and cultural center, is proud to offer contemporary exhibitions to the community. The Gallery also offers special performances and a weekly spoken word program. Free to the public.

-Louisiana Art and Science Museum

100 South River Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-344-5272

Features fine art exhibitions, interactive art and science exhibits, an Egyptian gallery, a Challenger Learning Center and a gift shop. The building is a 1920’s train depot with five-car train on-site. A planetarium has recently opened.

-Louisiana State Museum

660 4th Street, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-219-0724

A 69,000 square foot facility located on the corner of 4th and Spanish Town Road, across from the Capitol Gardens. The museum’s permanent exhibits will highlight those aspects of Louisiana’s history that are nationally significant, as well as those aspects of the state’s culture that are unique.

Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday open 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

-LSU Museum of Art

Shaw Center for the Arts

100 Layette Street – 5th Floor, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-389-7200

Located in the newest cultural destination in downtown Baton Rouge, the LSU MOA features 17th-20th century American and British portraiture, landscape paintings, prints, and decorative arts, pre-Civil War New Orleans silver, historical art from India, Japan and South America, and contemporary Inuit sculpture. Make special arrangements for group visits to the museum.

-LSU Museum of Natural Science

LSU Campus, 119 Foster Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-578-2855

The museum is divided into two main parts: the public exhibits containing both habitat and biological exhibits, along with identification panels and the research collections used by scientists from all over the world.

-Shaw Center for the Arts

100 Lafayette Street, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-346-5001

Contemporary visual and performing arts facility. Features Manship Theatre, LSU Museum of Art, LSU School of Art Gallery, Brunner Gallery, LSU Museum Store and Community School for the Arts. Retail options include Tsunami, Capital City Grill, and PJ’s Coffee House. Hours and programming change daily.

-USS Kidd Veterans Memorial & Museum

305 South River Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-342-1942

WWII Fletcher class destroyer, restored to 1945 appearance with over 50 inner spaces to see. Veterans Museum displays include a P-40 aircraft, over 40 ship models, full-scale replica of gun deck of Old Ironsides, the Louisiana Memorial Plaza with an eternal flame and a Corsair A-7E jet as a memorial to Vietnam Veterans.

-Louisiana Governor’s Mansion

1001 Capitol Access Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-342-5855

Built in 1963 when Jimmy Davis was Governor of Louisiana. The Mansion is located on Capitol Lake near the State Capitol. Because so many antebellum mansions were being destroyed by fire and neglect, Gov. and Mrs. Davis instructed the architects to design a mansion in the Greek Revival style, which was the dominant style in Louisiana after 1830. This period marks a distinct departure from earlier Louisiana architecture. Tours are available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only by appointment.

-Acadian Swamp Tours

58235 New Camp Road, White Castle, LA, 225-268-0271

One and a half hour tour through the Atchafalaya Spillway on a covered boat, comfortable seats, handicap accessible & Coast Guard approved.

-Blue Bayou/Dixie Landin’

18142 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-753-3333

On I-10, at Highland Road exit 166 Both are family entertainment parks. Blue Bayou specializes in water attractions and Dixie Landin’ specializes in amusement rides. Call for more details and operating schedule.

-BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo

3601 Thomas Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 225-775-3877

The #1 year-round family attraction in Baton Rouge. Over 1,800 animals await you in the beautifully landscaped Zoo. See alligators, elephants, giraffes, flamingos and white tiger. Plus: The Otter Pond, L’aquarium de Louisiane, colorful Parrot Paradise, New Safari Playground, Kids Zoo, ride on the Cypress Bayou Railroad or White Tiger Tram.

-Laser Tag of Baton Rouge

5871 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA, 225-303-0386

Encompassing more than 21,000 square feet, largest stand alone Laser Tag facility in the gulf south. Play Laser Tag in a state of the art multi-level arena. The facility has a high class video arcade as well as an observation deck to check out all of the action. Facility can handle birthday parties, group events, lock ins, field trips, corporate events, and even exclusive facility rental.

-LSU Tiger Cage

www.MikeTheTiger.com, 225-578-0628

The new environment created for Mike is 15,000 square feet in size with lush plantings, a large Live Oak tree, a beautiful waterfall and a stream evolving from a rocky backdrop overflowing with plants and trees. The habitat has, as a backdrop, an Italianate tower, a campanile, that creates a visual bridge to the Italianate architectural vernacular that is the underpinning of the image of the entire beautiful LSU campus. This spectacular new habitat will feature state-of-the-art technologies, research, conservation and husbandry programs, as well as educational, interpretive and recreational activities.

Golf Courses

-BREC’s Beaver Creek – 225-658-6338

-BREC’s City Park – 225-387-9523

-BREC’s Howell Park – 225-357-9292

-BREC’s Clark Park – 225-775-9008

-BREC’s Webb Park – 225-383-4919

-Baton Rouge Country Club – 225-925-2433

-Carter Plantation – 225-294-7555

-Copper Mill Golf Comm. – 225-658-0656

-Country Club of Louisiana – 225-755-0860

-Denham Springs Country Club – 225-665-6437

-Dumas Golf Course – 225-775-9166

-Fennwood Hills Country Club – 225-654-8586

-Gonzales Country Club – 225-647-2722

-LSU Golf Course – 225-578-3394

-Pelican Point Club – 225-746-9252

-Santa Maria Park – 225-752-9667

-Sherwood Forest Country Club – 225-272-1141

-University Club – 225-819-0800

Tennis Centers

-City Park – 225-343-3767

-Greenwood Park – 225-778-4040

-Highland Park – 225-766-0247

-Independence Park – 225-923-2792

Campgrounds

-Cajun Country, Port Allen, LA – 225-383-8554

-Green Acres, St. Francisville, LA – 225-635-4903

-Wanetiri Lakes, Greenwell Springs, LA – 225-261-4430