About Baton Rouge
“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
- Tabasco Food Tour/ Avery Island
- Alligator Bayou Tours
- Cajun Country Swamp Tours
- Cajun Pride Swamp Tours
- Spanish Town Walking Tour
- A Walk with the Birds / Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
Festivals
Events
- Angola Prison Rodeo
- 150th Anniversary Reenactment Battle of Alexander’s Creek
- 24th International Sculpture Conference: Sculpture, Culture & Community
- The Baton Rouge Arts Market and Red and Red Stick Farmers Market
- Dinosaurs at Dusk /Louisiana Art and Science Museum
- Selections from the LSAM Collection: Egyptian Tapestries
- Tom’s Fiddle and Bow MUSIC JAM, first Sunday every month
Plantations (Mileage calculated from the Cook Hotel)
Baton Rouge
- Magnolia Mound Plantation (2 miles)
2161 Nicholson Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
225-343-4955 - Mount Hope Plantation (5 miles)
8151 Highland Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225-761-7000 - White Oak Plantation (15 miles)
17660 George O’Neal Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70817
225-751-1882
River Road
- Oak Alley Plantation (55 miles)
3645 Hwy. 18, River Rd., Vacherie, LA 70090
225-265-2151 | 800-463-7359 | 225-265-7035
- Laura: A Creole Plantation (50 miles)
2247 Hwy. 18, River Rd., Vacherie, LA 70090
225-265-7690 | 888-799-7690 | 225-265-7960
- Destrehan Plantation (72 miles)
13034 River Rd., Destrehan, LA 70047
985-764-9315 | 877-453-2095 | 985-725-1929
- San Francisco Plantation (50 miles)
2646 Hwy. 44, Great River Rd., Garyville, LA 70051
985-535-2341 | 888-322-1756 | 985-535-5450
- Evergreen Plantation (48 miles)
4677 Hwy. 18, Edgard, LA 70049
985-497-3837
- Nottoway Plantation (25 miles)
31025 Louisiana Hwy. 1, White Castle, LA 70788
225-545-2730 | 866-527-6884 | 225-545-8632
- Houmas House Plantation & Gardens (30 miles)
40136 Highway 942, Darrow, LA 70725
225-473-9380
Historic St. Francisville
- Oakley Plantation House (32 miles)
Audubon State Historic Site
11788 LA. 965, St. Francisville, LA 70775
- Myrtles Plantation (35 miles)
7747 U.S. Hwy. 61, St. Francisville, LA 70775
225-635-6277 | 800-809-0565 | 225-635-5837 - Greenwood Plantation (50 miles)
6838 Highland Rd., St. Francisville, LA 70775
225-655-4475 | 800-259-4475 | 225-655-3292
- Rosedown Plantation (34 miles)
12501 Hwy. 10, St. Francisville, LA 70775
225-635-3332 | 888-376-1867 | 225-784-1382
Haunted Plantation
- Myrtles Plantation (35 miles)
7747 U.S. Hwy. 61, St. Francisville, LA 70775
225-635-6277 | 800-809-0565 | 225-635-5837 - Loyd Hall Plnataion (108 miles)
292 Loyd Bridge Rd., Cheneyville, LA 71325
318-776-5641 | 888-602-5693 | 318-776-5886
- Magnolia Plantation (75 miles)
818 Elmwood Park Blvd., Harahan, LA 70123
504-733-5020
Live Music
Blues, Jazz and other popular Music Venues
- Blues Room
- Boudreaux and Thibodeaux’s
- Boutin’s
- Chelsea’s Café
- Hollywood Casino
- Pastime
- Live After 5 featuring Foret Tradition-- Swamp pop, R&B, soul, funk, etc.
- Phil Brady’s
- Poor Boy Lloyd’s
- Red Dragon
- Ringside at Sullivan’s
- Roux House
- Spanish Moon
- Superior Grill
- Teddy’s Juke Joint
- Varsity Theater
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.