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.

Now this is a holiday festival my family have always enjoyed going to during the Christmas season…read more It has gotten bigger and better as the years have gone by. In recent years, they have added a snow tubing area that the kids absolutely love. There is live music, local restaurants open, visits/photos with Santa at the Old State Capitol and so much more. Downtown is definitely bustling with families and individuals ready to celebrate the holiday season. The tree gets lit and many flock over participate in the festivities. I love events that bring the community out enjoy all that downtown has to offer. The Baton Rouge downtown area is booming, so when events happen to bring more attention to it happen, I always love to participate. This is also the same evening that Forum 35 holds their annual Reindeer Run that is an event that encourages to Baton Rouge to get active, race or leisurely run around the downtown area. Awesome to see huge participation for this event as well! So, when the holidays come around, make sure you are in tune with the date of this festival and make plans to gather your peeps and/or your family and get them out to kick off the holiday season the right way!

Wonderful oasis in the city for a stroll or a lunch. Beautiful rose garden; informative herb…read moregarden. Pollinators garden is such a joy! The volunteers who maintain this area for the community are unbelievably dedicated. Thank y'all!

A peaceful break in the middle of a bustling city. I couldn't resist getting out in the beautiful…read moresunshine this weekend, and while driving around running errands, I pulled into the Botanic Garden for a quick walk. While nothing is blooming right now as it's still February, you can still quietly walk around and take in the seasonal nature. There are plenty of benches spread about so you can sit and take a break if needed. The grounds are very clean and clear of debris. I look forward to going once things bloom and brighten up a bit.

More spread out than last year, more food and better lighting ! It was awesome beer selection was…read moregreat and the people were all enjoying themselves ! Go Brew at the Zoo!

This was my first year attending this event and I enjoyed myself sooo much!!! The parking was easy…read moreand the door to get in ran very smoothly. All the vendors here were friendly and they gave information about the different beers. I'm not much of a beer drinker but I absolutely learned a lot. The food vendors had some really good quick food. The egg rolls from bulldog was my favorite. The music was good too:-))) What impressed me the most was how clean the place looked even after the 2 hrs of being there. Guys this was a great event and I truly had a great time thank you Baton Rouge Zoo for hosting such a great event!!

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.

This is a YEARLY holiday event in Baton Rouge. If you haven't been at least once, you HAVE GREATLY…read moremissed out! The last time I went to this was about 7 years ago. My daughter is 9 now and she got to participate in so many of the activities that were available to for the guests to try. It's a bit of a drive back from the entrance from Essen Lane. Follow the signs. Parking is on the grass and you may even walk on gravel road to get to the entrance of the museum. There you pay. This year (2018), adults were $10 and children under 10 years old were free. You can actually walk through the gift shop and the indoor portion of the museum before heading to the outside. A lot of cool exhibits there! Once we hit the outside, there were musicians & exhibitors dressed in time period clothing showing us how they lived way back when. I especially enjoyed the open-hearth kitchen (probably my favorite) because they pretty much made an entire holiday meal. The only unfortunate thing about that was that we couldn't taste any of it. I'm wondering how to get on the committee that gets to eat the meal (LOL). The candle-making is always a hit, but it is a process, so beware when your kiddos (or grown-ups) want to make a full-size candle. Corn shucking was so much fun and they even had time period games for the littles to play. When I last went to this event, there was an exhibitor making cracklins, so I was determined to find them this year. It was almost the conclusion of the event, when the scent of cracklins lead me right to where they were making them. It was $5 a bag and I got the 2nd to the last bag! Score! Before the evening concluded, there was a musical procession that lead guests out to the bonfire pit. The fire was lit and the celebration began to welcome Papa Noel. Super cool experience! It was pretty muddy, so before of that. If you go after it has rained for a few days, wear some rubber boots or shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. Totally enjoyed the event and it's always better with friends or family, so we enjoyed our company that we were with. I will save this under my "Baton Rouge Family Events" collection (check it out: https://www.yelp.com/collection/7NshDanYo9rRHs0aHKJNCA). Happy Holidays!

There are 2 types of tours. The guided tour is $9 with a AAA discount, $12 without. There's also a…read moreself guided tour for $5. The difference between the 2 is that you're given access to the inside of the buildings with the guided tour. There's so much to learn about magnolia mound!! The video that you can watch is very informational. They tell you all about the building of the structures, the quarters and the craftsmanship that went into the erecting of these homes. The home is made of cypress mostly, and timber underneath. The building is raised up above the ground to allow due floods, storms, and so forth. It also helps to increase air flow throughout the home. I could probably go on for a while about what I've learned during g my short time here today. I enjoyed the gift shop: postcards, magnets, books, some light clothing items and other novelties. This plantation is not only beautiful, it's also so nicely managed and maintained. The folks working here are so sweet and so welcoming. This is a real gem.

Visited and the tour was enlightening. Tour guide was very informative. Its was a little sad…read moreknowing how our people were slaves and we're listed as a piece of property. Love seeing the home and the sugar cane