About Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge, Louisiana; waterfront aerial view
Michael Maples, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library

“Istrouma,” “Red Stick,” “The 225”--all are names for Baton Rouge, but SEMLA members will call it home for a few days as the annual conference comes to town October 2!

Baton Rouge became the capital of Louisiana in 1846. With a population of about 815,000 in the Greater Baton Rouge area, the city is home to state government, major petrochemical industries, and two universities. In 1699, French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and his brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, named Baton Rouge for the reddish cypress pole placed along a Mississippi River bluff, as noted in written records found in the diaries of these explorers. They told the tale of a “red stick” festooned with bloody fish and animals that separated the hunting grounds of the Bayougoula and Houmas Indians. It is from this "red stick" that Iberville christened the city "le Baton Rouge."

Located on the Mississippi River at the crossroads of Cajun country, old West Florida, and plantation country, and just 70 miles from New Orleans, Baton Rouge is filled with a vibrant mix of cultures and it overflows with a wide variety of music and cuisine.

Plan to arrive early or to stay after the conference to explore some of these South Louisiana treasures!

Tours

 

Festivals

 

Events

Plantations (Mileage calculated from the Cook Hotel)

Baton Rouge

River Road

Historic St. Francisville

Haunted Plantation

Live Music

Blues, Jazz and other popular Music Venues

Classical Music Events (more will be added as they are advertised)

  • Chamber I: Guitar in the Baroque
    Thursday, October 2 at 7:30; First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge
    BACH: Sonata in E minor for Flute, BWV 1034
    GAULTIER: The Rhetoric of the Gods
    VIVALDI: Guitar Concerto in D Major, RV 93
    TELEMANN: Trio Sonata for recorder (flute), violin, and continuo, TWV 42: d10

For more information about Baton Rouge, visit http://www.visitbatonrouge.com.