Whether you’re a native of Baton Rouge or just in town for the weekend, there’s always something to do in the buzzing downtown area of the city.
While it sounds cliché to say there’s something here for everyone, that’s truly the case with downtown Baton Rouge. Whether it’s brunch with your girlfriends, weekend activities with the family, a romantic date night or dinner and drinks with your crew, downtown Baton Rouge has you covered. Here are 20 things to do and top attractions to visit in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1. Old State Capitol
Baton Rouge is the political center of Louisiana and a historic one at that. For a taste of that history, look no further than the Old State Capitol and its Museum of Political History, which blends state-of-the-art exhibits with the historic building’s signature Gothic architecture. When looking for family-friendly things to do in Baton Rouge, include this on your “must” list.
One of the best attractions at the Old State Capitol is the “Ghost of Castle” show, which recreates some of the thoughts of Sarah Morgan, who wrote the book “The Civil War Diary of a Southern Woman.” The 12-minute show features “floating” images as the ghost of Morgan talks visitors through the story behind the historic building.
2. USS Kidd Veterans Museum
There are many things to do in Baton Rouge for kids, but one of the best is the USS Kidd Veterans Museum. Nicknamed the “Pirate of the Pacific,” the Kidd is a Fletcher-class destroyer that now serves as a memorial honoring the men and women of the U.S. armed forces. One of its best features is that, like many other museums in Baton Rouge, it’s free on the first Sunday of each month.
The ship was named after a man who was killed aboard the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attacks on Dec. 7, 1941, Rear Admiral Isaac Campbell Kidd Sr. The Kidd launched in 1943 and is restored to mimic its 1945 configuration. For half of the year, the ship rests on the Mississippi River, and for the other half, it sits in a dry-docked cradle so visitors can get a view of its full dimensions.
3. Poor Boy Lloyd’s
Poor Boy Lloyd’s is a breakfast and lunch joint that, as you would expect, serves a wide variety of Po Boy sandwiches. There are no fewer than 19 variations of Po Boys on the menu, including the special — ham, salami, beef and cheese — and seafood options such as catfish, crawfish, boiled shrimp and oysters. If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, there are also several salads on the menu and other specialties like seafood gumbo and stuffed crab.
It’s a perfect place to grab a quick bite while touring the sites of downtown Baton Rouge, but it could also kick off your Friday night — the restaurant features live local music every Friday from 7-10 p.m., playing a mix of Southern rock, delta blues and soul.
4. Live After Five
Live After Five is an outdoor concert series produced by the Baton Rouge Downtown Business Association, which runs on many Fridays in the spring and fall from April to October. As the name indicates, the music starts at 5 p.m. sharp each Friday and runs through 8 p.m., making it a nice way to kick off your weekend.
The concerts are usually a hit — it’s not rare for the events to bring in upwards of 5,000 people if the weather cooperates. Another benefit of the Friday concert series is that local restaurants typically offer specials coinciding with the shows to help drive business. There’s nothing much better than some good food and great music on a fall Friday night.
5. Fleur de Lis Pizza
Once a cocktail lounge located on an out-of-town gravel road, Fleur de Lis Pizza is a historical pizza place near downtown that’s been family-owned since the mid-1940s. Everything about the place is steeped in tradition, from the look, both inside and out, to the recipe and quality of the pizza. Be advised — the restaurant doesn’t take credit or debit cards, but there is an ATM on site.
Pricing is straightforward. With a few exceptions, small pies are $7.75 and a large costs $12.25. Some whoppers such as the “Round the World” pizza cost $15, but with anchovies, Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, mushrooms and onions, you’ll know exactly where that extra few dollars went.
6. The Gregory
Located next to the lobby of The Watermark hotel, The Gregory is the perfect spot for upscale dining and drinks in downtown Baton Rouge. We have an impressive Saturday and Sunday brunch menu, as well as private dining options for your next event, and offer a rotating selection of local and regional craft beers, along with signature cocktails. When looking for things to do in Baton Rouge this weekend, The Gregory is always a good place to start.
One of our restaurant’s strengths is versatility. The Gregory is a great place for a romantic dinner, or you could stop in after work for some drinks and small plates with friends. We also have an extensive wine list carefully curated to complement our dishes, adding an extra layer of class and elegance to your meal.
7. Tiger Stadium
You can’t mention Baton Rouge without thinking about Louisiana State University (LSU) football, and Saturday game days can easily turn into an all-day affair. After a healthy amount of tailgating, cozy up with roughly 100,000 of your closest friends and watch a game at the sixth-largest on-campus football stadium in the country. Even if you don’t make it into the game itself, game day in Baton Rouge is one of the best college football experiences in the nation.
Expectations are always high for Tigers football. Food, drinks and football already make up a great combination, and a talented and competitive team only turns that up a notch. Geaux Tigers!
8. Capitol Park Museum
There’s no shortage of museums in Baton Rouge, and one of the best is the Capitol Park Museum, which looks at the history of Louisiana back to the days of Native Americans. The museum’s two permanent exhibits, Nation and Experiencing Louisiana: Discovering the Soul of America, and Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana, are worth the price of admission alone.
The Capitol Park Museum gives visitors the chance to explore Louisiana’s rich cultural history. Learn how Native Americans, colonists and enslaved populations cultivated the region and made it truly unique. The shrimp, sugar cane and oil industries are highlighted in exhibits that display their importance to the state and the nation. As you move through the museum, you’ll also encounter numerous interactive exhibits that showcase Louisiana’s musical history.
9. Shaw Center for the Arts
The Shaw Center for the Arts is a nonprofit organization that offers a space to experience various forms of art like visual art, music, dancing, movies and drama. Their mission is to educate and entertain using an entire city block that overlooks the Mississippi River. There are several showplaces located at the Shaw Center for the Arts, including Glassell Gallery, The Manship Theatre, River Terrace and the LSU Museum of Art. The Shaw Center also features several dining options.
Look for upcoming events or showtimes that may be scheduled while you’re in town!
10. Sing the River Sculpture
If you make your way down to the Mississippi River levee, you’ll find the “Sing the River” sculpture. Built in 2018, the sculpture is connected to the flow of the river via sensors. The sculpture interacts with sensors in the water to play music in correspondence with the flow of the river, so it’s quite literally singing the river! The sculpture is made of a reflective material, similar to “The Bean” in Chicago, and is illuminated at night.
If you’re looking to visit unique landmarks in Baton Rouge, the “Sing the River” sculpture is a must-see for visitors and locals alike.
11. Red Stick Farmers Market
A staple of downtown Baton Rouge is the Red Stick Farmers Market, which is open every Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. The market features all the things you’d expect, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, plus many other specialty food items, seafood, homemade pies, cheeses and artisan bread. It’s a great spot for a weekend breakfast or an early lunch.
In some ways, Red Stick Farmers Market is a microcosm of Baton Rouge — there’s truly something for everybody. Where else can you pick up some locally produced dairy products such as gourmet goat cheese, before grabbing a bottle of Louisiana wine flavored with peaches or blueberries and finishing it off with a pound of wild-caught Louisiana shrimp?
12. Manship Theatre
Located in the Shaw Center for the Arts, the Manship Theatre hosts a wide variety of events, including screenings of classic movies, concerts, dance performances and theatre shows. There are shows and events for all ages year-round, including classes and camps for performing arts. Manship Theatre even has two exhibition spaces that feature local artists and are open to the public.
The spaces within the Manship Theatre can be transformed into more than galleries or concert stages — they can also be used as venues for events. Check out upcoming events and showtimes to add to your list of things to do in Baton Rouge.
13. LSU Museum of Art
Also located in the Shaw Center for the Arts, the LSU Museum of Art (MOA) has more than 6,500 art objects on hand, including an impressive collection of Chinese jade, sculptures, drawings and photography. The museum has programs and exhibits for local artists to showcase their work, plus regional and national projects that connect Louisiana with other parts of the world.
Some of the LSU MOA’s past collections include an exhibition dedicated to spotlighting Black artists, an exhibition featuring 200 years worth of American-designed chairs, a collection of satirical lithographs by Caroline Durieux and more. To add the LSU MOA to your trip, find out what the current exhibitions and collections are and what the museum will add in the near future.
14. Magpie Cafe
Magpie Cafe has been around for years on Perkins Road. While they’re closed on Mondays, you can check out their delicious menu and adorable shop Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. While you’re there, you’ll want to grab a cappuccino or another specialty coffee drink to enjoy with your pastries.
15. The Chimes
The Chimes has served up Louisiana-style comfort food and beer for more than 30 years at its main Highland Road location just south of downtown near the LSU campus. Dishes include red beans and rice with sausage, crawfish etouffée, New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp and charbroiled catfish with garlic butter. The Chimes also serves boudin balls, a boudin omelet, cheese fries and fried pickles.
One of the establishment’s fun features is “Beer University,” during which participants can learn about beers to earn a “degree” in beer drinking. After earning their bachelor’s degrees, expert beer-drinkers can also complete master’s and doctoral courses.
16. Tin Roof Brewing Co.
Located roughly a mile from downtown Baton Rouge, Tin Roof Brewing Co. has a taproom where you can try beers of all types. The brewery always has some of its flagship beers on hand, such as Bayou Bengal Lager and Juke Joint IPA, and it rotates in seasonal and experimental brews, as well.
In addition to tasting their specialty beers, you can tour the brewery to learn about the company’s beer-making process. Tin Roof is open Wednesday through Sunday, and tours are free on Saturdays unless there’s a major holiday.
17. Louisiana Art & Science Museum
Science museums are always a wise family-friendly option, and the Louisiana Art & Science Museum is no exception. The museum has three fascinating permanent exhibits — Ancient Egypt, Planet Tower and Universe Gallery — and a lengthy list of rotating exhibitions. The museum’s planetarium shows are a nice way to keep the kids, and yourselves, entertained.
One of the most exciting attractions at the museum is its Solar System Gallery, which is now home to a triceratops skull that’s 65 million years old and weighs 1,500 pounds. There are also space images from the Hubble telescope, a large overhead solar system model and two interactive, hands-on stations.
18. Baton Rouge Blues Festival
You can’t think about Louisiana without thinking about the Blues, and the annual Baton Rouge Blues Festival is about as good as it gets. The event launched in 1981 and takes place in April each year. Unfortunately, the festival was canceled in 2021, though it’s scheduled to return in 2022. If you’re planning a future trip, you’ll want to pencil this into your itinerary!
In addition to the music — and believe us, the music is enough — the festival also features a ton of food and art vendors, and others selling items such as vinyl records.
19. Festival of Lights
If you happen to be in Baton Rouge during the holidays, the annual Festival of Lights in North Boulevard Town Square is a must. The event features hundreds of Christmas lights and decorations, a snow village, a train ride at the Old Governor’s Mansion and appearances from Santa Claus. Each year the event also includes a firework display and the annual tree lighting ceremony.
Additionally, the Festival of Lights has a free ice-skating area, balloon artists, face painting, stilt walkers and holiday performers. Not only is the event free, but you can also park for free at the River Center Garages.
20. The 13th Gate Haunted House
If you like getting scared during the Halloween season, give The 13th Gate haunted house in downtown Baton Rouge a visit. The venue is open Thursdays through Sundays from late September to the middle of November and the entire week of Halloween.
In addition to a more traditional haunted house, there’s an escape game experience that challenges you to survive and escape a series of horror-themed rooms in an hour or less. Groups of four to eight people work together to decipher clues and puzzles using both instinct and logic to make it from room to room. There are six themed escape rooms, including one that could be taken from the movie “Saw,” and another that mimics a World War II-era bunker.
Unlike the haunted house, which is open seasonally, the escape game portion of the venue is open year-round.
21. Pedal Pub
If a party on wheels sounds like your idea of a great time, Pedal Pub can provide a memorable experience for you and your companions. Enjoy many Baton Rouge attractions as you pedal through the downtown area on a guided two-hour tour with up to 16 family members or friends. Along the way, you’ll make a couple of stops at popular breweries and even enjoy some singing and line dancing.
You will ride on distinctive Dutch party bikes expertly handcrafted in the Netherlands as you experience the unique sights and sounds of Baton Rouge. The knowledgeable Pedal Pub guides will ensure you don’t miss a thing during your adventure.
22. Squeaky Pete’s
The options for entertainment in Baton Rouge include live music at Squeaky Pete’s, the downtown area’s first and only country music bar. This popular establishment is the place to go to grab a bite and enjoy a cold beer as you check out some of the area’s top country bands from Tuesday through Saturday. Other regular events include drink specials and Thursday night karaoke.
Squeaky Pete’s also has the perfect setup for an unforgettable bachelor or bachelorette party or other private event in Baton Rouge.
23. University Lakes
Looking for free things to do in Baton Rouge? Be sure to include the University Lakes at LSU on your itinerary. You can easily spend all day here, but even visiting for part of the day is a must. This system of six beautiful lakes surrounds the campus and is a haven for walkers, joggers, cyclists, nature lovers and anyone else who enjoys spending time in the great outdoors.
The lake system, which was originally constructed during the Great Depression, is currently undergoing an extensive restoration project to enhance its sustainability and make it enjoyable for future generations.
Book Your Trip
To say downtown Baton Rouge is vibrant would be selling it short. There’s always something to do, history to learn, food to eat, wine and beer to drink and in the fall, football to watch.
If you’re an out-of-towner planning to visit Baton Rouge soon, or if you’re local and looking for a fun Louisiana stay-cation, consider making The Watermark hotel and The Gregory your home base. We’re proud to offer some of the best food you’ll find in the Deep South, and the location is ideal for hitting each of the places and events on this list.
Contact us at The Gregory for more information!
