Capitol Park Museum

Subject: History

660 N. 4th Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

(225) 342-5428 | General Information
(225) 342-5414 | Reservations
(225) 219-0729 | Fax

What you need to know!

General Public Hours and Admission Rates: Tuesday – Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pm; Closed Sunday and Monday. $6.00 Adults, $5.00 Seniors & Students 13 years and older, Children Free

School Tour Hours and Admission Rates: Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00am – 5:00pm, Students Free, additional chaperones $6.00

Student to Chaperone Ratio Suggested: 10:1
Advance Time Suggested to Make Reservations: Two weeks
Number of Students per Visit: Unlimited
Suggested Length of Time for Visit: Two hours
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Grade Level Appropriate: K- 12th
Lunch Facilities: Students may picnic on the State Capitol grounds. Full service restaurants are in walking distance.
Gift Shop: Yes
Bus parking not available on site

Tell Us About It!

Enter the Capitol Park Museum by stepping into the mouth of the Mississippi River designed right on the floor of this massive state-of-the art history museum. The new museum’s unconventional approach to interpreting history is why students gravitate to the interactive and creative exhibits on the history, economy, culture, and diversity of Louisiana. With 35,000 square feet of gallery space, the museum can boast that it is the largest museum on the history of Louisiana. Size and scale afford museum visitors first hand looks at oversized artifacts including, a 48-foot shrimp boat, an authentic Civil War submarine, a steamboat pilot house, a full scale harvester and Christmas bonfire structure, cannons, an oil pump jack and so on, all to tell the significant impact Louisiana’s people, culture, decisions and economy has had on America’s history and culture.

What Can We See and Do There?

The Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge has two main exhibition floors. Visitors begin their journey into the state’s history and culture in the first floor exhibits The Mighty Mississippi River, Natural Abundance, Poverty Point, and Sportsman's Paradise. Exhibits explore how industry, lifeways, foodways, the arts, and the land has been shaped and honed by the dominating presence of the unpredictable Mississippi River. Plantation history and urban and rural slavery are interpreted. Visitors learn and manipulate exhibits about how the Delta water ways have helped to sustain and shape the state’s economy. Then Louisiana’s political and military histories are integrated into national historical contexts to illustrate how, for example the war of 1812, the Civil War, and both World Wars impacted warfare technology and national and international policy. On the second floor of the museum, visitors are immersed in the rich sounds, sights and textures of Louisiana’s cultural heritage. Students are asked to consider what makes living in Louisiana unique in the exhibit Louisiana Roots. Mardi Gras from around the state, regional festivals, cuisines, and music traditions, and civil rights are explored through audio, video, computerized imagining, artifact displays, and kinetic exhibits. Diversity is part of many exhibits, which highlight Native American history and the major ethnic groups settled around the state.

Click here for more information on Capitol Park Museum educational programs for students and teachers.

How Do We Get There?

From I-110 traveling north, take Exit 155B toward the Business District/ Metro Airport. Veer left onto North St. Turn right onto N. 4th St.
From I-110 traveling south, take N 9th St. exit 1G, toward the Business District. Travel 0.1 miles onto N. 9th St. Turn right onto North St. Turn right onto N. 4th St.

Bad Weather! Now What Do We Do?

The museum is climate controlled.

Louisiana State Educational Benchmarks and Standards

K-4th grades: G-1A-E2; G-1C-E1-6; G-1D-E1; C-1D-E4; E-1A-E1-4; E-1B-E5; H-1A-E1-3; H-1B-E,2; H-1C-E1-4
5th-8th grades: G-1C-M2,4,6; G-1D-M1; C-1B-M2,6; E-1A-M1; E-1B-M7; H-1A-M2,3; H-1B-M5,7,9,12,13; H-1C-M18
9th-12th grades: G-1D-H3; G-1A-H1; G-1C-H4,6; C-1B-H6; H-1B-H15, 17; H-1B-H1; H-1B-H1,5,6; H-1C-H15; H-1A-H2,3

What Can We Do In Class Before Our Field Trip?

The museum provides downloadable curriculum guides for teachers at the web site www.crt.la.us. The museum staff recommends teachers pre-select the topics they wish to cover at the museum being it takes many hours to see the entire museum. Choose one to three exhibits prior to embarking on your self-guided tour.