LSU Rural Life Museum: Louisiana History Comes Alive
You’ll feel as if you are traveling through time as you walk among historical displays at this Baton Rouge treasure.
At a Glance
- LSU Rural Life Museum is an outdoor museum spanning more than 320 acres dedicated to 19th-century Louisiana life.
- Highlights include a flatboat from the 1927 flood, an 1861 steam engine and historic structures like the Acadian House and Carolina Cabin.
- The museum is organized into three areas: the Exhibit Barn, the Plantation Quarters and the Folk Architecture area.
Visit the place known as both “Louisiana’s best kept secret” and “one of the Top 10 outdoor museums in the world” for a self-guided tour illustrating Louisiana life in the 19th century. Spend the entire day wandering through the past at the LSU Rural Life Museum, conveniently located in the heart of Baton Rouge. The outdoor museum will take you to a forgotten way of life when things were slower and work seemed harder. The museum’s offerings are showcased in three separate areas known as the Exhibit Barn, the Plantation Quarters and the Folk Architecture area.
Visitors will see a flat boat, last used during the historic 1927 flood, is on display in the Exhibit Barn. And the stationary 1861 Merrick Walking Beam Steam Engine, used to saw wood, is one of only eight in the entire nation.
In the Plantation Quarters, see how a slave on a working plantation spent their time during the day. You can sit in a chair in the school house before heading to the Kitchen Garden where the evening meal was grown. After you stand in a small, cramped slave house, visit the Overseer’s House and see how the “manager of the slaves” lived.
As you enter the Folk Architecture area of the 320-plus acre outdoor museum, you will walk among 19th century buildings representing rural life from all parts of Louisiana, from the Acadian House to the Carolina Cabin.
Cool off in the Museum’s 20,000-square-foot visitor center. Relax as you watch the film in their state-of-the-art movie theatre or look over the museum’s expansive grounds before you venture outside.
As you prepare to leave, you’ll walk out of the LSU Rural Life Museum with a true sense of time and place of life in 19th century Louisiana.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the LSU Rural Life Museum?
The LSU Rural Life Museum is an outdoor museum in Baton Rouge illustrating Louisiana life in the 19th century.
Where is the LSU Rural Life Museum located?
The museum is conveniently located in the heart of Baton Rouge, spread across more than 320 acres of grounds.
Is the LSU Rural Life Museum self-guided?
Yes! Visitors explore the museum's Exhibit Barn, Plantation Quarters and Folk Architecture area at their own pace on a self-guided tour.