10 Things To Do In Mid-City Baton Rouge

In the shadow of Louisiana’s State Capitol building, nestled in the heart of Baton Rouge’s oldest and friendliest neighborhood, sits a large red house. Celebrating 100 years of business in 2014, Spanish Town Market is a living legend in the capital city for their unbelievable burgers, po’boys, sandwiches, and savory southern classics, such as jambalaya, boudin, gumbo, étouffée, French dips, chicken and dumplings, and beef tenderloin stew – the epitome of homemade comfort food blended with southern hospitality. Offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this is the only place in Baton Rouge you can order your groceries with hot menu food items for delivery.

Price: Budget

Opening Hours: 7am – 9pm (Mon – Fri), 8am – 9pm (Sat), 8am – 4pm (Sun)

Watch Out For: Smokin’ chicken sandwich

This 1950s style burger and malt joint has a long history in Baton Rouge, beginning as the local pharmacy in the 1960s. Dearman’s is located in the prestigious Bocage Village Shopping Center and has continued to serve the same classics for years. Don’t expect a Marilyn Monroe lookalike to roll up on skates to take your order; this is a casual place with a great atmosphere and even better burgers. For the best experience, sit at the lunch counter, order a double cheeseburger dressed (add bacon), a small fry (the larges are big enough for a table of 4), and a chocolate malt, and have a great conversation with the very friendly staff as your meal is prepared right in front of you.

Price: Mid-range

Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm (Mon – Sat), 11am – 6pm (Sun)

Watch Out For: Root beer float Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Inside Fleur de Lis pizza. – Jennifer Woodard Maderazo/Wikimedia Commons

A French name with an Italian masterpiece, the cultural tornado of South Louisiana is perfectly summed up by this iconic pizzeria. A small, pink building on the corner, with a gravel parking lot, Fleur de Lis was originally established as a watering hole on the outskirts of a small town. What began in 1946 with a small pizza, served as an appetizer, grew into the best pizzeria in the capital city. Take your pick of their Famous Roman Pizza Pies. Family-owned and -operated since the beginning, this place just feels like coming home.

Price: Budget

Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Tue – Sat)

Watch Out For: The Around the World

If you are looking for a fun day out with the family, Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center is a great adventure, with nature trails that are easily walked and a nature center with a variety of snakes, turtles, and other animals. The small reptiles and amphibians dominate the scene; however, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, deer, and many other animals also inhabit the area.

Price: Budget

Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm (Tue – Sat), 12pm – 5pm (Sun)

Watch Out For: Upcoming Events LSU football stadium – getmahesh/Flickr

A tour of the beautiful LSU campus is a great way to spend an evening. Take a drive through campus on Highland Road where you will see the splendid clock tower and Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Next, head over to the iconic football stadium, Death Valley, and visit the team’s magnificent mascot, Mike the Tiger; finally, take a drive around the beautiful LSU lakes. Park your car wherever feels right and enjoy a picturesque South Louisiana sunset.

Watch Out For: The many great restaurants in the area Perkins Rowe – Brian Mooney/Flickr

This upscale shopping center has everything you need for a great day out on the town. Perkins Rowe has a variety of shopping options, including J. Crew, BCBG, Frock Candy, Urban Outfitters, and more. There is also a multitude of dining options, including Kona Grill, Texas de Brazil, Lava Cantina, CPK, and others. If you enjoy a good book and a cup of coffee, there is a Barnes & Noble with a Starbucks inside. No matter what you enjoy, there is something for everyone at Perkins Rowe.

Price: Upscale

Watch Out For: Rock n’ Rowe Thursdays 6pm – 9pm Blue Bayou Water Park – Infrogmation/Wikimedia Commons

Located off I-10, on the outskirts of the city, sits the only amusement park around Baton Rouge. In 1989, Blue Bayou Water Park opened at the corner of Perkins and Highland Road, providing relief to the locals from the Louisiana summer heat. For ten years, the water park operated alone. In 1999, Fun Fair Park closed its doors, having stood on Florida Boulevard since 1963. The old park moved across town to join the water park, creating Blue Bayou/Dixie Landin’. Today, the massive complex is a year-round attraction; however, the water park is only open during the summer months. All of the great rides and classic amusement park eats are available.

Price: Mid-Range

Watch Out For: Concerts

The Highland Observatory offers a variety of events to help educate the public on the universe which exists outside of our pale blue dot. Visit this fantastic observatory, and allow the friendly volunteers to assist you in all of your astronomer needs; they are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about enlightening people on the related fields. They will help visitors operate the telescope and answer any questions; many also serve as guest-speakers for other events.

Price: Free

Opening Hours: 10am – 2pm (Mon – Thu), 5pm – 10pm (Fri), 9am – 2pm & 6pm – 10pm (Sat)

Watch Out For: Aliens! Restocking live catfish at Tony’s Seafood in Baton Rouge – Paula Ouder/Flickr

This is it – the place that singlehandedly defines Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tony’s Seafood is a massive market, offering an expansive variety of foods, spices and other products, but specializing in the freshest seafood. They have it all – alligator, duck, frog legs, rabbit, turtle, crab, crawfish, lobster, oysters, shrimp, scallops, drum, catfish, garfish, redfish, salmon, snapper, tilapia, tuna, and more. The farm-raised catfish are on display in a massive tank. If you don’t feel like cooking, that’s okay – the cafeteria-style lunch buffet has everything your heart could possible desire. For the rest of time, Louisianians will be arguing over who has the best crawfish; however, in Baton Rouge, the debate is virtually settled – with a reputation of selling up to 50,000lbs of crawfish in a single day, Tony’s takes the prize.

Price: Mid-Range

Opening Hours: 8am – 7:30pm (Mon – Thu), 8am – 8pm (Fri – Sat), 8am – 7pm (Sun)

Watch Out For: Everything…this place is one of a kind.