Baton Rouge, the Louisiana State Capital and road to Mississippi
March 13th
On our way to Natchez, Mississippi, we stopped off in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday and many of the sites were closed. We were planning to visit the Old State Capital, an enormous structure, reminiscent of a Moorish castle, but it was closed on Sundays due to budget cuts…an unfortunate pattern that we saw throughout Louisiana, a state that should be benefit more from its oil reserves. We did however visit the New State Capital, the tower (one of only three state capitals are towers in the U.S. – the others being in Florida and Nebraska) was commissioned by the slightly megalomaniac governor Huey Long during the Great Depression- ironically, he was also assassinated there.
Just north of Baton Rouge, we made a second stop in St. Francisville. This little town was settled by Spanish monks as a burial ground- it’s location on a hill top made it less susceptible to flooding. It then became the favored location of the wealthy plantation owners whose cotton plantations lined the Mississippi. There are numerous historical homes and plantations to visit in the area. We chose Rosedale Plantation, which was surrounded by several acres of marvelous gardens. Unfortunately, we had forgotten to turn our clocks forward for daylights savings time, and were kicked out just after our tour and didn’t have much time to explore the gardens.
Next stop: Natchez, Mississippi
Tags: BIG TRIP 2011, In English 2005-2006, Louisiana
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