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As exciting as is it to take elaborate vacations, the amount of time and effort to travel can be exhausting. Staying local gives you the relaxation you need with the added benefit of skipping the airport lines and long hours of driving. If planned right, a staycation can be just as fun and memorable, and it gives you a reason to finally explore local sites that you’ve been wanting to visit. Baton Rouge is the perfect city to get away while staying home.
Four reasons to keep it local
- Stay close. If something does come up that you absolutely can’t ignore, you are still somewhat close to home and can easily take care of it and then get back to enjoying your time off.
- Save money. Since you are staying close to home you won’t spend near as much traveling. You also won’t have to stop as much for meals and so forth, ultimately saving you money.
- Less fatigue. Since you won’t be riding in a car or on an airplane for hours, you will be more alert and awake when you arrive to your destination. This can definitely help your mood and the mood of anyone with you.
- Little to no packing. If you are doing a little get-away camping at a state park, gaming at a casino or relaxing in a charming bed and breakfast, you need only pack a small overnight
What to do on your Baton Rouge staycation
Explore Downtown.
Baton Rouge’s historic downtown overlooking the Mississippi River has undergone a $2 billion dollar transformation over the past two decades. Downtown welcomed an art deco-inspired luxury boutique hotel in The Watermark just two years ago. The interior includes many of the original hand-painted murals, carved marble walls and staircases, and old bank vaults of the Gatsby-era building. Cane Land Distilling opened last year on the outskirts of downtown. It is one of the only “farm-to-bottle” distillers in the country. Cane Land produces four types of rum, including unique blends like Red Stick Cinnamon Rum, and serves artisan cocktails in its 3,000-square-foot tasting room.
Embrace culture and history at local museums.
- State Capitol
- Old State Capitol
- Capitol Park Museum
- Old Governors Mansion
- USS Kidd
- Rural Life Museum
- Knock Knock Children’s Museum
- Louisiana Art & Science Museum
- Magnolia Mound Plantation
- Bluebonnet Swamp
- LSU Museum of Art
Take it outside.
- Golf: Baton Rouge’s multiple prestigious golf courses will challenge novices and pros alike.
- Lakes: Whether by kayak, canoe, or on a paddle board, spend the day at the LSU Lakes. You can even rent gear from local outdoor outfitters, recreational centers and rental companies.
- Gardens: Take a leisurely stroll through botanical gardens in Baton Rouge like the Burden Gardens and Independence Botanical Gardens that showcase the flora of our region.
- Take a tour with Red Stick Adventures
- Swamp tours
- Louisiana State Museum
- Baton Rouge haunted adventure
For the foodies.
- Taste our Cajun culture and traditional southern dishes at Poor Boy Lloyds, Chicken Shack, and Smokin’ Aces BBQ.
- Adventurous diners can find Honduran, Vietnamese–even Venezuelan-Dutch fusion fare at the new downtown hot spot Cocha.
- See what the buzz is about. Try some new places like Elsie’s Plate and Pie, Magpie Cafe downtown, The Overpass Merchant, Tiger Deaux-Nuts and UMAMI.
- And of course, no one can leave Baton Rouge without something freshly caught from Louisiana’s largest seafood market: Tony’s Seafood.
