re: Little help with Baton Rouge, please...

Look at Hotel Indigo. It is downtown, brand new an they provide a bus to campus and back on gameday for $1 a person (you can bring your coolers on too!). The Hilton is right next door but is probably already sold out.

There is a swamp trail boardwalk right in town on Bluebonnet. Also a museum of natural arts and history on Essen, like 400 acres in the middle of town that has a detailed history of Louisiana culture.

Boutins, brewbachers, chimes, walk ons, roux house, rotolos, sammys, acme oyster house are all good local joints. Ooh and my favorite, Chelseas.

Get ti campus at 7am no matter what time the game is, and the best drinking areas are the places that you can stand upright and hold a beverage to your lips. Easier said than done. Don't get your panties in a wad or tell someone to frick off for heckling you. Refrain and you may just get another beer and some good food.

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acme oyster house

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I hope their food has improved since the last time I ate there.

Hotel Indigo on Convention & Lafayette. Boutique Hotel with services to and from campus. Walking distance of all things Downtown, including Belle Casino.

You may also check Pinnacle Casino resort. They are scheduled to be open by Labor Day.

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I put it on there because not everyone is OT ballin like us. Dudes might just want a good hangover burger and they make a good on. I could go all day on restaurants

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If you want a good hangover burger still send him somewhere local... Nothing cures a hangover like a juicy juciy burger from rauls...

I'd add that in the last 10 years or so, condos have popped up all around campus and some people rent theirs out on game days. Gets you closer to the action than any of the hotels, save the Cook (which won't have rooms, I'd guess) and the Staybridge Suites, which is right there across from the athletic facilities.

I'd look for a condo and if you are arriving on Friday and plan on staying near campus, there are some decent places at the North Gates (Chimes is popular). Mike Anderson's is near campus and is pretty good. If you rent a condo, the Northgate places will be walking distance.

Go down Burkbank (street that takes you into town from the baseball stadium) then left up Bluebonnet and you'll pass two shopping areas you may like: Perkins Rowe (outdoors, has a Barnes and Noble, Z Gallery, J Crew...tends to lean upscale though it's hard to call any development with an Applebees truly "upscale"). Past that you'll run into the Mall of Louisiana, biggest mall in the state. Probably the newest too. Think it was built in the late 1990s (not many malls getting built any more anywhere. Concept is getting outdated). Across from Perkins Rowe on Perkins Road is Louisiana Lagniappe, which is really good, but a bit pricy.

How much is a condo? I've never done it, so not sure. I'm sure it won't be free for the Alabama game, but if you are coming for Idaho, Towson or North Texas, you might get a decent rate.

If not a condo, downtown hotels are nice and close (a Hilton, a couple of boutique places, a casino hotel).

If you have to go into town for a hotel, stay on I-10. I-12 hotels can be a little iffy. Florida Blvd. is a street you don't want to cross going north. Anything north has declined (this includes that aforementioned Cortana Mall, which was "The" mall before Mall of Louisiana was built).

One other shopping area to mention is Towne Center near the College Drive exit. Get off at college drive, turn left, then right on Corporate Blvd. Towne Center is on the corner of Corporate and Jefferson Hwy. and has some decent shopping, though not as much as the Mall/Perkins Rowe area, and higher-end chain restaurants like Flemings, Carraba's, Bonefish Grill and Zeas. Also has more casual places like Mugshots, Qdoba and Zoe's. Also has a big Whole Foods.

On the way to Towne Center going down Corporate are a ton of decent hotels, including the Marriott Tower. If you go right off the freeway onto College, then a quick left on Constitution, you'll pass a ton of nice hotels like a Crowne Plaza, Embassy Suites and a new Holiday Inn.

One other option is the outlet mall in Gonzales, a subarb east of BR on I-10 leading to New Orleans. It's a typical outlet mall, not shabby, but not as nice as some others I've seen. Decent shopping. A couple of hotels and if you take the road that runs in front of the all back towards Baton Rouge, it turns into Nicholson, the street with Tiger Stadium on it. It's a secret "back roads" route to the game that some New Orleans people use.

That about covers it.

You didn't give your budget or what you like to do, but.............

The Mall of Louisiana has shopping, eating places, movies, and is safe.

Perkins Rowe has the same.

I-10 at Siegen, Bluebonnet, and College drive all have hotels, places to eat, are fairly close to the stadium, and safe.

So I got a little bored at work and made a bigger better list of things to do for a LSU gameday...


Baton Rouge game weekend activities.

With the amount of people who come on here asking about what to do for a gameday weekend I thought I would put together a compilation of things to do while in Baton Rouge from housing to drinking to food to family activities. Overall, Baton Rouge has a lot to offer to someone as long as you know what you are looking for.

Where to stay:

My first suggestion is the new Pinnacle Casino on River Rd. It is set to open end of summer 2012 and will be ready for football season. They will most definitely have some kind of shuttle system to bring people into campus for games. It will also have lots of activities to do there including pools, gabling, and shows.

If Pinnacle isn’t what you are looking for, look downtown BR. There are a few including (but not limited to) the Hilton and Hotel Indigo which both also offer shuttles to campus. These will also provide some great bar scenes for anyone 21-50 looking for a place after the game on 3rd street.

The recently opened Wampold Renaissance Hotel looks very nice as well but is a bit farther away from campus. Still not a bad place to stay.

There is also a few nice places on Acadian Thruway and off College Drive that are close enough to drive to or take a cab from. That area is nice and could be a good option.


Where to eat:

Food is something that everyone has a different taste for, but I will give you what I think are some of the great places to eat if you want a “taste of Baton Rouge”

Chelseas – best calamari poboy around. Very artsy place that has good live music late night. A great spot but watch out, they are closed on Sunday.

Walkons – This may be the best place to hit up on a gameday weekend. In the shadows of Tiger Stadium on Burbank it was started by two walkon basketball players. They have crazy tent parties on football weekends and have some good food. Stuffed burger and cheese fries are favorites of mine.

Mike Andersons – Mike Anderson is also a former LSU athlete who has had the staple LSU area seafood restaurant for over 30 years. They are located at 1031 West Lee Drive and have a bar that can get fun and rowdy the night before a game.

Parrains – While I like Mike Andersons for a possible Friday night dinner spot, if you aren’t going to Chimes (see below) for Sunday brunch, look at Parrains to a spot with great food and a really good brunch menu.

Chimes – Known for its around the world beer selection and Sunday brunch, this spot at the North Gates of LSU is a great spot for burgers, seafood, and other creole menu items. Has been an LSU monument since it’s opening in 1983 and shares the building with the Varsity Theatre which holds some of the best shows in Baton Rouge.

Tsunami – If you’re staying downtown and want a great view and some good sushi, hit up Tsunami. Has a beautiful view of the mighty Mississippi River and has a fun bar area as well.

Sammy's - Known for its crawfish and other creole dished, Sammy's is a staple to Baton Rouge dining. Always packed make sure to get their early if you go here.

Other Notables:

Rauls burgers, Superior Grill, Jubans, Kona Grill, Zeeland St, Georges, Pluckers, Pasttime, and Louies.

Where to Drink

Age obviously is a big issue when finding the right bar for you so I have put preferred ages in each bar’s description.

Walkons – (All Ages) Walkons is first here because it is a family friendly place where you can find anyone drinking from 21 to 101. They have great parties for LSU games, and is a great place if you have the kids with you.

Freds in Tigerland – (21-30) Setup as one of the best College bars in BR, Freds is best known for their Freds Free Drinks (FFD) on Fridays from 8-10. $10 cover gets you free topshelf liquor for the two hours (drinks are free but not the service. Tip your bartenders). A place where you will not feel out of place even if you are a few years out of college.

Bogies – (19-24) This fratty bar is a favorite of many LSU football players and they can be seen here after a day game. It is much more of a college environment, but on Friday before games it is their “Old School” night and the crowd can get much older than college aged.

Happys/Roux House – (21-40) These downtown bars on 3rd street are managed by the same people and are a great place for those in their 20’s and 30s to go for live music, drinks, and a good time. Both have patios and small inside space.

Reggies – (18-21) This bar is best known for their ridiculously drunk customers including (86 girl, bar handjob guy, and naked asscrack shot dude). Known as the Freshman bar for LSU students this bar can give you a great taste of what chaos LSU can bring.

Chimes/Varsity – (21-40) These two establishments bring the party right next to campus located at the North Gates of LSU. Chimes has a great beer selection and the Varsity shows some of Baton Rouge’s most premier bands.

Other notables:

The House in Tigerland(18-23), Shadys(18-23), Chelseas(21-40), Georges(21-101), Ivars(21-40), Duvics(21-40), Pluckers(18-50).

SouthofSouth just went ham on that post

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SouthOfSouth

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Thanks for the detailed info! My friends and I will be coming down from Philly for either the Washington or Idaho game. Ticket prices suck so far on Stubhub for the Wash game.