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(02/06/26) BATON ROUGE, La. — While the weather is still chilly, you can look forward to warmer days and upcoming events at Burden Museum & Gardens this spring.
Every second Saturday of the spring, the LSU AgCenter Burden Museum & Gardens will host StoryTime in the Garden. Young children will have the chance to interact with other kids, make arts and crafts and listen to stories. Every half hour, the activities change, so kids will stay interested and engaged.
Children of all ages are welcome, but the event is best suited for those ages 3 to 8. The dates are March 14, April 11 and May 9 from 9 a.m. to noon. No registration is required.
The Red Magnolia Theater Co. will return to the LSU Rural Life Museum for its second year with an original Broadway cabaret, “Roots, Briars, and Branches: A Reflection on America in Story and Song.” The cabaret is an original assemblage of musical theater songs and primary source readings reflecting on America’s course from the founders’ inception to the present.
The performances will be on Saturday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 22, at 2 p.m. For ticket information, call 225-765-2437.
For one Saturday a month, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will host a guided bird tour for Birding at Burden, which gives birders of all experiences the chance to find any number of the 183 species of birds that fly around the grounds. Admission is $10, and registration can be found at https://tinyurl.com/49ny757j. The dates are March 21, April 18 and May 16 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Seasoned gardeners and budding plant lovers alike should make their way to the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens on Saturday, March 28, for the Spring Garden Fest featuring EBR Master Gardener Plant Sale.
The event will give visitors a chance to buy plants, shop in a marketplace with garden-related vendors offering a curated selection of goods and explore informational booths from horticultural organizations.
The festival is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
The LSU Rural Life Museum’s annual Old-Fashioned Easter Celebration returns for family fun and festivities. On March 29 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., guests can take photos with the Easter bunny, take part in Easter egg hunts, egg pacquing, make historic Easter crafts, play vintage games and enjoy a petting zoo.
The Easter egg hunts are separated by age group: 2- to -4-year-olds will hunt at 3 p.m., 5- to 7-year-olds at 3:30. and 8- to 10-year-olds at 4.
Snacks and kettle corn will be available. Adult and children’s tickets are $8, and tickets for children under 3 are free. Tickets can be bought at the door or by calling 225-765-2437.
For the fourth year, Music in the Gardens will kick off spring with live music on the lawn of the Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie at LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. On April 1 from 5:30 to 8 p.m., guests can bring picnic blankets and enjoy the views, tunes and a selection of local food trucks. Admission is $20 for adults and $5 for children, and tickets can be bought at https://fobgburden.com/. For more information, contact Malorey Uzee at muzee@agcenter.lsu.edu.
An Evening at Windrush returns for another enchanting experience in the beautiful Windrush Gardens. On April 24 from 6:30 to 9 p.m., guests will enjoy a delightful evening of cocktails and a refined Southern dinner prepared by chef John Folse. The event also will feature live music. All proceeds benefit the Friends of LSU Rural Life Museum.
Individual tickets are $175. For more information, contact the LSU Rural Life Museum at rlm@lsu.edu or by calling 225-765-2437.
Beer lovers will be in luck on May 2 at 3 p.m. for the Ron Zappe International Beer Fest. During the event, visitors will be able to sample more than 200 domestic and international beers at the 21st annual Beerfest.
Guests can walk around the LSU Rural Life Museum grounds with their favorite or brand-new brews as they enjoy jambalaya and other festival food.
This event is for patrons 21 years of age and older. Proper photo identification is required to purchase tickets and enter. No children or pets will be admitted to the museum grounds. Early admission tickets are $65, standard admission is $45 and designated driver tickets are $20.
Near the end of spring, the LSU Rural Life Museum will be hosting Community Days, a series of programs designed to attract the broader community to the museum in a spirit of fun, fellowship and learning alongside family, friends and neighbors. This year’s theme is Community: The Fabric of our Nation.
On May 16, the event will be Plein Air Painting Exhibition & Demonstration, which will let guests learn and see art inspired by the Rural Life Museum grounds and gardens. On May 30, the Gulf Coast Blacksmith Association will do a demonstration of traditional blacksmithing and metalworking techniques. The final event, Fiddlin’ with the Finest: A Celebration of Louisiana Folk Fiddling, will be on June 17. This event will feature some of the best fiddlers in the state of Louisiana.
All these events are included with museum admission and follow regular museum hours. No registration is required.
The birding loops at Burden’s trail system consist of six loops that wind through Burden’s formal and informal gardens, grasslands, croplands, wetlands and forest. The loops are designed for both beginners and advanced bird enthusiasts. Kiosks about the birding loops can be found at the Rural Life Museum Visitors Center and the Ione Burden Conference Center.
Trees and Trails, a 3-mile system of pedestrian, recreational and educational trails in the Burden Woods, provides opportunities for hiking and interpretive and educational activities for youth and adults. The Mosaic Boardwalk at Black Swamp guides visitors through a hardwood swamp more than 200 years old. The trail system is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
The Children’s Garden offers a place to learn about gardening and nutrition. This model garden also provides a location for youth-related organizations and individual families to experience the outdoors, focusing on vegetable, herb and butterfly garden plantings.
The Rose Garden is a part of the American Garden Rose Selections program, a nationwide network of approved public gardens, and the American Rose Trials for Sustainability program, maintaining an inventory of 1,100 plants representing 150 varieties. Starting each April, the Rose Garden offers an exclusive preview of the coming year’s outstanding new varieties.
Windrush Gardens comprises majestic live oaks and ancient crape myrtles to create a shady canopy over azaleas and camellias, evoking a sense of tranquility and peace. Steele Burden, who was influenced by the gardens of Europe and the surviving gardens of 19th century Louisiana plantations, designed Windrush. The winding paths are ideal for strolling and enjoying the 25 acres of landscaped spaces.
Located at 4560 Essen Lane, just off Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge, Burden Museum & Gardens is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes the LSU Rural Life Museum, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and Windrush Gardens.
The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens is an expansive collection of specialty gardens, woodlands, wetlands and arboreta. Trees and Trails offer 3 miles of serene walking paths through the Burden Woods. The Rose Garden, Children’s Garden and All-America Selections Display Garden showcase the beauty of plants and flowers and provide educational experiences for gardeners of all ages. No admission is charged to tour the gardens.
The LSU Rural Life Museum focuses on the ways of life of rural Louisiana during the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum also provides educational and research resources that advance an understanding of the material and cultural heritage of the region. Adjacent to the Rural Life Museum, the historic Windrush Gardens comprises 5 acres of semi-formal gardens of the Burden family.
Admission to the Botanic Gardens and Trees and Trails is free of charge and open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the Rural Life Museum is $10 for adults 12 to 61, $9 for seniors and $8 for children 6 to 11. Admission to Windrush Gardens is $3 per person. Both are free for kids under 6. The LSU Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens are open daily 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on major holidays.
Eager egg hunters dash through the grounds of the LSU Rural Life Museum at Burden, turning the Old-Fashioned Easter Celebration into a lively search for hidden treasures. Photo by Darlene Aguillard
Gardening enthusiasts wander through the displays, choosing colorful flowers, hardy shrubs, fragrant herbs and other plants to brighten their home gardens and landscapes. The selections are part of Spring Garden Fest and the East Baton Rouge Master Gardener Plant Sale at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden. Photo by Rebecca Warren
