Baton Rouge (literally Red Pole
in French) was likely named after the marker used to identify the landing to passing paddle wheelers on the Mississippi River. It is the state capitol, home to the main Louisiana State University campus, and a lot of other attractions. Since I enjoyed the LSU Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens so much it is split onto a separate page. Baton Rouge was also touted as a gastronomic paradise and I was trying to find some blackened redfish or salmon that didn't break the bank while the places advertising seafood
specialized in catfish and crawdads neither of which saw saltwater until they hit the pot.
Here are a couple pictures of the old capitol building which seems to look great almost a century after Huey Long insisted it needed to be replaced. The story goes that Huey had maintenance loosen the roof tiles over several key legislative menber's offices and the next rain they agreed. Other stories abound and Huey Long is still revered as the most powerful govenor Louisiana and maybe the whole country. His legacy continues to be a powerful influence in Louisiana and his improvements to roads, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure made modern Louisiana and Baton Rouge could easily be called Huey's town.
I don't seem to have any pictures of Huey's new capitol building but only these from the observation deck which despite 911 fever remained open, free, and available to all. They just sort of assumed the visitors were responsible adults or properly supervised children.
We also enjoyed the excellent and informative displays at the Louisiana State Museum. Outside these kids were enjoying the fountain. As the jets turned on in sequence the spray could catch anyone standing too close. The waterfront area is also a nicely developed asset.
From the USS Kidd museum you can see the levee top park with the science center and planetarium on the left and the old capitol in the background on the right. The USS Kidd display represented special challenges with the Mississippi River level changing over 40 feet. To avoid floating it out so far as to be a navigation hazard they created a special cradle to hold the ship when the water is very low. Apparently at very low water you can actually walk under the hull. On the port side is a special collar welded to the ship and wrapped around the pilings so the ship can float up at high water still secured at the same distance from the shore. Shore side the pilings and collar are very unobtrusive for a great exhibit.
While the LSU Rural Life Museum shows a lot about how ordinary folks lived in the early days, the Magnolia Mound Plantation represents the elete. The photograph of the house from the slave quarters shows the expansive lawn and you can ask how they mowed it in the Good 'Ol Days
. And yes the tree is the namesake magnolia just starting to bloom here in mid February.