One day, one place: Downtown Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge often plays second fiddle to New Orleans, but it’s a worthy stop for foodies and history buffs alike — especially in its ever-evolving, pedestrianfriendly city center. Here’s how to spend a day in the Red Stick.
Morning
Start with a great cup of coffee and hearty breakfast at Magpie Cafe. The white-bright space on the ground floor of a midcentury building is contemporary but casual, with full-service tables, grab-and-go options and a full bar. Dishes range from indulgent (fried chicken and biscuit, waffle board) to health conscious (mashed avocado and a fried egg on seeded Paleo-friendly toast) to snacky (baked scones and muffins).
From there, make your way to the Shaw Center for the Arts, a striking, modern structure fronted by a dancing fountain. It houses theaters, a rooftop sushi restaurant and the LSU Museum of Art. At the latter, multiple galleries showcase sculpture, paintings, decorative arts and more. Metal sculptures, rich in African symbolism, by local artist Martin Payton are on view through Feb. 11; “Art in Louisiana” offers a look at works from LSU’s collection.
Walk across the street to the Old State Capitol building to learn about Louisiana’s political history through timely photo-rich exhibits. The soaring stained-glass rotunda in the Gothic structure is breathtaking.
Midday
If you’ve worked up an appetite, nip over to Jolie Pearl. The festive oyster bar sidles up to a grassy square across from the district courthouse and serves an impressive array of oysters in all their forms: grilled (try the BBQ NOLA style with Worcestershire butter sauce and Tabasco), baked (think Rockefeller or crawfish gratin), raw (West, East or Gulf Coast) and fried. There are a few options for bivalve haters, too — a messy roast beef po-boy, say, or a muffaletta sandwich.
Amble down to River Road to walk the decks and explore the narrow walkways and rooms of Fletcher-class destroyer USS Kidd, the World War II-era “Pirate of the Pacific,” and take in impactful displays full of artifacts at the adjoining museum of military history. Exhibits on view now include “Voices From the Lost Generation: Louisianans in the Great War 1917-1918” and “Marking Time: Voyage to Vietnam.”
Afternoon
Nearby, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, housed in a former 1925 railway station, is a great place to visit if you’re traveling with kids. The educational exhibits span prehistoric (dinosaurs!), ancient Egypt (2,300-year-old mummy with hair!) and outer space (planetarium!).
Head back to the Shaw Center and take the elevator up to the sixth floor — ideally, at golden hour, just before sunset. Order a drink at the bar at Tsunami, the swanky sushi restaurant, and take it outside to the terrace for postcard-worthy views of the Horace Wilkinson Bridge stretching across the Mississippi.
Evening
Treat yourself for dinner. Gumbo is king in Louisiana — and you may fall in love with the deep, dark, filé-rich version at The Gregory, the house restaurant at the slick new Watermark hotel. From the open kitchen within the polished, lobby-area dining room, chefs Drue Vitter and Chad Galiano send out other accomplished Southerninspired dishes, such as redfish paté and roasted duck leg with fried duck dirty rice balls. Adding to the fun is ordering from the menu on an iPad; photo and wine pairing suggestions pop up when you click on a dish name.
Fancy a gamble? Try your luck at the Hollywood Casino, about a 15-20 minute walk (or quick Uber ride) along River Road near State Capitol Park.