Cruising the Mississippi River - Baton Rouge

Continuing our adventure of sailing down the Mississippi River with Viking Cruises, we arrived in the early morning in the capital of Louisiana, Baton Rouge. Why is it called that – well, there is no fully agreed answer, but here are four possibilities:

1️ Native Americans have for centuries called the region “Istrouma” which means red stick. French speaking explorers simply adopted the meaning of this indigenous word.

2️ The settlers learned from the local aboriginal people that a red painted pole did serve as the boundary marker between the hunting grounds of two distinct tribes, namely the Houmas and the Bayogoulas.

3️ The main landmark of the place was a large post that the Native Americans used to dry game and fish and on which the flow of blood had stained the wood a crimson red.

4️ Red cypresses stripped of their bark embellished the landscape with their reflection in clear waters. The French called the site “Bâton Rouge”. The name lost its accent under the English period (1763-1779).
La Grande Louisiane française (cheminsdelafrancophonie.org)

So, now you know!

This was scheduled to be a busy day! We docked alongside an old riverboat that had been used for years as a Casino and so the exit from the boat was through dingy passageways alongside the remains of the casino slot machines. Not the nicest welcome to Baton Rouge, but at least we were in the city itself! The morning was a walking tour of Baton Rouge, an optional tour, and in the afternoon, we had an Airboat ride in the swamps planned.

Both turned out to be great! After a short coach ride to the waterfront by the Planetarium (or by Rising Cain’s River Center depending on what is important to you!), during which we were told to take water to support ourselves on our 3-mile stroll through the capital. On arrival, we donned our QuietVox listening devices and started the walk. The guide was very knowledgeable and interesting (our group was about 20 people I guess) and she maintained a good pace as we walked first along the waterfront to this intriguing sculpture donated by the Rotary Club in 2018:

Sing the River musical reflective sculpture presented by Rotary Club in Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana. Prints available in my online store

At this point we headed into the historical commercial district. I noticed this strange arrangement along the street:

Red street bench with folded blanket and pillow as concept for homelessness in Baton Rouge

I thought a very poignant illustration of homelessness and how people who are homeless are still capable of trying to look after themselves. I have no idea if that is what I was seeing here, to be honest, but it made for an interesting photograph.

We headed towards 3rd Street with its collection of historic buildings, from the Cafe Mimi with one of the original Coca Cola neon signs to the Kress department store that was the scene of a famous Civil Rights sit-in in 1960.

Original design of historic retro Coca Cola sign on rooftop in Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana

Famous historic SH Kress department store, site of the first civil rights sit-in in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Prints available in my online store

Incidentally, the facade doesn’t curve like this – the street is narrow and the only way to capture the entire building is to take a series of images as you pan across the scene. When they are all stitched together, you get a dramatic version such as the one above!

As we headed closer to the Capitol building, I also noticed some great Art Deco pieces in some of the office buildings:

Art Deco style decoration using Magnolia flower on government building in Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana. Prints in my online store

The state capitol building is the tallest state capitol building in the USA with a height of 450 feet (137m) and was completed in 1931. It is often thought of as Huey Long’s memorial due to the influence he had on its construction. Although there was some work going on in the grounds, I thought this view showed off the area and the tower at its best. As you can see, the skies had cleared by this time, bathing us in very pleasant sunshine.

Tall tower of the State Capitol building in Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana. Prints available in my online store

I had to keep my eye on the group as I always seemed to be the last to leave any area, but we were off next to Spanish Town, one of the older residential areas of the city:

Famous historic Spanish Town residential area in Baton Rouge

Then on again to see the First Baptist Church and on to the Governor’s Mansion, built for Huey Long and completed in 1930. It is designed after the White House in Washington DC, which is rumored to be because he wanted to become accustomed to that building for when he became President.

Old Governors Mansion built for Huey Long in Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana

Baton Rouge has a fine range of historic buildings but also some dramatically designed modern ones. This the Library in downtown:

Famous River Center Branch Library in the River Center area of Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana. Prints in my online store

And on we went, finally ending up back where we started by the Old Capitol Building of Louisiana. This was finished in 1852 and was designed to be a medieval castle on the banks of the Mississippi instead of mimicking the design of the US Capitol in Washington DC.

Old State Capitol Building incorporating Museum of Political History in Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana. Prints available in my online store

Waiting for the time for the coach to depart back to the boat, I took another look at the USS Kidd warship beached on the side of the Mississippi. I’m told that normally the water in the river swirls around the boat itself and shows just how low the water was that fall.