Baton Rouge, Louisiana skyline: the 37 most iconic buildings and best views in Baton Rouge

Tallest State Capitol building in the US! This building is more than just the tallest, it’s also full of beautiful art deco architecture features! Hard to fathom this building being built during the Great Depression. It’s worth researching more about Gov/US Senators Huey P. Long before visiting to understand its significance more. No worries if you don’t have the time, it’s worth the visit just to admire the architecture and great views of the Mississippi River. FYI… it’s free to visit and the top is open to walk around outside so it you’re afraid of heights this might not be for you.

Great place to learn a bit of American history and check out some models of ships used in wars throughout American history. The USS Kidd itself is currently in maintenance, but normally, you can take a tour of the ship. It’s supposed to be available for tours again sometime in 2025 (don't remember the exact date).

The architecture of this building was amazing! They had a movie that is a must-see. It really gave you the history. It's only $2, so it's worth it. They have a room that gives the chronologic dates of the state capital. Very informative! They even have the Merci Train car from France out front. That has its own historical significance. Definitely make this a place to visit.

This is a great area to go for a walk. We enjoyed it and may only complain that they didn’t have longer trails. A great shady walk in the swamp. So many species of birds! We saw turtles, rabbits, squirrels and then in the nature center saw snakes and so on. There was a nice picnic pavilion and benches along the walk ways. There is a little gift shop and clean restrooms.

SO COOL!!!! They had plenty of Egyptian artifacts to look at and learn about. They had an interactive science area with crafts and activities. The Planetarium area had an amazing movie section where yey screen different educational films

This is absolutely a must-see Museum and grounds for anyone interested in history. Large indoor space displaying an enormous amount of items regarding rural life in Louisiana. Many large displays of carriages and hearses. The outer grounds are acres Aurora buildings barns outhouses homes that were brought onto this museum's property to display a real life example of what rural life living was like. As a senior, the entry fee was $11. Worth every penny. Unfortunately, a simple map layout is all you are given, some sort of guided tour pamphlet or if we wanted to hit the ball out of the park, an audio tour for the areas that you go through. There is no reason that these items should not be available in a museum of this stature.

We just had our daughter's wedding ceremony and reception last Saturday at the museum. What an amazing venue! It was beautiful, both outside and inside. The director, Kelly Lee, was so easy to work with. I would recommend this venue for any of your social needs.

A fair amount of ladies' bathrooms and decent concessions. Great game day atmosphere. The scoreboard are great and bright. Good sound system although would like to be able to hear the halftime show s bit better.

While the summer might change this, it was so peaceful walking around. Not a lot of people, plenty of leisurely pacing and space. So cool to see (and hear!) the peacocks and peahens. The giraffe is finally out and about. Unfortunately the Flamingo Cafe water fountains weren't working, but we brought our own so plan ahead if you want free water. Otherwise it's a little costly ($4 a bottle.) Also, the playground has a roped off section. Hopefully they are able to fix that area. The family membership is paid by just 3 visits for us (2 adults, three kids) so if you plan on going, get the membership! Also, there are park perks if you go often enough. It's a small zoo, but worth it just for the nature and getting out of the house. The hippos (Spencer and Ginger) were my kids' favorite.

If you want to know about history, this is a good place. The tour is super detailed. Loved 100%recommend

This place is both fascinating and gorgeous. It has quite a history that's worth looking up. Every room is as different, colourful and full of character as the characters who inhabited the mansion over the years, including the man who wrote You are My Sunshine. The architecture makes full use of light and interesting spaces including curved walls and the most beautiful living room. I'm not sure it's called a living room, but the large second floor room with the white furniture and red tiles is stunning. And the bathrooms (some of which are being renovated) are really something else!

What a great place for the children! There are plenty of activities to do, to play, to create, to imagine: It was truly a wonderful experience for all of our family - The environment is very safe, the staff is so nice, everything is super clean and there is always someone supervising each activity! Special mention to Christina, who was so understanding and kind with our case! Would definitely recommend!

I came on a Saturday to visit the museum, and I am so glad I did. It was not busy at all. The rooms flowed well and I liked all of it. My favorites were the Clementine works as they left an odd aching feeling in my heart. The space station exhibit was nice as well. All of it was well worth seeing. I would recommend to anyone in the area.

I came to visit on April 17, 2025 at 11:15a and the gate was locked. I waited 45 minutes and no one showed up.

LSU should be proud of this ball park and there fans. Well deserved for a National Championship team. Great crowd, extremely friendly. Thank you for the experience. Great job LSU.

There is a place in Baton Rouge—down near the river, Where the past of LSU linger in the damp Louisiana air—where the beer is cold, the neon hums like a hornet’s nest, and the pizza is pure, ungovernable delishiousness. The Pastime—nostalgic in name, but built on something rawer. Here, hunger meets grease, cheese, and heat, no pretense required. Born in the 1920s as a humble grocery, it fed laborers craving hot, fast, and cheap. By 1945, booze arrived, and The Pastime thrived just beyond LSU’s Prohibition zone, drawing students and faculty alike. The law changed, but the legend endured. Pizza is not an afterthought here. It is the thought. Forget the thick, doughy, over-hyped monstrosities you get in tourist traps. The Pastime’s pizza is thin, crispy, and cooked like they mean it—a no-nonsense testament to the beauty of excess, built for survival rather than spectacle. Take the Creole Pizza here, for example. A creation so inherently Southern it could win a parish election on name recognition alone. Their homemade spicy red sauce is a warning shot—bold, unapologetic, and perfectly paired with a reckless heap of Gulf shrimp, fresh-cut red onions, okra, homegrown diced tomatoes, and a righteous blend of cheeses. And yet, you do it anyway. Because when that first bite hits—when the shrimp, the sauce, the cheese, and the crunch of that perfect crust collide in a symphony of excess—you remember why places like this exist. The Pastime is an equal-opportunity enabler. It doesn’t give a damn if you’re a broke college kid, a washed-up gambler, or a Hollywood A-lister slumming it in the Deep South. Angelina Jolie, Billy Bob Thornton, Matthew McConaughey—hell, even Willie Nelson has pulled up a chair here. LSU legends, from Billy Cannon to Simone Augustus, have eaten here. Every Louisiana politician worth their salt—Edwin Edwards, Buddy Roemer, a long line of sheriffs, judges, and senators—has sat in these booths, elbow-deep in marinara, making backroom deals over thin crust and cold beer. Because this is where it happens. The kind of place where fortunes change, where ideas are born, where decisions are made in the hazy euphoria of one too many slices and the promise of another round. There’s no Michelin star here. No farm-to-table nonsense, No gimmicks, no branding nonsense—just The Pastime, standing for nearly a century because people keep coming back. Not just for nostalgia, but for the food, the stories, and the comfort of things that never change. If you’re in Baton Rouge, order the pizza. Extra napkins. Cold beer. No regrets. And when you wake up the next morning—groggy, stuffed, and wondering if it was a dream—you’ll know it wasn’t. The Pastime isn’t just a restaurant. It’s an LSU institution.

This is a great church. The parking was on the street and a private lot so if you're going to a packed mass get there early. I loved the architecture, stained glass, and stations of the cross. They are all beautifully done. The pews are comfortable and so are the kneelers.

Great place to take wedding photos! This is a very nice and clean historical place!

Father Clark does a great job giving the message. The members are always welcoming and a pleasure to be around.

This is a really pretty and peaceful place. Soaring live oaks on a former battleground. Lots of burials from the city's Yellow Fever epidemic. The epigraphs are heartbreaking.

It was fun! Once you pay for your wristband, you can come and go all day. If you want to feed the animals, you'll have to purchase the coins from them. The mermaid show is at certain times. FYI, look.on Groupon for deals.

We visited the museum store and the museum itself at the Shaw center for the Arts. Both were wonderful! The art is a real tribute to Louisiana and its artists. The format of the museum does the same, with cozy living room furniture placed in the center of almost every room to create a warm, hospitable atmosphere.

Nice venue, not a bad seat in the house seemingly. Great place to watch a basketball game for sure and glad Coach Mulkey is here and has brought the program up big time. Right next to Tiger Stadium and the Mike the Tiger habitat.

This was a beautiful way to get exercise. We walked all of the trails and saw some beautiful sites. There was not much foot traffic so it was also very peaceful. In addition, the trails are very very well maintained and clear of obstacles.

We got a house tour from a very knowledgeable guide. She walked through each room and its history and was checking with us to see if had any questions throughout. Luckily we arrived before a large group was supposed to arrive. She was very accommodating of our infant suddenly breaking her flow with her own sounds. It’s also very reasonably priced at 10-12$ per person.

Big enough and informative museum! Overwhelmed with their collections of all Louisiana-native wild lives. Decent interactions, too. And they’re free!

We are treated like family. We had our beautiful day here,it meant so much to us! Such a wonderful and loving community. Much thanks to our Dear Officiant and Rev .C.Long Thank you Unitarian Church of BR

I love seeing graffiti as art. In reality, isn't it all art? Art is so difficult to define. One building I stopped by seemed to be just walls and no roof or anything inside. Such attention to detail! This is amazing. Whoever is behind this is a freaking genius. Take a moment. Look around. Think about the time and effort others have put into this.

We were visiting from out of town. We stopped in and was very happy we did. We spoke with Ms. Katherine and she gave us some must see places, like the observation deck in the state capital building, and great local places to eat. She also shared the interesting history of Baton Rouge “red stick” with us which was cool.

Our Baton Rouge community is so lucky to have Casey Phillips and his team. They lead programs, events, and alliances that work to break through and tear down the societal walls that discourage or prevent people from living safe, healthy, and prosperous lives.

Stopped here last week and had an awesome experience! The people that work here are so helpful and kind and made me feel like home even though I was away from home. Also I had forgotten some of my items and then they had extras for me. That's just a great experience