Baton Rouge
Louisiana, USA
Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, is located roughly 80 mi (130 km) Northwest of New Orleans. In 1698 French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville led an expedition up the Mississippi River. The explorers noticed that the the local tribes marked the boundaries of their hunting grounds with a red stick, thus Baton Rouge (French for red stick) was born.
Louisiana is divided in parishes rather than counties, Baton Rouge is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and while Baton Rouge is the second most populous city in the state after New Orleans, East Baton Rouge Parish is the most populous in the state. Baton Rouge’s many suburbs extent quite far away from the city boundaries itself.
Baton Rouge is mostly an industrial city and doesn’t have New Orleans’ personality, distinction or night life. This doesn’t mean that Baton Rouge is not worth visiting; among other things you will find Louisiana State University, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, the Old Louisiana State Capitol, the Louisiana Welcome Center, the State Capitol Park, the USS Kidd Veterans Museum, Spanish Town, as well as many restaurants specializing in local food.