The South - Eastern USA - page 856

River Road African American Museum MUSEUM
( www.africanamericanmuseum.org ; 406 Charles St, Donaldsonville; admission $5; 10am-5pm
Wed-Sat, 1-5pm Sun) Be sure to flesh out any plantation tour with a visit to the River Road
African American Museum, 25 miles beyond Vacherie in Donaldsonville. This excellent
museum preserves the important history of African Americans in the rural communities
along the Mississippi, and offers insight into the free people of color, a unique sociopolit-
ical demographic within Louisiana that had huge bearing on the state's culture. Tours are
by appointment only.
Baton Rouge
In 1699 French explorers named this area baton rouge (red stick) when they came upon a
reddened cypress pole that Bayagoulas and Houma Native Americans had staked in the
ground to mark the boundaries of their respective hunting territories. From one pole grew
a lot of sprawl; Baton Rouge stretches out in an unplanned clutter in many directions.
Visitors are mostly drawn to Baton Rouge for Louisiana State University (LSU) and
Southern University; the latter is one of the largest historically African American uni-
versities in the country.
Sights & Activities
Louisiana State Capitol HISTORIC BUILDING
( 9am-4pm Tue-Sat) The art-deco skyscraper looming over town was built at the
height of the Great Depression to the tune of $5 million. It's the most visible leftover leg-
acy of populist governor 'Kingfish' Huey Long. The 27th-floor observation deck offers
stunning views and the ornate lobby is equally impressive. There are hourly free tours.
Louisiana Arts & Science Museum MUSEUM
( www.lasm.org ; 100 S River Rd; adult/child $7.25/6.25, with planetarium show $9/8; 10am-3pm
Tue-Fri, to 5pm Sat, 1-4pm Sun; ) Interesting arts and natural-history installations, and
planetarium shows. If you just want a good stretch of the legs, there's a pleasant pedes-
trian/bike path along the Mississippi River, covering 2.5 miles from the downtown
promenade to LSU.
Old State Capitol HISTORIC BUILDING