Late June annual event. Entertainment and picnic, in 2012 held noon to 6pm at the LSU Student Union Building, 2nd Floor (Highland Road at Raphael Semmes) LSU Campus, a Pride "Picnic" (Indoors) and Community Resource Fairl. See 2013 schedule and venue online.
The 80-acre water and amusement park is a great place for fun and thrills. The 26 rides at Dixie Landin’ include huge roller coasters, a 90-foot ferris wheel, a 200-foot drop tower, and a log flume ride. Blue Bayou boasts having some of the largest water slides in the world, including bowl slides, tornado slides, racers, raft and sled slides, sheer drops, dark tubes, and a wave pool.
Louisiana’s complex and fascinating history and culture is on display at the State Museum. The state history is showcased with exhibits on everything from the Louisiana Purchase, to Mardi Gras traditions, to the state’s maritime history. Artifacts on display include a 48-foot shrimp trawler, a Civil War submarine and musical instruments belonging to some of the state’s greatest musicians, like Fats Domino and Louis Armstrong.
South of Baton Rouge in Donaldsonville is the River Road African American Museum. It’s dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of the African American who live in rural communities of Louisiana. The collection includes folk art and artifacts documenting the impact of African Americans on Louisiana architecture, agriculture, cuisine, music, and politics.
The Old State Capitol building is famous nationwide for its distinctive Gothic Revival architecture and dramatic setting atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The sumptuous interior, with its stained-glass dome and spiral staircase was rebuilt 1882 after fires gutted it during the civil war. The building was abandoned for the New State Capitol building in 1932, and was restored and reopened as a museum in the 1990s.
The New State Capitol is historic in its own right. It was audaciously constructed during the depths of the great depression on then-Governor Huey P. Long’s belief that it would symbolise the pride and history of the people of Louisiana. At 34 stories, it is the tallest legislature in the United States and was constructed with exotic materials shipped in from as far away as Italy and Australia. The building is adorned by monumental statues and symbolic touches, including a grand staircase entrance with one step for each state of the union (there were only 48 states in 1932). Senator Long was assassinated outside the legislature in 1935; he is now buried on the grounds and a statue in his honour faces the building.
