Things to do in Baton Rouge
History, college-town eats, and a speakeasy you have to ask for
Baton Rouge rewards the traveller who ignores the tourist brochure and follows the locals instead. These three days move from the Mississippi riverfront through LSU's campus and into Mid City's neighbourhood joints, keeping the tab honest without skipping a single good thing. If you want proper food, a little history, and a cocktail that takes some effort to find, this is your trip.
Day 1: Downtown and the River
A WWII destroyer, a Gothic dome, a po-boy at a counter open since 1967, dinner at Cocha and a drink in the old King Hotel.
- 10:30 AM
USS KIDD Veterans Museum
Board a real WWII Fletcher-class destroyer on the Mississippi, self-guided ship tour plus the shore museum.
Map - 12:30 PM
Poor Boy Lloyd's
Downtown po-boy counter since 1967; get the fried shrimp or roast beef po-boy, fully dressed.
Map - 2:30 PM
Louisiana's Old State Capitol
1847 Gothic Revival gem steps away, stained-glass dome, spiral staircase, and the immersive Ghost of the Castle.
Map - 7:30 PM
Cocha
Globally inflected small plates, vegetable and seafood-forward modern cooking, the memorable dinner without going over.
Map - 9:30 PM
King Bar & Bistro
The bar of the 1920s King Hotel, now the Indigo; cocktails sweetened with honey from the rooftop garden.
Map
Day 2: Parks, Comfort Food, BBQ
A loose day of green space and low-key eating that lets the city breathe around you before BRQ delivers the kind of seafood-and-smoke dinner that keeps locals loyal.
- 10:30 AM
Camelot Park
A quiet neighbourhood park with a walking loop near tonight's dinner; an easy slow start.
Map - 12:30 PM
The Chimes East
The Chimes East is a local staple, solid American comfort food and a relaxed midday vibe.
Map - 2:30 PM
Parklawn Park
Stretch your legs at Parklawn Park, an easy green stretch between lunch and dinner.
Map - 7:30 PM
BRQ Seafood and Barbeque
BRQ Seafood and Barbeque, the memorable local dinner pick for great seafood and BBQ without going over budget.
Map
Day 3: Mid City: Coffee to Beer Garden
Start with beignet fingers and a café au lait at a 50-year institution, spend the afternoon on campus and in the park, then let Mid City's patio kitchens close it out.
- 9:30 AM
Coffee Call
50-year BR institution, get the crisp-edged beignet fingers, easier to dunk than NOLA's, with a café au lait.
Map - 10:30 AM
Mike the Tiger's Habitat
Only live tiger mascot on a US college campus, 15,000 sq ft habitat with waterfall and pool.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 4:30 PM
City-Brooks Community Park
City Park's lakeside green under live oaks, with the artists' co-op gallery at its edge; an easy loop.
Map - 7:30 PM
BLDG 5 Market | Kitchen | Patio
Market and kitchen under the Perkins overpass; share a board and the crab cake plate out on the patio.
Map - 9:30 PM
Mid City Beer Garden
Fifty-plus taps under a plant-filled atrium and a big open-air patio on Government Street; 21 and over.
Map
Where to stay
Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center
The 1927 Heidelberg Hotel on the riverfront, a short walk from the USS Kidd, the old capitol and Cocha.
Hotel Indigo Baton Rouge Downtown
Half a block from the Hilton and a short walk to Poor Boy Lloyd's and Cocha, with a slightly quieter feel and the same sensible price tier.
Make Baton Rouge your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Tiger Stadium: months ahead
- Santa Maria Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Last Wilderness Swamp Tours: a few days ahead
- Topgolf Baton Rouge: a few days ahead
- The Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU: months ahead
- Elsie's Plate & Pie: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Plantation tours that sanitise slavery. Choose Whitney for history centred on enslaved lives.
- The downtown riverboat casino as a destination. L'Auberge is the casino stay instead.
- Mall of Louisiana and Perkins Rowe dining presented as Baton Rouge food.
- Tigerland for anyone over about 23, and downtown on Sunday or Monday night expecting nightlife.
The full Baton Rouge travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around