One Day in Baton Rouge: A Route from American Inn

Build the day around opening hours first, because the downtown museums have different weekly schedules. The Old State Capitol Museum is closed Monday, while the Louisiana Art & Science Museum is closed Monday and Tuesday. If either is a priority, check its operating pattern before choosing your day.

For a downtown start, Louisiana’s Old State Capitol Museum is at 100 North Blvd. The museum is free to enter, and its optional “Ghost of the Castle” film costs $2. Groups can request tours on scheduled days and times.

To prepare for the campus portion, the LSU Welcome Center sits at Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive. It can provide visitor parking passes, campus maps and directions. The King Room at American Inn is about a 7-minute drive from Baton Rouge city centre.

Start the morning at the Old State Capitol, then leave time to look around the downtown area before lunch. It is about a 55-minute walk or a 9-minute drive from American Inn. Its museum hours vary by day: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Friday, noon–4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; and Sunday, noon–4 p.m. It is closed Monday.

Groups may request tours Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. For more detail on planning this stop, read how to plan an Old State Capitol visit.

Parking options include a limited number of accessible spaces in the lot behind the building, metered street parking, and garages at the River Center and at Convention and Third streets. If you are driving, check the available options before setting off so you can choose a downtown parking plan.

Keep lunch flexible, then use the middle of the day for a pause along the Mississippi Riverfront. The Louisiana Art & Science Museum, at 100 S River Rd., offers museum exhibits and planetarium shows.

If you would rather keep the day outdoors at this point, leave room for a riverfront break before continuing to your afternoon stop.

For an indoor afternoon, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum offers a museum visit and planetarium show. General admission is $16 for adults, $13 for children ages 3–12 and $13 for seniors age 65 and older; members enter free, and applicable taxes are added.

The museum is open Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1–5 p.m. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. On Saturday and Sunday, last entry is at 4 p.m., when the final Irene W. Pennington Planetarium show begins. The museum also offers free admission on the first Sunday of each month.

Parking garages are at 201 North 3rd Street, 499 St. Louis Street and 362 St. Ferdinand Street. Downtown street parking is free on weekends and weekdays after 6 p.m.; before 6 p.m., street parking is payable by credit card at kiosks.

Capital Transportation Corporation buses on the Florida Boulevard route stop on River Road directly across from the museum. For more visit details, see how to plan a Louisiana Art & Science Museum visit.

Another Capitol-area option is the Louisiana State Capitol at 900 North Third Street. It is open daily from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with closures on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Parking is available on Spanish Town Road, south of Capitol Park, or in the River Road lot beside the river. The observation deck is closed for renovations.

Finish the day at LSU, using the Welcome Center for maps and directions before exploring campus and the LSU Lakes. The campus stop is about a 13-minute drive from American Inn.

Campus parking costs $1.50–$3 per hour on weekdays from 7 a.m.–8 p.m., depending on the parking option, and accepts debit or credit cards. Daily or temporary permits cost $10–$12 per day; the $12 permits are valid for up to 10 consecutive days in Commuter or X lots.

For campus orientation and visitor details, read how to use the LSU campus map. Keep the lakes as the final leg of the route, then return to your chosen transport when you are ready to leave campus.

After the LSU stop, plan your return journey by car or another transport option that suits your plans.

If you are driving, confirm parking and operating details for each stop before you set out. That is especially useful when your plan depends on museum hours, a campus permit or a particular Capitol-area lot.

Is the Old State Capitol Museum free?

Yes. Admission is free, while the optional “Ghost of the Castle” film costs $2.

When is the Louisiana Art & Science Museum open?

It is open Wednesday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday on different schedules, and closed Monday and Tuesday. Weekend last entry is at 4 p.m.

Where can you get an LSU campus map?

The LSU Welcome Center, at Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive, can provide campus maps, directions and visitor parking passes.