10 Best Museums In Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1. The Louisiana Art & Science Museum

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum is a source of educational entertainment for both adults and children. It is popular for its beautiful art galleries that showcase fine art exhibitions. The ancient Egypt gallery in the museum displays ancient artefacts and a Ptolemaic-era mummy, which is kept in a re-created rock-cut tomb. The Irene W. Pennington Planetarium is a delight with its mesmerizing sky shows, and large-format films. Moreover, visual music shows and galleries devoted to space science are a huge source of attraction.

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum

Address: 100 S River Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, United States

Website: Louisiana Art & Science Museum

Opening hours: Tue - Fri: 10am - 3pm; Sat: 10am - 5pm; Sun: 1pm - 4pm (closed on Mon)

2. The Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American History Museum

The Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American History Museum is also known as the Baton Rouge African-American Museum. The museum works as a non-profit organisation and displays African-American history with the help of faces of African American contributors in different fields, rural artefacts, African art, and minority inventions that have a significant impact on our daily activities. Currently, it is the only museum in the city dedicated to African American history.

The Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American History Museum

Address: 538 South Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, United States

Website: The Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American History Museum

Opening hours: Wed - Sat: 10am - 5pm (closed on Sun - Tue)

3. Knock Knock Children's Museum

Knock Knock Children’s Museum is a private non-profit organization. It is an inclusive gathering place for families and children to learn through entertaining. The Knock Knock Children’s Museum is spread across 26,000-square-feet (2415 square meters) on the top of the Knock Knock Hill overlooking City-Brooks Community Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It has dedicated learning zones that are designed to create teachable moments that will connect children’s everyday experiences to learning. The goal of the museum is increasing early literacy skills - reading, writing, listening, and speaking, while expanding knowledge and raising interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) subjects and careers.

Knock Knock Children's Museum

Address: 1900 Dalrymple Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, United States

Website: Knock Knock Children’s Museum

Opening hours: Tue - Wed, Fri: 10am - 5pm; Thu: 10am - 7pm; Sat: 9am - 5pm; Sun: 11am - 5pm (closed on Mon)

4. The Capitol Park Museum

The Capitol Park Museum is a branch of the Louisiana State Museum. The museum has two permanent exhibits. The first exhibit is the Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation. This exhibit showcases the mixed origins of people – indigenous, enslaved Africans and Acadians of French ancestry who came from what is now Nova Scotia, Canada. The other permanent exhibit shows the cultures that the original people gave to Louisiana through music. In the museum, children six years old and under are admitted free and senior citizens get a discount.

The Capitol Park Museum

Address: 660 N 4th St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, United States

Website: The Capitol Park Museum

Opening hours: Tue - Sat: 9am - 4:30pm; Sun: 1pm - 4:30pm

5. The Museum of Natural Science

The Museum of Natural Science is a research museum that focuses on fossils, DNA, early human culture, and other science related subjects. The museum displays around 2.5 million specimens. The museum is known for the most active and third-largest university-based collection of birds in the world. It also prides itself for being the largest collection of genetic resources (DNA samples). The museum attracts a lot of graduate students

The Museum of Natural Science

Address: Murphy J. Foster Hall, 119 Dalrymple Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, United States

Website: The Museum of Natural Science

Opening hours: Mon -Sun: 8am – 4pm

6. USS KIDD Veterans Museum

Want to learn about US history? Visit the USS KIDD Veterans Museum that honors the men and women of the American armed forces. It has military exhibits and artefacts, including authentic soldier uniforms, aircraft, ship models, and more. There’s also a granite wall, which has the names of everyone who risked their lives for the country.

USS KIDD Veterans Museum

Address: 305 S River Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, United States

Website: USS KIDD Veterans Museum

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 9:30am - 3:30pm; Sat - Sun: 10am - 4pm

7. Rhythm Museum

Are you a music lover? Then, a visit to the Rhythm Museum, which also operates as an antique shop, is a must. It has an impressive vinyl collection and also historical objects related to the artists who have contributed to the South Louisiana music scene. Several local artists also perform here regularly, and music lovers and collectors from across the globe visit this place to peruse and buy the unique collection. It has also been featured in many national and state publications, which makes it a must-visit spot.

Rhythm Museum

Address: 1712 N Acadian Thruway W, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, United States

8. LSU Museum of Art

The LSU Museum of Art features over 6,500 objects, including Louisiana artwork, European, American and regional paintings, and more. It also includes exquisite photography, elegant sculptures and decorative art pieces. The museum is helpful for the students of art & design as it regularly hosts gallery talks, receptions, art unveiling, community programs, and exhibitions from renowned local, national and international artists. In addition to that, it also hosts the largest university-affiliated art collections in the South that consists of 6,000 works.

LSU Museum of Art

Address: 100 Lafayette St, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, United States

Website: LSU Museum of Art

Opening hours: Tue - Sat: 10am - 5pm; Sun: 1pm - 5pm (closed on Mon)

9. Louisiana's Old State Capitol

Also called the State House, the Louisiana’s Old State Capitol features Louisiana’s rich history though exhibits, artworks and special programs. It was once a historic building that now functions as a museum of political history. It has also received various awards for its architecture, exhibits and preservation.

Louisiana's Old State Capitol

Address: 100 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Website: Louisiana’s Old State Capitol

10. The Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum

The Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum has some interesting programs that are held year-round. These programs provide insights into cultural groups of the region. The museum is includes homes and outbuildings that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The Barn in the museum is an interior warehouse, which is open to the public. It displays artefacts from the 19th and early 20th centuries that were utilized in the common life rituals of individuals in rural regions of the state. The museum also showcases a large collection of farming equipment, tools, furnishings and utensils.

The Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum

Address: 4560 Essen Ln, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, United States

Website: The Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum

Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 8am – 5pm

Learn about the history of Louisiana

Louisiana boasts a rich cultural and historical heritage. With these wonderful art and history museums, you will learn so much about the people and civilizations that came before us. It’s a perfect way to spend the holidays in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.