Looking for things to do with kids in the Baton Rouge area? Check out my round down of the best places to see in the area!
After spending a month eating our way through Asheville, my family and I resided in the Baton Rouge area for five weeks last fall. Being unfamiliar with the area, I did my research to find a lot of kid-friendly activities for my nomad family to enjoy. We had a lot of fun exploring the city! And today, I’m sharing our favorite things to do in the Baton Rouge area with kids.
10 Things to Do in Baton Rouge with Kids
Play at the LSU AgCenter Botanical Gardens.
Louisiana State University is THE big thing in Baton Rouge, and a lot of the area’s fun happenings are related to the school. One of our most frequented places in the area was the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden.
The area that kids will love most there is the Children’s Garden and playgrounds. They have both a playground that’s closer to a more traditional one, as well as a unique playground where the equipment is made of trees. There’s a wooden see saw, tree trunks for kids to jump on, a tree trunk tunnel to play in, a cool swing hanging off a tree and more.
At the Children’s Garden, fruits, veggies, and edible plants are harvested, and kids are encouraged to try a bite of things.
The Rose Garden is also there, and it’s a fun place to meander around and smell the flowers with kiddos. The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens are free to visit, which is also nice.
Go for a Walk at the LSU AgCenter Trails.
The LSU AgCenter also features Burden Woods trails. A number of times my toddler and I took our dog for a walk on the trails. There’s also an educational trail that features a kids’ gardening book, and at each stop, little hikers can follow the story and read a few more pages.
Visit Knock Knock Museum.
Next on my list of great things to do in Baton Rouge with kids is visiting the Knock Knock Museum. This fun kids’ museum features 18 learning zones, including a cafe room, car care center and grocery store. There are also a few cute areas geared to the bayou, including a fishing zone, boating zone and Crawbaby swamp. The Knock Knock Museum is the perfect rainy day activity!
Visit the Baton Rouge Zoo.
Another fun family friendly outing in the area is the Baton Rouge Zoo. The zoo is home to 800 animals, including tigers, cheetahs, rhinos and giraffes, and is undergoing a major expansion. We were in the area over Halloween and attended their “Boo at the Zoo” event, which was adorable.
The Baton Rouge Zoo supports conservation efforts for endangered animals around the world. It’s also a very affordable outing, offering tickets for kids aged 2-12 at $5.75 and adults an admission price of $8.75.
Attend a LSU Sporting Event.
I highly suggest taking advantage of the awesome sporting events at LSU when in Baton Rouge. My family went to an LSU football game, and it was quite a memorable experience watching LSU upset Ole Miss!
College football in the south is really something to see!
Treat Them (And Yourself!) to Dessert.
During our time in Baton Rouge, we tried Crumbl Cookies, ice cream at Buzzed Bull Creamery in nearby Denham Springs (parents, you can try alcohol-infused milkshakes there, and they’re delicious!), and devoured cookies at yummy plant-based eatery MJ’s Cafe.
Another dessert spot on my radar that we didn’t make it to is Counter Culture Frozen Yogurt.
Stroll Around LSU Lakes.
Let your kids get their energy out at LSU Lakes! It’s a pretty area to go for a family walk and have a picnic. Don’t forget to check out the beautiful LSU Greek houses while you’re there.
Playtime at Perkins Road Community Park.
Our favorite park in Baton Rouge is Perkins Road Community Park. We went there countless times during our time in the area! It features nice walking paths, a BMX track, rock climbing tower, outdoor fitness station and kids’ playground.
Perkins Park also features a sportsplex that includes basketball and volleyball facilities, along with a football stadium.
Go on a Swamp Tour.
One memorable experience we had in the area was venturing over to LaPlace for a Cajun Pride Swamp Tour. My mom was visiting, and it proved to be a fun, quintessential bayou experience! The tours are conducted on private swampland with protected wildlife, and we saw a ton of gators.
My mom, daughter and I had a blast going on a Cajun Pride Swamp Tour
The coolest part of the tour was the tour guide feeding the gators. They were jumping out of the water right in front of us to get pieces of meat! We also saw many turtles, raccoons (there’s a whole colony of them in the swamp), and birds during the tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and a lifelong local of the area.
Children 3 and under are free, tickets for 4-12 year olds are $16, and adults are $29. We thought it was well worth the cost!
Adventure into New Orleans.
New Orleans is just an hour drive from Baton Rouge, and offers so much to do with kids. We visited The Big Easy half a dozen times while staying in the area, and had some memorable experiences there.
I could (and maybe will) create a separate article outlining New Orleans family fun, but here are some of the places we enjoyed:
- Visit City Park ~ There are countless things to do in this massive park, including visiting Storyland (my daughter loved this ode to old school Disney), Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, Botanical Gardens and the Historic Train Garden. We also strolled around the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden and noshed at the farmers market.
- Attend a Jazz Concert at Preservation Hall ~ This historic jazz hall offers early evening concerts that are only 45 minutes long. It’s a great way for adults and children to experience New Orleans live music!
- Have fun at Audubon Park ~ Visit uptown New Orleans and spend the day at Audubon Park, which features a zoo, planetarium, aquarium, lagoon, jogging path, picnic spots, playgrounds, tennis courts, soccer fields, a cafe and more.
- Ride the Trolley Down St. Charles Avenue ~ A cool way to see the area & get from Point A to Point B.
- Try Beignets at Cafe du Monde ~ This beignet & coffee spot is iconic! Walk around Jackson Square and check out some of the street performers while you’re in NO’s most touristy area.
- Grab Lunch at the Historic French Market ~ Also in the French Quarter is the Historic French Market, which offers lots of food options, local crafts and more.
Everything about this post made me smile! I do love Baton Rouge, and seeing you guys in your LSU shirts is amazing! Fun fact: my apartment when I lived in Baton Rouge was right next to Perkins Road Park. Small world! This will be helpful if I ever take Robbie down to visit BR!
Too funny, our Airbnb was maybe 1.5 miles from the park!
I’ve never been to Baton Rouge and this is making me want to visit! Looks like a lot of family fun options!
True, there was a good amount to do there!
Such a fun list—perfect for families! We love taking the kids to the BREC’s Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center (the boardwalk and wildlife spotting never gets old) and the Children’s Museum is always a hit for rainy days. The LSU Lakes are great for a picnic and letting them run around too!
Thank you for reading! Great ideas – we really liked going for walks at LSU Lakes as well.