State Capitol: Louisiana style

Day 158
Baton Rouge, LA

Day #2 in Baton Rouge will be spent walking the streets. There is plenty of stuff for us to see and we want to get in as much as possible today. This casino is really a poor place to sleep and we want to leave tomorrow. A mile down the road is the first landmark. USS Kidd sits docked up along the shore. This Fletcher class destroyer was launched in 1943. She saw multiple missions in her time fighting in WW2 and was involved in nearly every large scale skirmish with the Japanese. After WW2, she was called back into duty and served another tenure during the Korean War. This 357 ft 2,000 ton vessel didn't mess around. A bad guy on the other side of the world was always fearful of a destroyer with this magnitude of credentials. They knew she was coming their way at 40 mph, and it wasn't just to say hello.

Next up on the list we made our way to the old state capitol. Along the walk we stumbled into some random weekend event. 

It was a small festival and we quickly made our way to the castle like structure of the Old State Capitol. This super cool place first opened it's doors to legislators in 1852. During the civil war it was occupied by both the confederacy and union. The capitol was  moved to New Orleans after a fire broke out in 1862 and burned everything except the exterior walls. Things in New Orleans were shaken up when after the civil war which required the capitol to be moved back to Baton Rouge. A team of engineers were looking  for a suitable place and deemed that they could indeed refurbish the burned shell in the 1880's.

That's a stained glass dome from the 1880's over the main staircase.

We spent over an hour wandering through what is now a great museum. Time to mosey on for the next attraction. Bumbling down the streets towards the current capitol building was a pleasure. Jazz filled the air from the festival down the road. A real fitting ambiance to the vibe that is Baton Rouge.

Now we get to the current state capitol building. Standing at 450 ft, it is currently the tallest state capitol  in all of the United States. The Art Deco styling is a stunning classic design. Controversy surrounded every part of the 14 months it took to build. This was due to the fact that construction had completed in 1932 to the tune of $5 million, right in the very heart of the depression.

Step on over to the elevator and take an express trip up to the 27th floor. It's an open air deck with railings waist high. The view is impressive.

What's that little white dome on the horizon? That must be the stadium for LSU. We should go see that. Back down the elevator and a quick one mile walk to Penny for lunch. Then it's on the road and 8 miles due south to go see one of the top iconic campuses in the country.

LSU holds many distinctions that set it apart from other colleges. Multiple buildings are on the historic register. Another odd thing; there are two Indian mounds dating back 6,000 years just to the side of the stadium. One feature really stuck out to us. They are the only college team that has a live tiger mascot on campus. His name is Mike. He likes to take naps in his habitat.

Let's recap Baton Rouge:
Great downtown river walk
Tons of history
50/50 split of white/black demographics 
Amazing captiol buildings
One of the top colleges in the country

This place has good vibes filled with good people. Go ahead and put it on your bucket list of places to check out.