This was the 10th anniversary of the North Gate Music and Arts Fest. There were lots of vendors…read morewith food, jewelry, paintings, leather masks and other cool stuff. The bands sounded good and it looked like there was a pretty good turn out. It was from 4-11 pm and I didn't get there until later but it seemed like people were still showing up at around 10pm. Overall it was a good time.

The 10th Anniversary Celebration of Kite Fest Louisiane is scheduled for the weekend of April 5th &…read more6th on the West Baton Rouge Soccer Complex on Rosedale Road off of Highway 415. This event is free to the public and very family oriented. There will be Kite Flying (bring your own), Kite Design Competitions daily, Children's Kite Making Workshops, Precision Flying teams, Food Booths, Music and more! Big River Band will be performing on Saturday evening from 5PM-7PM followed by a fireworks display! Huge kites, the size of MACK trucks will be flying both days! Families can bring their lawn chairs, blankets and kites and set up their own area on the field for flying and viewing. No pets or ice chests are permitted. 11AM-7PM on Saturday 11AM-6PM on Sunday This event is put on by the West Baton Rouge Convention & Visitors Bureau and local sponsors!

I was pretty disappointed by the event. Nothing was really decorated for Christmas. The website…read moresaid the house would be decorated in holiday decor. We took the tour, and nothing was decorated. They did have a few vendor booths selling things. Two people were singing Christmas carols. They did have a cooking demonstration in the kitchen, which was interesting. We also rode the wagon ride, which was very short. I wanted to like this event, but it just didn't feel like Christmas. Not compared to the other plantations or even rural life. I feel like they could do much better. We didn't stay for the bonfire, so I don't know how that was. I don't think I would go back though.

I simply love the holidays. There are so many holiday events that come up during the holiday season…read morehere in the capital city. This one definitely has potential to be greater every year! Magnolia Mounds is huge and it can definitely host the masses (as long as there is no rain because most of the venue is outdoors). Creole Christmas & Holiday Fair usually takes place a couple weeks before Christmas and it is a 5-hour event. It's a simple event and it definitely teaches the simplicity of Christmas in the 1800s'. There was singing duo, dancers, pop-up retailers, horse-drawn carriage rides, bonfire, plantation house tours and my absolute favorite - the open hearth kitchen demonstrations. It made for a fun afternoon with the family on a brisk, December afternoon. If you have never been, bring your family next year. Much of the plantation is open, so you can take tours of almost everything, unless it is under construction. Plus, there is plenty of outdoor, open space for the little ones to run around and burn some of that energy. Even though this event is a more condensed version of what you'd see, if you were to pay for a tour here, it was still a cool learning experience. I'd love to see more interactive stations and educational stations. It would be a great opportunity for them to promote their summer camps, too. My daughter loves their summer camps, so she loves Magnolia Mound. It would have been cool to see just a little bit more. I understood that they were trying to keep it simple, but simple can still be a bit more interactive and immersed learning. Hope to see this event get better throughout the years.

This is by far my favorite parade in Baton Rouge, and in 15 years, I have only missed one due to a…read moremedical emergency. Held in Mid-City and the Garden District area, it is embraced by the residents in those neighborhoods. The fact that it is NOT held in downtown Baton Rouge is a HUGE draw - I stopped going downtown for most of the parades during Mardi Gras because there is no flavor to the route, and it doesn't feel like it's anything special. For the Wearin' of the Green, families along the route open their homes to friends and even strangers. While parking can be a bit difficult, I have always been able to find a spot no matter which area I planned to watch it in, or have only had to venture a block or two out of the way. I make it a point to plan ahead. Plan to arrive early to ensure you can find a spot. Don't plan on rolling in at 9:30 when the parade rolls at 10. And just plan to have a fun morning visiting with your fellow BR neighbors. For the past two years, we have hosted a float and ridden in the parade. That's been a very wonderful eye opening experience! I love seeing friends and family out in the crowd, and it's fun to watch the lawns full of people. You see a true representation of this amazing city, and just about everyone is polite, enthusiastic, and thankful for the throws we spend our own money on. Some logistics - if you have small kids or aren't into the crowd scene, plan to watch it toward the beginning of the route. As it rolls down Terrace, there is so much open space in the median area. If you area more adventurous, setup alongside City Park on Perkins. And if you're looking for a true, crazy, wild parade experience, head to the Perkins Road Overpass and join the restaurants and bars for some good fun in the crowds. Rain or shine, the Wearin' of the Green parade is a MUST DO! I look forward to throwing you all some amazing stuff again next year!

Did you know Louisiana loves parades? I have never been to so many parades in my life. Growing up,…read moreI think the only parade I went to was 4th of July and that was a big deal... EVERY YEAR! As you can imagine, it's a party for almost every holiday here. So, I consider my daughter lucky for getting to spend most of her pre-teen life here in Louisiana where parades happen left and right. You think Mardi Gras parades are extravagant, well this one is right up there with those. Floats are big, beads are abundant and just as many hands are up in the air ready to catch whatever is thrown at them. This time, it's not the bight purple, gold and pink colors you see. This time it's a sea of green: beads, cups, shirts and even beards. The parade is not too far from where I live and it can get crazy. If you're a visitor and you think you'll be here for it, definitely worth it. The aftermath of the parade is definitely a sight, too. Parade route travels through the Garden District and on Perkins/Acadian area. Any of the plazas in that area become party central. It is definitely a family-friendly parade, so don't miss out and get your spots early.

It was a great stop kids love it but adults would like it too. They got great art and amazing…read moreplanetarium definitely try it out. The first Sundays free each month.

Visited the Louisiana Art & Science Museum and... it was fine…read more There are some interesting elements, but I didn't leave feeling particularly impressed. A lot of the exhibits seem geared more toward kids, so depending on what you're looking for, it may not fully hit the mark. That said, it's still a decent stop if you're in the area - just don't go in expecting a super in-depth or highly engaging museum experience. Overall, not bad, but not something I'd go out of my way for.

The Capitol Park Museum is definitely worth a visit…read more There are some genuinely interesting exhibits, and it does a good job showcasing Louisiana's history and culture. It's engaging enough to spend a solid amount of time exploring, especially if you're already visiting other museums in the area. That said, certain parts of the museum felt a bit repetitive - almost like carbon copies of exhibits you might see at the Old State Capitol or other nearby museums. If you're doing multiple stops, you might notice some overlap. Still, the admission is very affordable, which makes it an easy and worthwhile stop overall.

Honestly, I had high hopes, but I should have known better. The state of LA has a rich history of…read morebeing part of the Deep South so I'm not sure why I expected anything elevated, learned, recognized, or truthful to be here. The museum is cheap to get into, can be completed in less than 2 hours and is technically geared more towards school age, but since it was our first time in the state capitol I figured it was worth the visit. I actually found myself crying, actual tears, in the middle of a museum for how poorly done the entire portion on slavery was. If ever there was a chance for a state to tell the real story, the real history, this would be it and that isn't what happens here. At EVERY turn there was some watered down version of how slaves "benefited" or "learned skills" and I was horrified. There was an entire section dedicated to slavery and not one school field trip was visiting that section and there were at least 2 buses of kids in the location. Let me be clear though, when I say a section was dedicated to slavery they did not tell the full story or the truth and they didn't even try! The one highlight was learning the history of mardi gras upstairs, but it was very Krewe heavy and I want to believe there's more history to learn there as well.

I honestly didn't know this place existed until about a month ago…read more It's a free to visit unless you want to go to the Windrush Gardens which cost $3 to get in. There is also a museum called the Rural Life Museum that also charges a small admission fee. This is a nice small piece of Heaven in the middle of Baton Rouge. The sunflower field was a magical place to visit. There are many walking trails. You can even rent out s building for weddings and parties. I will definitely be revisiting this beautiful place again! It's a great place to have a family or romantic picnic. They were also having a orchid sale which was interesting to look at .

The paths that the students and volunteers create and maintain. You can hear the highway from some…read moreof the turns, yet you are tucked away in luscious gardens and walking paths. The Rural Life Museum is housed on the premises, and while the trails are free, the Windrush garden has a fee, and worth it for a day of just mindless nature absorbing. GEAUX Tigers! Keep your living lab alive for all to enjoy!

Soooo, I got hit by a beaded medallion, on my forehead that hurt like heck! But that's not going to…read morestop me from giving this parade 5-stars. Our group got there in the knick of time as it rolled around by the Capitol building. It was a night parade on a drizzly Friday night, but parade-goers still made their way to get their parade on and raise their hands for those throws. We got a lot of great stuff, from from headbands to stuffed animals. My daughter loved catching all sorts of stuff. So, yes, this is a family-friendly parade. It wasn't a rowdy crowd at all and all seemed to be on their best behavior that evening. The route is round-trip, beginning and ending at the River Center. I truly love how Baton Rouge is up-and-coming with many cool parades now, too. If you want to enjoy Mardi Gras festivities without going to New Orleans, you can definitely enjoy this parade two weekends before. There were a bunch of throws, so be sure to bring your bag to catch and store your throws. I am a big fan of these lower-key parades... tons of fun!

The parade runs through downtown so it is near a lot of bars. The floats weren't extravagant but…read morethey were pretty. The ladies in the parade were nice and threw a fair amount of stuff and the marching bands were good. One upside was that the parade was short in comparison to a lot of the New Orleans parades and it wasn't several parades back to back which was a pleasant change of pace. I'd definitely go again.