LSU Rural Life Museum, Agricultural museum in Baton Rouge, United States.
The LSU Rural Life Museum contains 32 historical buildings spread across 25 acres, divided into Working Plantation, Upland South, Gulf Coast, and Exhibit Barn sections.
The museum preserves and exhibits materials from 18th and 19th century rural Louisiana, including the largest collection of regional vernacular architecture from that period.
Through interactive displays, preserved buildings, and historical artifacts, the museum demonstrates agricultural practices and living conditions of past Louisiana communities.
Located on the former Burden family estate grounds, the museum opens daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with guided tours requiring approximately two hours.
The museum maintains extensive collections of farming equipment, tools, and household items that represent different aspects of Louisiana's agricultural development through centuries.
Location: Baton Rouge
Operator: Louisiana State University
Address: 4560 Essen Ln, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, USA 70836
Opening Hours: Montag-Sonntag 08:00-17:00
Phone: +12257652437
Website: https://lsu.edu/rurallife
GPS coordinates: 30.41150,-91.11549
Latest update: March 6, 2025 17:56
Louisiana blends old neighborhoods, plantation houses, and diverse natural landscapes. The French Quarter of New Orleans keeps its 18th-century Spanish colonial architecture, with wrought-iron balconies and lively streets where jazz and the sounds of passersby fill the air. In Baton Rouge, the USS Kidd remembers World War II, while in Lafayette, the Vermilionville Museum celebrates the lives of early Acadian settlers with demonstrations of traditional crafts and cooking. Plantations like Laura or Rosedown open their doors to tell the rich story of the South, with restored outbuildings and gardens where time seems to stand still. Along the Gulf of Mexico, Holly Beach attracts families who come to swim, fish, or collect shells. Everywhere, Louisiana culture is part of daily life, seen in festivals like Mardi Gras with its parades filling the streets, in spicy dishes served in local restaurants, and in the music that accompanies every moment of the day.
Baton Rouge preserves its history through several sites that showcase Louisiana's development. The State Capitol building, an art deco structure from 1932, towers over downtown at 140 meters high and offers a view of the Mississippi River and its surroundings from its observation deck. Nearby, the Former Governor's Residence from 1850 exemplifies Southern colonial architecture with its white columns, while the Magnolia Mound Plantation, established in 1791, reconstructs the life of French cotton planters. The city’s museums document different aspects of regional history. The LSU Rural Life Museum houses artifacts and documents on Louisiana's farming techniques from the 18th to the 20th century. The USS Kidd, a World War II destroyer moored on the Mississippi, exhibits collections on American naval history. Louisiana State University's campus features the LSU Tiger Stadium, built in 1924 and capable of holding over 100,000 spectators. The city also has natural areas such as the Bluebonnet Marsh Nature Center with its 43 hectares of marsh accessible via trails, as well as a zoo with 800 animals across 200 species.
Tiger Stadium
6.7 km
LSU Campus Mounds
6.3 km
LSU Football Operations Center
7 km
Memorial Tower
6.1 km
LSU Indoor Practice Facility
7 km
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
4.8 km
LSU Hilltop Arboretum
6.5 km
Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple
5.5 km
Magnolia Cemetery
6.7 km
LSU Honors College
5.7 km
Swine Palace
5.9 km
Baton Rouge National Cemetery
6.5 km
Mike the Tiger Habitat
6.7 km
Highland Road Community Park
3.3 km
Mount Hope Plantation House
4.5 km
Mango's Beach Volleyball Club
6.1 km
Alex Box Stadium
6.9 km
Prince Hall Masonic Temple
7 km
Knock Knock Children's Museum
5.6 km
CARTE Museum
4.4 km
BREC's Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
4.7 km
Burden Museum and Gardens
353 m
Reiley-Reeves House
6.1 km
Botanic Gardens
3.8 km
Red Stick Farmers Market
1.5 km
Movie Tavern Baton Rouge
1.9 km
Lincoln Theater
6.5 km
McKinley High School
6.6 kmReviews
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