Louisiana's Old State Capitol
Louisiana's Old State Capitol
4.5
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
About
Louisiana's Old State Capitol sits on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge. Completed in 1849, the castle-like fortress has been restored to its original grandeur. It houses both traditional and state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and a multi-media film presentation. Audio tours available in English, French, German and Spanish. Free admission.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
730 reviews
Excellent
468
Very good
217
Average
39
Poor
3
Terrible
3
RandS_TX
Houston, TX476 contributions
Oct 2020
I was heading through Baton Rouge and thought I would stop at this historic site. It was free admission and easy to find. Street parking was only 25 cents for 30 minutes. The building sits on a hill overlooking the MIssissippi River. There were some interesting exhibits about Louisiana politics. I was able to see everything in less than an hour. It would have probably been better had I lived in LA.
Written October 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RoamingMountaineer
Beckley, WV185 contributions
Mar 2020 • Business
While in town for a meeting our group took a tour of the Old State Capital. The interior of this building is gorgeous, the stained glass and detail to the building itself are very unique. Definitely worth checking out and learning the history of Baton Rouge.
Written March 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
California_momofsix
Fairfield1,123 contributions
Jul 2020
I usually agree with Mark Twain, but not regarding the old state capitol. He famously hated the look of the building, but I thought it looked unique and fun. Naturally it's not an authentic castle but why can't you design a state capitol building that looks like a castle? Sadly all was closed due to covid (July 2020) , I am definitely open to returning once the pandemic has passed. Plenty of metered parking in the area.
Written September 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dudpa
Grand Junction, Colorado378 contributions
Jul 2020
The building is open and fully accessible for viewing the interior. The stained glass ceiling is awesome. There is a video to watch, and a large exhibit for Huey Long, controversial governor in the 1920s. It is FREE!!!
Written July 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracy R
Blanchard, OK206 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
This is a neat building and we are glad to have visited, but several things weren’t working when we went. The movie wasn’t running, which had been recommended to do first before touring. It would have been nice because our youngest kids aren’t gonna read all the signs. But they did offer an audio tour so we figured we’d do that, but only three of them were working at the time. So we gave the audio tour contraptions (essentially like a phone you have to hold up to your ear) to the youngest three in our group, and the oldest three in our group all read the displays. So it was better than not having the audio tour, it just also wasn’t as great as it could have been. I think they’re in the process of switching over to a system people can access on their phone, which will be better.
Written September 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TerryA507
Bay Saint Louis, MS60 contributions
Jun 2022
This is a beautiful building to visit. The dome with stained glass is absolutely beautiful. There is no charge to visit, so we thought nothing to lose. Well reading about the history of the building and looking at the beauty of the building was all worth it.
A visit to Baton Rouge should include a visit to the Old State Capital Building.
I suggest staying at the Watermark in downtown and you can walk to the following:
Old State Capital Building, New state capital, Arts and Science Museum, LSU Museum of Art, Capital State Part Museum. For a quick meeal Schlitz and Giggles Pizza.
A visit to Baton Rouge should include a visit to the Old State Capital Building.
I suggest staying at the Watermark in downtown and you can walk to the following:
Old State Capital Building, New state capital, Arts and Science Museum, LSU Museum of Art, Capital State Part Museum. For a quick meeal Schlitz and Giggles Pizza.
Written July 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HistoricGuy
Grand Rapids, MI79 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Our mid-day stop was at the old Louisiana State Capitol. While it was a nice building, it was a temple to DWGs - Dead White Guys. Little mention at all of African Americans or any other minority group which live in the state, or native Americans that preceded European settlement and would have been displaced by all the settlement activity. Displays did not address how African Americans were enslaved before and disenfranchised after the Civil War or any other aspect of them being a part of the life of Louisiana. Women were also absent from all the portraits hanging around the second floor, with the exception of one image. The ghost of Huey Long would be proud. I was very disappointed, despite the nice surroundings. It would not have been difficult to make these exhibits at least a tad inclusive. The appearance of a couple of African American faces in the registere to vote room was tacked on at best. This Museum does not reflect the population of Louisiana effectively.
Written March 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
F4981JCmichaels
Vancouver, WA2,924 contributions
Jun 2021
Lovely old building. Breath-taking rotunda. Knowledgeable staff who are eager to share their knowledge. Interesting history displays in some of the rooms.
Handicap accessible. Handicap parking is available in the back of the building and they have an elevator. More handicapped spots are across the street on North Street, and some a block away to the north of that. We were there on a Saturday and it was not crowded.
Handicap accessible. Handicap parking is available in the back of the building and they have an elevator. More handicapped spots are across the street on North Street, and some a block away to the north of that. We were there on a Saturday and it was not crowded.
Written August 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kelseybundra
155 contributions
Aug 2019 • Solo
As soon as I looked up Baton Rogue, I knew I had to visit this castle like former capitol building. Not only was the edifice beautiful, but there is plenty of room to just have a picnic, sit on a bench, walk around, and take pictures. A must see in Baton Rogue.
Written July 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve M
Pulaski, TN583 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
If you are in Baton Rouge you need to check out the old state capitol. There is not a fee to visit. Inside you will see the gun that was supposedly used to shoot Huey Long. You will get a history lesson on Senator Long and how he became Louisiana's most powerful man until his death. The stain glass inside is amazing. This is the most beautiful building in Baton Rouge.
Written May 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Where is the Handicap entrance? Which street accesses that entrance...My husband uses a rolling walker... Thank you
Written March 30, 2017
The handicap entrance is by the Old State Capitol back parking lot. This lot is connected to a short road off of North Blvd. called St. Philip St. If you do enter the grounds from our main entrance on North Blvd., there is a paved sidewalk that will lead you to the back door where the elevator will be right inside. We do have signage to help lead the way.
Written March 30, 2017
What are your hours in the winter? We will be there the week of Feb. 20th and would like to visit if we can. Thank you.
Written January 4, 2017
The hours are consistent throughout the year. It's closed on Sundays and Mondays. Open from 10am to 4pm Tuesdays through Fridays and Saturdays hours 9am to 3pm. I believe it is closed on major holidays.
Written January 5, 2017
What is the cost for special exhibits, such as the upcoming "The Power of Children" exhibit?
Written December 20, 2016
All exhibits at the Old State Capitol are free admission.
The only charge we have is to see our Ghost of the Castle Show. It is a 12-minute film that gives you the history of the building in a very fun and colorful way! It is $3 per person.
Written December 20, 2016
Admission to the building is free. We have a self-guided tour brochure as well as a free audio tour. There is a multi-media presentation, "The Ghost of the Castle," for which there is a $3 per person charge or $1.50 per person for groups. Please come visit us!
Written July 1, 2015
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