Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge has a semi-tropical climate, perfect for outdoor activities.

The weather is consistently warm from May to September. Be warned that, like the rest of the Southern United States during the summer, it can become down-right miserable, with sustained temperatures in the 90s (°F) with 100% humidity. Proper medical precautions should be taken if you plan on partaking in outdoor activities, such as ample amounts of sunscreen and hydration. Also, there are many days throughout July that are classified as "ozone days" due to severe ground-level ozone, which can damage the health of sensitive individuals.

Winter is usually mild and short-lived. Spring is glorious with cool nights and warm, sunny days. A light jacket is all that is needed. Fall is mild and only a light sweater is needed in the evenings.

May is considered the best month to visit, good for outdoor activities and sightseeing.

Precipitation is reasonably well-distributed and ample throughout the year with an average annual precipitation of 55 in (140 cm)

• Average summer temperature: 81.3°F (27°C)
• Average winter temperature: 52.5°F (11°C)
• Average annual temperature: 67.5°F (20°C)

Baton Rouge, like many cities in the Gulf States, has what is known as 5 seasons. The 5th season is hurricane season, the time of year between June 1 and November 30 when hurricanes are most likely to form.

• Visit Baton Rouge website

• 🌍 Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR  ^IATA) (in north Baton Rouge, near Southern University). Has nonstop flights on American Eagle from Dallas/Fort Worth (Envoy & Skywest Airlines) and Charlotte (PSA Airlines); Delta Connection from Atlanta (Endeavour Air); and United Express from Houston (CommutAir). (updated Feb 2019)
• 🌍 Louisiana Regional Airport. A general aviation airport in the nearby suburb of Gonzales. (updated Feb 2019)

While there is no Amtrak train service to Baton Rouge, connecting bus service can be booked with the Sunset Limited between New Orleans and Los Angeles as well as with City of New Orleans, which runs to and from Chicago.

From New Orleans, Baton Rouge is an 80-mi (129-km) northwest drive on I-10, which drives into the heart of downtown. The distance between the two Louisiana cities is an easy 90-min drive if you avoid weekday rush hours; if you catch the traffic of commuter rush hours at either end it can take a lot longer.

If you're driving in from anywhere east of Louisiana, come into Baton Rouge via I-12, which will take you north of Lake Ponchartrain and bypasses New Orleans. From the west, I-10 connects Lafayette, Houston, San Antonio, Tucson, Phoenix, and Los Angeles with Baton Rouge. From the east, I-10 connects Baton Rouge with New Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola, and Jacksonville. If you're coming from Chicago, St. Louis, or Memphis follow I-55 South and merge onto I-12 West and continue driving for roughly 45 mi (72 km).

In town the bus companies have their own separate stations & stops in downtown (Flixbus, Greyhound and Megabus) and in the east side of town (Turimex):

• 🌍 Flixbus, (bus stop) 138 Florida St (River Rd & Florida St. Bus will board along the yellow curb on the south side of Florida St, opposite from a parking lot). Service to Baton Rouge from Houston and New Orleans. Additional local pick-up at the Greyhound bus station at 1253 Florida Blvd and the Chevron station at 1295 Highland Rd. Check your tickets for pick-up/drop off locations. (updated Jul 2019)
• Delta Bus Lines, (Greyhound bus station) 1253 Florida Blvd (same location as Greyhound on Florida Blvd & 13th St), ☏ +1 662-335-2144, fax: +1 662-335-2174. Connects Memphis to Baton Rouge through Cleveland,Robinsonville, Shelby, Tunica and Clarksdale. Passengers transfer in Cleveland to continue towards Indianola, Greeneville, Jackson. Tickets with Delta Bus lines can also be booked with Greyhound (see below). (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Greyhound Lines & Quicklink, (bus station) 1253 Florida Blvd (Florida Blvd & 13th St), ☏ +1 225 383-3811, toll-free: +1-800-231-2222. Greyhound travels primarily on I-10 (Houston, Beaumont Vidor, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans); US 90 (Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Iberia, Morgan City, Thibodaux, Houma, Raceland and New Orleans). Some variations of the Houston to New Orleans route make additional stops in Port Arthur, Orange, Baytown and/or Lake Charles while other routes continue towards Montgomery via Mobile without stopping in New Orleans. Passengers transfer in Lafayette to reach Shreveport. They also offer a more frequent and less expensive commuter service to New Orleans on their Quick Link brand who have separate stops at a Chevron gas station at 2915 Highland Rd and the Albertson's store on 2950 College Dr (at I-10). (updated Jul 2019)

• 🌍 Turimex Internacional, (bus stop) Agencia La Tiendita at 6031 Siegen Ln (Siegen Strip mall at Siegen Lane (SR-3246) & Cloverland south of the US Hwy 61 junction), toll-free: +1-800-733-7330. Service to Baton Rouge from Houston, Raleigh NC and points in between. Buses continue south into Mexico from Houston and San Antonio. In Louisiana they only stop in Hammond & Lafayette. In town they have additional stops at W Spring Valley & S Colt Rd and at 17453 Old Hammond Hwy. (updated Jul 2019)
• 🌍 Capital Area Transit System (CATS), (bus terminal) 2250 Florida Blvd (22nd St & Florida Blvd), ☏ +1 225 389-8282. Capital Area Transit System (CATS) operates city buses in and around Baton Rouge. The marked location is the central bus transit center/bus station for CATS. (updated Jul 2019)

• 🌍 Louisiana State Capitol, State Capitol Dr, ☏ +1 225-342-7317. Louisiana's new state capitol building dominates the city's skyline. It's an impressive Art Deco style skyscraper, built as part of the grand vision of Louisiana's colorful political boss of the 1920s and 1930s, Huey P. Long, who met his end by assassination in its halls. 
• 🌍 Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd, ☏ +1 225 342-0500. Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM. This 19th-century castle serving as the State Capitol before Gov. Huey P. Long built the new skyscraper. It is now a museum. 
• 🌍 Louisiana Governor's Mansion, 1001 Capitol Access Rd, ☏ +1 225 342-5855. (updated Oct 2021)

• 🌍 Louisiana Art and Science Museum, 100 S River Rd, ☏ +1 225 344-5272, lasm@lasm.org. 
• 🌍 Capitol Park Museum, 660 N. 4th St, ☏ +1 225 342-5428. Near the State Capitol this museum features two floors of exhibits related to Louisiana culture, with such curiosities as Louis Armstrong's first bugle, Huey P. Long's tombstone, and a Civil War Confederate submarine with hand-cranked propeller. 
• 🌍 LSU Rural Life Museum, 4560 Essen Ln, ☏ +1 225 765-2437, rurallife@lsu.edu. Admission includes access to an indoor museum, an outdoor collection of historical structures and some reconstructions of historical structures, and a botanical garden. Historical structures include slave quarters previously owned by one of the founders of the LSU. Those interested in the history of slavery and the period thereafter should be aware that they may find some of the interpretative signage whitewashes the treatment of African Americans. (updated Jan 2023)

• 🌍 Pentagon Barracks Museum, 702 River Rd. These barracks have been used by used by the Republic of West Florida, Spanish, French, British, Confederate States Army, and United States Army over the years. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 Veteran's Memorial Park, 599 State Capitol Dr #523. Daily 6AM-9PM. Veterans memorial and old arsenal museum. Also note Capitol Lake is right behind. (updated Oct 2021)

• 🌍 Louisiana State University (LSU) (Exit Dalrymple on I-10). LSU is a Tier 1 ranked university, and the flagship university for Louisiana. Aside from its academic excellence, the LSU campus in Baton Rouge is over a century old, and a historic delight for visitors. The campus is lush and green, with oaks that are as old as the campus itself. Historical Highland Road runs down a section of LSU, making the campus an easy visit for any tourist. Must sees include Tiger Stadium, the Indian Mounds, the Quad, the outdoor Greek Amphitheater, and the acres of beautiful, pedestrian friendly grounds. Food is available on campus at the Student Union for visitors, or you can eat at The Chimes, which is on Chimes Street running parallel to the LSU campus. edit 
• 🌍 Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, 10503 N. Oak Hills Parkway, ☏ +1 225 757-8905. Tu-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM, closed M. Featuring wildlife and ecology exhibits, a 65-acre cypress-tupelo swamp, navigable by boardwalk filled with wildlife such as birds, bobcats, foxes, turtles and alligators. $3 for adults, $2.50 for aged 65+, $2 for age 3-17, free for aged 2 and younger. (updated Jan 2023)
• 🌍 Magnolia Mound Plantation House, 2161 Nicholson Dr, ☏ +1 225 343-4955. (updated Jun 2020)

• 🌍 Baton Rouge Zoo, 3601 Thomas Rd, ☏ +1 225 775-3877, fax: +1 225 775-3931, info@brzoo.org. Enjoy the Otter Pond, L'aquarium de Louisiane, Parrot Paradise, the Cypress Bayou Railroad, the Safari Playground & KidsZoo petting zoo. 
• 🌍 Mike the Tiger's Habitat, 16 N Stadium Dr, ☏ +1 225 578-4823. Where you can visit the live LSU tiger mascot in his habitat. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 Blue Bayou Water Park / Dixie Landin', 18142 Perkins Rd. (near I-10 and Highland Rd), ☏ +1 225 753-3333. This is the largest amusement park in the area. The main attraction is the enormous waterslide "Conja". (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Independence Park, 7500 Independence Blvd, ☏ +1 225 928-7860. This park has Botanic Gardens, a tennis facility, the Independence Park Theater, and another water park (called Liberty Lagoon). (updated Oct 2021)
• LSU Lakes, LSU (Exit Dalrymple at I-10). The LSU Lakes are an attraction for residents in Baton Rouge. Composed of several lakes near LSU, they are open to the public for fishing. In addition, there are extensive running tracks that run next to the lakes for miles for walking, jogging, and running. You can easily mix and mingle with LSU college students, all of whom consider the LSU Lakes part of their home campus. 

• 🌍 Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St, ☏ +1 225 346-5001. Onsite dining includes Tsunamis, Capitol City Grill, PJ's Coffee, and Stroubes. The center also features The LSU Museum of Art's rotating exhibitions, rotating events from the Manship Theatre, and the LSU School of Art Flassell Gallery. This is the city's newest major performing arts complex. It features the Manship Theatre and a rooftop sushi restaurant. 

• Swine Palace Productions (in LSU's "theater-in-the-round" Reilly Theatre). Originally a livestock-judging pavilion, Swine Palace are Baton Rouge's premier professional theater company. 

• Red Stick Farmers Market, 501 Main St (Fifth Street, between Main and North Street). Saturday mornings from 8AM-noon. The Red Stick Farmers Market, operated by BREADA (Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance), is a producer only market with over 50 vendors that has been in operation for nearly ten years. Located on Downtown Baton Rouge, the market is open in conjunction with The Main Street Market. Going to the Market is a great way to experience culture and goods from local vendors and farmers. 
• 🌍 Tour the USS Kidd, 305 South River Rd (Downtown Baton Rouge). The USS Kidd, a WWII era US Navy destroyer, offers tours to locals and tourists alike. A real delight if you are a WWII or military enthusiast or if you have children. 
• Tailgate during an LSU home game, LSU (Exit Dalrymple on I-10, go right to LSU), ☏ +1 225 635-6277. LSU has an incredible tailgating scene. It's not uncommon for 100,000+ people to be tailgating in and around LSU--Tiger Stadium has a seating capacity of over 102,000! You'll be amazed at the number and friendliness of the crowd. Plan on arriving hours before the game to be able to park within a reasonable distance (< 2 miles). And *always* feel free to ask for a burger or gumbo from fellow tail-gaters as it's tradition to be friendly and open with fellow fans. 
• Tin Roof Brewery Tour (Exit Nicholson at I-10), ☏ +1 225 377-7022. Fridays from 5PM to 7PM. Baton Rouge's only microbrewery. Excellent guided tours every Friday at 6PM with three free beer samples for those over 21. Definitely a must for any beer lover. Free.