How I Spent a Day in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
On a recent road trip traveling from the Texas Hill Country to Vero Beach, Florida, Eddie (my husband) and I broke up our drive by spending a night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I was eager to see the Louisiana state capitol as well as explore the local culture in this college town.
Here is what we found to do a day in Baton Rouge, Louisiana .
Hotel Indigo
We arrived at the Hotel Indigo Baton Rouge Downtown Riverfront, which is in the best part of town at the corner of Convention and Lafayette Street. The Hotel Indigo offered valet parking, which I highly recommend due to the congested streets and traffic.
Our check-in was quick, easy, and we were welcomed by the incredibly friendly staff. Hotel Indigo’s lobby was beautiful and King Bar and Bistro, their onsite farm-to-table restaurant, was bustling with patrons. I immediately liked this hotel! Best of all, the Hotel Indigo is pet-friendly to those with pets under 75 pounds.
Our room was tastefully decorated with nice fabrics and a contemporary style. Though the room was small, it fit our needs perfectly. Hardwood floors and colorful rugs were nice choices to highlight the furniture and decor. Our bed was comfortable and fitted with several pillows, a big plus in my book. The room also provided a nice view of Baton Rouge.
Exploring Downtown Baton Rouge
Eddie and I strolled around town a bit and checked out the local sites. We came upon a weekend street party that featured live entertainment by Mingo Fishtrap. A large crowd was gathered there, enjoying the music and festivities.
Open containers are allowed on the streets of Baton Rouge, so that added to our enjoyment as we tried frozen Bushwhacker and Pineapple Painkiller cocktails from Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar & Restaurant. Another cool thing was seeing kids splashing in fountains outside of Repentance Park, Baton Rouge’s first step in linking open green space between the city’s neighborhoods and the Mississippi River.
Supper in Baton Rouge
For dinner, Eddie and I took a local’s restaurant recommendation, which turned out to be uneventful. We ended up at the Capital City Grill and dined outside for optimal people watching. Our service left a lot to be desired and the food was average at best; perhaps it was just the dishes that we chose.
I could have kicked myself for not selecting a traditional Louisiana dish, something like shrimp and grits or red beans and rice. Eddie had the Hushpuppies for a starter and the Pecan Chicken Salad, which was much tastier than my Southwestern Pasta.
After dinner, we walked the moss-covered, tree-lined streets to the gorgeous gothic inspired castle known as Old State Capitol. The Old State Capitol sits atop a bright green hill and looks like a stately mini-castle. It is so pretty!
We also passed the River Center and USS Kidd along the way. Baton Rouge definitely has some interesting and unique architecture.
Breakfast Dishes and Doses of History
The next morning, Eddie and I awoke with an appetite, and this time I was trusting my travel blogger skills to pick our breakfast location. My instinct paid off as we had what will probably be one of the best meals I ate in 2016 at a little place called Christina’s. Christina’s Restaurant was in walking distance, but it is a jaunt. Be sure to walk in the shade as much as possible because Baton Rouge is freaking hot!
We arrived at Christina’s and entered a typical looking retro cafe serving home-style cooking. The daily specials are written on a dry erase board; do not miss these options. I chose the Shrimp and Cream Cheese Omelet, which sounded so interring with sautéed shrimp, green onions, and a fantastic house cream cheese sauce. Oh my, it was epic! The green onions and the rich cream sauce really dazzled my palate.
Eddie chose a Pancake, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and Grits. He loved every bit and raved about their homemade biscuits. Christina’s lunch menu looked just as wonderful and attractive as the breakfast menu. Bonus: Breakfast is served all day.
Baton Rouge: Checked Off the Bucket List
Before saying adieu to this awesome city, we drove over to the Louisiana State Capitol to admire its art, architecture, and impressive sculptures. If you have not visited the state capitol, I encourage you to stop by and pay homage to this jewel.
My next trip to Baton Rouge will definitely include a trip to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Planetarium, and a walk through LSU would be amazing. For now, I leave the city happy that I got to explore something new and beautiful. Have you ever been to Baton Rouge?
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Ok, you lost me on everything else but the food. I must be missing American cafe food because the grits, the pancakes, the bacon, the biscuits all have my mouth watering.
LOL We are known for those huge, heavy breakfasts. You just named all my faves. 😉
What a bummer that you didn’t have a fantastic dinner in Baton Rouge! I’d think it would have a fabulous food scene being in Louisiana. Sounds like you made up for it at breakfast though!
Definitely! I hope to go back and give it another try though. 😉
Well, looks like the food was the highlight of the trip! Definitely made me want to try out the cuisine. Photos are awesome and the trip report compelling.
I want to do some of the museums and LSU Stadium next time. 😉 Thanks so much.
Looks like a fun place to visit! Always good to find a fun way to break up a long road trip! The food photos are making me hungry haha.
I’d love to visit Baton Rouge one day. I’d love to check out more of the architecture and eat some of that yummy food!
I’ve heard that Baton Rouge is a pretty cool city. This holds up 🙂 Man, that breakfast your husband had looks like it could keep me going all day!
It is his favorite meal of the day. He stockpiles. LOL
Do you ever travel and NOT have good food? Seriously, your fooding skillz are top-notch. Baton Rouge sounds great and like a very pedestrian friendly city. Love it when there’s fun, food and walking!
Haha. I put a lot of thought and time into choosing the places. Yes, sometimes when I let others pick, I am disappointed. Good thing I always take the reigns. LOL
I have the misfortune of living in BR, and let me tell you this. It is NOT pedestrian friendly! While downtown is slowly becoming better, it is still mostly occupied by government buildings and will be quite deserted at night and on weekends. The rest of the city consists of malls and suburbs. Good food can be found (City Pork!) but our experience has been hit and miss. Your experience with the Capital City Grill is fairly typical for a BR restaurant, I think. Go to New Orleans for the food scene.
New Orleans is my favorite food scene in the entire world! Sorry to hear your issues with BR. We enjoyed our visit though it was only for a day. I would like to see it in action during game days. Did you, by chance, ever visit that haunted house place? Sounds so scary!
The street party seems like so much fun. – Food, music and fun. Just a perfect recipe to chill.
It’s always so relaxing to take the time for a day break during a long road trip. Discovering a new city and its food like you did makes the next discover much more intense.
My thoughts exactly! 😉