Tanks for the Memories: Baton Boo!-ge
- Lindsay Britts
- Oct 19, 2017
- 3 min read
Getting inspired to do a little cruisin’ of your own? Ready to hit the road for a weekend ride to a place you’ve never been before? We can show you the best trips in your neck of the woods and you won’t even have to stop to fuel up. Each week, we pick a starting city and plan a getaway to some of the most charming, energetic, and just plain fun places that you’ll only need one tank of gas to reach. When it’s all over, you’ll be able to say… TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
Starting City: New Orleans, LA
Destination: Baton Rogue, LA
Distance: about 80 miles
Do you have your Halloween costumes ready yet, Cruisers? Are you hiding the jumbo-sized bags of candy where you can’t eat them before next weekend? Have you set your DVR for tonight’s airing of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”? If you prefer to get in the spirit of Halloween in a more terrifying fashion, and you fancy to take a trip out of the Big Easy to a town that’ll make you Big Queasy, head north to Baton Rouge.
Source: Wikipedia
Baton Rouge is located in an area that has been inhabited by humans for about a dozen millennia. Around 1000 BC, about the time the Iron Age started, the Muskogean people were already forming several language variations, burying their dead in earthen mounds, and developing Mississippian culture. The Spanish arrived in the late 16th century, followed by the French in the late 17th century; French colonists established a military post in 1721. Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1822 and was named the state capital in 1846. In the past couple decades the city’s metropolitan area has experienced a population boom.
With such a long history, it’s no wonder there are ample tales of ghosts haunting everything from here to the bayou. A popular haunted attraction at any time of year is the Louisiana Old State Capitol, where you can learn the history of the building and take tours of its rooms. The castle leans into its haunted moniker by offering the Ghost of the Castle Show featuring a 4D “ghost” of Sarah Morgan, who roamed the castle in life during the Civil War. For more haunted history, Baton Rouge has a haunted naval ship docked in the Mississippi, the USS Kidd, where people have claimed to see ghost officers floating around the ship’s corridors.
Source: USLOC
If you want to attend a haunted house built for the purpose, you can check out 13th Gate, a scary place steeped in the lore and terrors of the Louisiana Voodoo tradition. Their website says, “the attraction features a real snake-infested Louisiana Swamp, nightly voodoo shows, claustrophobic cellars, hidden subterranean passages and even a prehistoric ice cave all seamlessly woven together and nothing short of masterful,” which has me creeped out just reading it. If you’d like to make your Halloween a bit more tame, check out the Boo at the Zoo events like the Enchanted Swamp at the Baton Rouge Zoo. And for those that would rather stay away from any screaming terrors (both animal and small children), there’s a Voodoo experience everyone can appreciate: Voodoo Barbecue, with its mouth-watering brisket, po-boys, and jambalaya. Scaring is caring at Halloween time in Baton Rouge!
STRETCH YOUR LEGS: Enter another house of spirits by checking out Dubois Winery, located in Gonzales. They sell many varieties of wine, not just the common ones with grapes but other types including blackberry, watermelon, strawberry, and peach. For the non-drinkers there are also gifts and treats like honey. You can take a tour of the winery and its homestead as well. It’s a great place to pick up some drinks to calm your nerves before a round of haunted houses!
LEARN MORE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_Rouge%2C_Louisiana http://louisianaoldstatecapitol.org
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