Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge – The Pelican State

After spending New Year’s Eve in New Orleans in December of 2018, I can happily say we checked off two more states’ capitols while in the area. We toured the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, as well as the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson.  Both were interesting, but the capitol in Louisiana was absolutely amazing.  Granted it was still all decorated for the Christmas season, but it would be incredible without them. 

I didn’t know much about the capitol except that it was tall like the Capitols in North Dakota, Nebraska, and Florida. However, I learned that the Louisiana State Capitol is the tallest of all the US State Capitols. It is 450 feet tall, has 34 stories, and is the seventh tallest building in Louisiana, We also learned that it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 1972, and designated a National Historic Landmark on December 12, 1982.

This capitol doesn’t have scheduled tours, but there are plenty of people around more than happy to answer questions and give guidance. I always love seeing the chambers, but I definitely wanted to see the view from the observation deck on the 27rg floor. The observation deck is 350 feet high and the views are spectacular. It was extremely windy and cold up there, but we walked around, took some pictures, and enjoyed the view of the Mississippi River.

Once we made our way back down, we stopped and took a closer look at the inviting lobby. You can’t help but notice the display of flags. These are the flogs that have flown over all or parts of Louisiana through the years.

• Present-day US Flag
• Spanish Castle and Leon flag
• French Bourbon flag
• British Union flag
• Spanish Bourbon flag
• French tricolor flag
• 15 star US Flag
• Republic of West Florida flag
• LA Independent Republic flag
• 3^rd National Confederate flag
• Louisiana state flag

We made our way to the Chambers eventually and they were just as beautiful and decorated as the main lobby. There were many types of stones and wood used in the walls, desks, rails, ceiling, and grillwork. It was beautiful to look at how it all plays together. The chambers are usually some of my favorite places in a capitol and I was so happy to be able to see them and not be rushed since they weren’t in session while we were there.

A visit to the Louisiana State Capitol would not be complete without visiting the Memorial Hall and the burial site of Huey P Long. The Memorial Hall holds portraits of all American governors of Louisiana from William C.C. Claiborne to Huey P Long. Sadly Long was shot inside the capitol on Sept 8, 1935, and died two days later. He is buried on the grounds and contains a beautiful statue that faces the capitol. It was a great memorial and is easily recognized from the observation deck. However, we did take a closer look and walked around the grounds for a little bit before ending our visit.

We had an incredible time exploring the Louisiana State Capitol and definitely would like to have spent more time learning more about its history. I look forward to returning on a future visit and seeing it again. The people were very friendly and assisted us with any questions (and we had a lot, lol).  We have seen quite a few capitols now, and this is probably in my top 5-10. Here is a link to their website with hours, directions, etc. I will note that the Observation Desk closes at 4:00. Hope you make it someday. If you have been, please drop me a message and let me know what you enjoyed about your visit.

Louisiana State Capitol Visitor Information

Address:

900 North Third Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Phone:

225-342-7317

Hours:

8 am – 4:30 pm

Prices:

Free

Directions and Parking:

From the North: Take I-110 South; take the Capitol Access/DOTD exit, follow Capitol Lake Drive, with the lake to your right and Arsenal Park on your right. Drive behind the Capitol to North Third Street. Parking is available on Spanish Town Road, south of the Capitol Park, or on the River Road lot.

From the Sout\h, take I-10 West. Bear right at the I-10/I-110 split. Bear left; take left exit 1D to North Street. Turn right on Fourth Street. The State Capitol will be straight ahead. Turn left or right to park on Spanish Town Road. Or, turn right at North Third Street, left on State Capitol Drive to North River Road to access parking in the lots next to the river. Putting the address into your GPS device will send you to the North Third Street side of the building.

Accessibility:

Wheelchair-accessible entrances are located on both sides of the Capitol. These entrances are equipped with automatic doors. Review the Map of the Capitol for accessible routes. Wheelchair-accessible elevators are located on the ground floor.