(02/01/22) BATON ROUGE, La. — After the cold days of winter are gone, the Burden Museum & Gardens will offer many fun family activities this spring.

Special springtime events to remember

On Saturdays, March 5, April 2 and May 14, children ages 3 to 8 can enjoy StoryTime in the Garden from 9 a.m. to noon in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. The morning will feature storybook readings and imagination-themed activities every half hour. The last reading begins at 11:30 a.m. StoryTime is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge, and admission is free.

On Saturday, March 5, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., lone E. Burden Symposium: Discovering 300 Years of Louisiana's German Coast Symposium. Distinguished speakers from across Louisiana will highlight the 300th anniversary of the German Coast of Louisiana. The German Coast is an area in southeast Louisiana where Germanic people settled during the 18th century. Comprising parts of St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and St. James parishes on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the area was known to the French settlers as Cote des Allemands and to the German people as Deutsche Kuste. Admission is $40 for adults and children enter free. Tickets are available on BonTempTix.com.

On Saturday, March 26, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the East Baton Rouge Master Gardeners will conduct their annual spring plant sale. The sale includes thousands of plants in hundreds of varieties of landscape ornamentals. The funds raised support activities such as plant health clinics, school gardens and educational classes for the community and various children's programs. This public event includes free admission.

On Saturday, April 2, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., Zapp's International Beerfest at the LSU Rural Life Museum will feature more than 200 foreign and domestic beers, ales and homebrews for tasting. Limited to visitors 21 years of age and older, proper photo identification will be required to purchase tickets and enter the event. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available. General admission tickets are $40 each and will be available on BonTempTix.com.

On Sunday, April 10, from 2:30 to 5 p.m., LSU Rural Life Museum will celebrate an Old-fashioned Easter Celebration. Children ages 2 through 8 will have the opportunity to enjoy customs associated with Easter in Louisiana by participating in many activities such as egg-dying, egg pacquing, egg races and, of course, an Easter egg hunt. Refreshments will be served throughout the day. Admission is $5 per person.

On Friday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m., the LSU Rural Life Museum will present An Evening at Windrush. This elegant Southern supper will capture the spirit of days gone by at Windrush. Guests will enjoy cocktails at the Burden home, a seated supper and desserts and coffee on the museum grounds. Reservations are required. Reservations and information are available by calling 225-765-2437.

Continuing activities include

The Birding at Burden trail system consists 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. every day.

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.

About Burden Museum & Gardens

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 offers 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 semiformal gardens of the Burden family.

Admission to the Botanic Gardens and Trees and Trails is free of charge and open daily 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the Rural Life Museum is $10 for adults 12 to 61 and $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 major holidays.